This is art, and art is long, as the poet says.
In all countries the laws throw light upon the past.

The Queensland law for the regulation of the Labor Traffic is a confession.

It is a confession that the evils charged by the missionaries upon the traffic had existed in the past, and that they still existed when the law was made.

The missionaries make a further charge: that the law is evaded by the recruiters, and that the Government Agent sometimes helps them to do it.

Regulation 31 reveals two things: that sometimes a young fool of a recruit gets his senses back, after being persuaded to sign away his liberty for three years, and dearly wants to get out of the engagement and stay at home with his own people; and that threats, intimidation, and force are used to keep him on board the recruiting-ship, and to hold him to his contract.