444 COC,OA 



CHAP. 



An attempt to employ Barbadians and Chinese was 

 not a success, and it was proposed to make a trial with 

 British East Indians, who had already shown in Trinidad 

 and Demerara to be good workmen. For this purpose 

 the Dutch Government made a contract with the 

 English Government, and an immigration law was 

 established. 



This immigration of East Indians begun in 1873 

 has been in many respects successful ; these people, 

 good labourers, are diligent and very thrifty. The 

 only drawback is that they are rather suspicious and 

 easily upset. Murders are not rare occurrences among 

 them, and more than one planter has been killed by his 

 East Indian people, sometimes for trifling grievances. 



In 1896 the Government began also to introduce 

 Javanese labourers. These are in many respects 

 superior to the East Indians. They have a natural 

 instinct for garden work, and on the plantations they 

 are splendid for all work which requires special care 

 and skill, as, for instance, pruning, and collecting noxious 

 insects. But also for clearing the forest the Javanese 

 are very useful labourers. It is true that money is 

 not such an important matter to the Javanese, and 

 money cannot induce him, like the East Indian, to 

 work day and night in case the manager thinks it desir- 

 able. It is, however, a great advantage to the planter 

 to work with people not only quiet and easily satis- 

 fied, but also steady and skilled workmen. This is the 

 reason why at present the Javanese immigrant is 

 generally preferred to the East Indian. 



The Government settled what is to be considered 

 as a day's task, as well in digging work, forking of the 

 soil, and weeding, as in all other work to be done on 

 the plantation, and while the planter binds himself to 

 pay to the immigrant or " contract labourer " for the 

 day's task 60 cents (1 sh.), to give him a house, and 

 medical help in case of illness, the contract labourer is 

 bound to perform each day at least a day's task. 



The control of the immigration, the treatment of 



