Ixxxv 



Ordinary agricuHuraJ labour. — Every ryot whose holding was 

 larger than he could cultivate with the assistance of members of his 

 own family was obliged to call in the assistance of labourers known 

 as pannials (panniar)i means cultivation and al, labourer). These 

 pannials were paid in two ways — 



(Ist) by a monthly grain fee varying from 24 to 40 measures of 

 either cholum, cumbu or ragi, besides an annual ready money allow- 

 ance of Rs. 2 to 5. 



(2ndhj) by a monthly payment in money of Rs. 2| to 4. 



The first mode of payment was the one universally observed in 

 all purely agricultural villages, i.e., those which had no trade, like 

 the Cauvery villages. 



Extraordinary agricultural labour. — Extraordinary agricultural 

 labour was chiefly required for irrigated cultivation. The labour 

 consisted of ploughing^ sowings weeding and harvesting. The wages 

 were high. Females as well as children were employed. Men 

 ploughed, made ridges, and levelled fields ; the children trod in leaves 

 for manure, whilst women took out the seedlings from their nursery 

 and transplanted them over the field at a distance of about two 

 inches apart. This was at the commencement of the rice cultivation 

 in September and October. A month subsequently females only were 

 employed for transplanting and weeding. They were paid from one- 

 and-a-half to two annas in ready cash. At the harvest time the 

 labourers would not receive payment in money, but demanded it in 

 grain. They were paid from 3 to 4 Madras measures per diem, two 

 annas six pies or three annas four pies at the commutation rate. 



Increase in the number of labourers. — The extension of cultivation 

 and the prosecution of works of public and private enterprise had 

 to a great extent increased the number of labourers. Besides the 

 labouring classes already mentioned, there was a third class, the 

 purely cooly, who had no lands or other means of livelihood. They 

 had no houses of their own and they generally emigrated to places 

 where they could get housed as well as earn wages. They were em- 

 ployed chiefly on the Shervaroy hills, where they occupied the cooly 

 lines of the planters and were paid at the rate of a rupee for 6 days' 

 labour. 



Condition of the imrely cooly class. — The condition of the purely 

 labouring classes had certainly improved during the previous 10 years. 

 They were better clad, wore some ornaments, and sought for more 

 comforts and better living. Their condition, however, depended on 

 the different castes to which they belonged. For instance, the Vel- 

 lalan was frugal and saving in the extreme. His hard-working wife 

 knew no finery and was content to wear for the whole year one, or at 

 the utmost two blue cloths. The husband lived on the cheapest 

 of dry grains and it was only at high festivals that a platter of rice 

 and a little meat were prepared. On the other hand FuUies and 

 Pullars were the very reverse, especially the latter. They were impro- 

 vident of the morrow ; " sufficient unto the day '' was their motto. 

 They spent their money as fast as they got it. They lived upon rice 

 and meat as often as they could and delighted in gay clothes and, 

 ornaments. 



