Jn LY 2, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



29 



class or B. coffee selling at 97s ; of first class there was very 

 little, it bringing fancy prices ranging from 107s up to il4s 

 per cwt. But to resume — oiu* i>lossom showers have been 

 very favorable, commencing early in March ; they freely 

 watered the majority of the coffee estates in South Coorg, 

 bringing out the flowers m first class condition. A fourth of 

 the blossom came out at this time iu North Coorg, which 

 set well. In April, however, there was a second general 

 blossoming, surpassing anything of former years with its 

 promise of great plenty. At the time when all was m 

 flower, every one was asking the same question, "where 

 has all this blossom come from?" It may have been the 

 shortness of last yeai-'e crop, the condition of the trees and 

 the great decrease of leaf -disease, and perhaps the irrit- 

 ation of the httle showers, not enough to do harm, which 

 prepared in a way the coffee trees to respond at once on 

 the first good downfall of rain. Upon the hopeful assur- 

 ance of Government, in connection with the " Bane Land 

 Eules" that the heavy fee of R20 per acre will not ba 

 enforced, planters are plucking up courage and much land 

 that had been bought two or three years ago, is being now 

 rapitUy cleared to be ready for th.' July planting season. 

 Labor is not over plautiful. The few Tamil coolies who 

 venture up here from Salem and that neighboiu-hood find 

 ready employment. They were first attracted here in 1881, 

 and migrate in yearly increasing numbers. Several have 

 returned from the Ceylon estat«s. — Madras Standard. 



THE TROPICAL LABOUR PROBLEM. 



The Government of South Australia have great faith 

 in the future of tlieir Northern Territory, and, knowing 

 the success which has attended tropical agriculture at 

 Rlackay, they have lately sent one of their members to 

 see for himself how this has been accomplished. Jlr. Laug- 

 dou Parsons visited the Northern Territory last year. 

 This year he has visited Mackay to see how tropical 

 agriculture by coloured labour is carried out there ; and 

 now he has reported pretty fully upon what he has seen. 

 Such a report is valuable to us so far as it goes, inas- 

 much as it is made by a i)erfectly impartial man, though 

 one who went there committed to the principles of tropical 

 agriculture so far as it is connected with the employment 

 of coloured labour. At Port Darwnn they have certainly 

 not solved the labour question. They have had, and they 

 have, Chinese, Malays, Indian coolies, but up to date none 

 of these have turned out as well as they could have 

 wished that they should. It maybe that there are reasons 

 for this attributable to the primitive and comparatively 

 isolated condition of the settlement. These may be over- 

 come, and Mr. Parsons has made it liis business to as- 

 certain how best they may be overcome. At any rate, 

 he visited Mackay to ascertain what has been done there. 

 And he gives a verj' fiourishiug account of the place. 

 He tells us certainly, nothmg which we do not know 

 ourselves, but his narrative is conveniently summarised 

 in pamphlet form, and it is a fair and impartial statement 

 of the case. 



There are those, of course, who object to coloured labour 

 in any form, but even these people will not gainsay, and 

 indeed they cannot g.ainsay, the actual results of tropical 

 agriculture. The figures are sufficient. Exports and im- 

 ports tell their own tale. Everyone who ^asits the district 

 is amazed at the wonderful results produced by the com- 

 bination of capital and labour. It has all been done by 

 islauil labour, combined with European labour of the in- 

 telligent kind aided by machinery. The profits have been 

 large, and the interests now involved are so extensive 

 that it has become no longer a question of whether it 

 is an enterprise which, as a matter of choice, we should 

 encourage. There it is, successful, prosperous, and ex- 

 tending. Mr. Parsons tells his story simply enough. He 

 speaks m high terms of the island labour, but he seems 

 to regard it as having reached its maximimi of supply. 

 The demand for it is large, and, though the supply has 

 been larger this year than it has ever been before, stiU 

 the demand is no doubt so great that no supply from 

 the islands is likely to be adequate. He admits the 

 failure of the Cingalese importations ; the want of judg- 

 ment shown in the selection of these iucompetent people : 

 and he hints that it was not wise of the planters to 

 anticipate the decision of Pai-liameut on the whole sub- 



ject by this attempt to supply themselves in an illicit 

 sort of way. No doubt they had the legal right to do 

 so, but it was a critical expeiimeut, and it was not con- 

 ducted with j>rudence or "with ordinary foresight. Mr. 

