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^tradition, and wise in the wants of the Province 

 by experience, the Government would surely import 

 labor in large quantities for the prosecution of 

 the roads, bridges, and other works it proposed 

 to take in hand. It would, possibly, now adopt 

 a suggestion which so often came up from Assam 

 viz. to employ Jail labor on useful Public Works. 

 Vain hope ! Labor was not imported ; and to 

 employ convicts, it was objected, would make Assam 

 a penal province. The Public Works Department 

 backed by the whole power of Government, and 

 with its unlimited capital, entered the labor market 

 of the province already strained to the utmost 

 limit. Planters remonstrated. Their remonstrances 

 were considered unreasonable. They had long 

 asked for roads and bridges. Funds were now 

 available for the purpose. They must be carried on. 

 Double treble fixed rates of wages were offered and 

 accepted. The planters in despair, urged that of their 

 wants, labor was the most pressing, and prayed for 

 the discontinuance of the Works- It was argued, 

 in official correspondence, that the planters paid by 

 the piece, aitd that in reality the rates paid by 

 them were higher than those offered by the Public 

 Works Department : but the argument is altoge- 

 ther irrecoucileable with the result. Otherwise, the 

 supply of labor of the province must have been 

 in excess of the demand, which was not the case, 

 or the department would not have obtained a coolie. 



