Labour Contracts. 83 



worthy and responsible person ; and if possible, 

 this attestation might be made in the presence of a 

 magistrate or justice of the peace. This is com- 

 pulsory by the Ceylon Labour Ordinance, and it 

 will always be a satisfaction to the planter himself 

 to feel assured that the coolies have not been 

 inveigled into his service by false representations ; 

 more especially as the class of persons who make 

 their livelihood by collecting coolies on commission, 

 are frequently adventurers without character or 

 principle, who do not scruple to make all kinds of 

 absurd promises, caring for nothing but the head- 

 money, and being quite indifferent as to whether 

 the people they have engaged remain at their 

 destination or not, once the commission has been 

 paid. It is only natural that coolies should become 

 troublesome and discontented, when, on arriving at 

 the estate, they find themselves to have been grossly 

 deceived by false representations, the nature of the 

 work upon which they are to be employed being 

 entirely different, and the wages they are to receive 

 far smaller than they have been led to expect ; nor 

 is it greatly to be wondered at that they are often 

 unable to discriminate between the knave by whom 

 they have been duped, and the innocent planter 

 whose representative he seemed to be. In such 

 cases, continual difficulties and unpleasantness may 

 be expected on the estate, often ending in the 



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