 Parsons exi^resses an opinion, however, in favour of the 

 Tamil coolie under agreement, with the sanction of the 

 Indian Govei-nment, and he states the exact position of 

 the question politically, so far as we are concerned. 



The Government and Legislature of South Australia re- 

 cognise the fact that the Northern Ten-itory needs a 

 different class of labour to that requii-ed in the southern 

 parts of the colony, and have passed an Act authoris- 

 ing the introduction of coolies which does not apply to 

 the old province, and no one at present dreams of mak- 

 ing it appUcable. With us it is somewhat different. The 

 island labour which has now for so many years been 

 domesticated among us has proved of great service in 

 tropical Queensland. It is a matter of dispute whether 

 it is absolutely necessary in southera extra-ti'opical Queens- 

 land. The prevailing impression is that, though it may 

 be useful, it is not essential, and that we could siu-vive 

 the eft'ects of its discontinuauce altogether. 



In tropical Queensland it is quite another thing. It 

 would be hopeless, for instance, to think of attempting 

 to supply the demand at Mackay or the Burdekiu, the 

 Herbert or at Cairns, either by islanders or by European 

 emigi-ants. It is a question of latitude and climate. We 

 make distinctions by limiting the emiJoymeut of islanders 

 to sugar plantations. Might we not make somewhat 

 similar Umitaticns as to the employment of Indian cooUes ? 

 Is the absolute prohibition of the Indian coolie to be 

 made a matter of severe poUtical definition *r Are we to 



understand that the position of pai-ties is to be rioid 



No coolies either North or South 'i The Indian author- 

 ities, in their coiTespondence with our Govennnent, 

 seemed to recognise a distinction between ti'opical and 

 exti'a-tropical Queensland — a distinct opinion was at aiiy 

 rate expressed by them that the natives of India would 

 be more at home, and would probably thiive better, in 

 a ti'opical climate than in one which was only semi- 

 tropical. Can we recognise this distinction ? or is the 

 Indian cooUe to be regarded poUtically as such an un- 

 clean thing that neither North or South, and not even 

 expeiTineutally, can he be tolerated ? We tolerate Chinese. 

 We do not permit them to increase so as to render it at 

 all probable that they can have an injurious effect upon 

 us. We resti-ict them, and our resti-ictiou has been 

 effectual and completely successful. Why not restrict 

 Indian cooUes ? All the testimony avadable from experi- 

 ence goes to prove that, in almost every respect, they 

 are preferable to Chinamen. We are masters of the situ- 

 ation. We,can do exactly as we Uke. We can restrict 

 or we can prohibit. It is pertinent to the question, there- 

 fore, to inquire fi'om the politicians whether the party op- 

 posed to Indian coolies are opposed to them altogether. 

 We presume it is so. It seems to be a pity for the 

 pai-ty. Coloured labour will certainly .'come to tropical 

 Austraha as surely as water finds its level, and it is a pity 

 for any party to place itself in antagonism to an inevit- 

 able destiny. The duty of those who are desirous to 

 maintain and to extend the character of our " institu- 

 tions " as pei-petuated in this portion of Austraha is 

 frankly to recognize the facts with which thej' have to 

 deal. It is in theii' power to regulate as they please, 

 to restrict coloured labour to certain industies, and if 

 they think fit to ceitaiu latitudes ; but the cuixent of 

 industiv and commerce is too sti'ong for total prohibition. 

 The influence of the planters, the success of the sugar 

 industiv. is so great that it will be earned on either 

 by Asiatic or bj- island labour. It must be controlled 

 therefore, for it cannot be prohibited. Alrea,dy it is in- 

 digenous, and if there are those who think that it is an 

 evil it is manifestly theii' duty to m;ister it and to keep 

 it in order. — Qcccnalander . 



THE SUGAR INTJUSTRY. 



Certain remarks in the monthly circular of the Queens- 

 land Mercantile and Agency Company, Limited, aueut the 

 sugar industry, are worthy of reprnductiou : — 



" Tlie Government' of .South Australia, recognizing the 

 great advantages to be derived from such an important in- 

 dustry as sugar-production, if only it could be eatahhshed iu 



