THE I,AND QUESTION AND COLONISATION I05 



inquilino and work for the proprietor. These voluntarios may be members 

 of the inquilino' s family or strangers. 



(c) the food of those who work for the owner of the farm, consisting 

 of ordinary bread made of flour of i lb. weight and lib. of beans cooked 

 with fat. 



(ii) a hectare and half of land suitable for irrigation near the dwell- 

 ing, which the inquilino may utilise for his own Ijenefit. 



{e) a hectare of land also su table for irrigation, in a more distant 

 part of the farm, for the exclusive use of the inquilino ; 



(/) two or three hectares of land not suitable for irrigation, for the 

 cultivation of cereals, also for the exclusive benefit of the inquilino ; 



(g) grazing ground sufficient for 10 or 12 head of cattle, also on 

 the farm. 



The terms of this contract, verbal and var^nng more or less with 

 local custom, which is the common form throughout the agricultural 

 region, call for some comment. 



Especially is there a contradiction between the inquilino pledging 

 himself or one of his family to work on his master's farm, and the large 

 concession of ground he is able to work for his ov\ n advantage. On this 

 point, let us remember that this is no strict contract, for the master, on 

 his part, cannot be ver^' exacting in view of the scarcity of agricultural 

 hands, and so permits the inquilino and his family to work on their own 

 account. In practice, also, it frequently happens that the inquilino cul- 

 tivates but a small part of the land granted to him ; he has no desire to 

 rise and is satisfied with what he gains by his daily labour. 



As to the free labourers, they ma^' be, as already said, members or re- 

 lations of the family of the inquilino or strangers, who agree to live with 

 him and work for him or for his master. When the free labourers work for 

 the inquilino the}^ do not, of course, receive payment or food from the master, 

 but from the inquilino himself. 



The contract does not hinder the inauilino from reaping considerable 

 advantages on his own account, if he is capable, and has a numerous 

 famity. But, generally, as he has few wants, he is content with a miserable 

 life and is without enterprise ; so he prefers to inhabit a wretched abode 

 rather thau repair it or build a better. 



In the farm population there is a kind of hierarchy. At the head is 

 the landlord's agent, who selects from among the better inquilinos mciyor- 

 domos or foremen, whose duty it is to transmit orders to those below them. 



§ 9. Colonisation. 



From what has been already said, it is clear that the Chihan agricul- 

 tural question is closely connected with colonisation. ■ Let us see what has 

 been done in this important matter. 



I. General View. — Agricultural colonisation was one of the. first tasks 

 which the Chilian government proposed .to undertake as soon as it was 



