LABOUR AND LABOURERS. 37 



estate work is usually done by labourers who reside 

 upon it, and take weekly wages from the owners 

 or their representatives. This is especially the 

 case in new districts surrounded by wild country. 

 In older neighbourhoods there may be populous 

 villages hard by whence labour can be drawn day 

 by day ; and occasionally the work, or portions of 

 it, are put out to contractors. 



In the first case, the procedure is somewhat 

 as follows : The planter goes to the lowlands and 

 puts himself in communication with half-a-dozen 

 " Maistries," " Kanganies," or head men, to 

 whom he communicates his needs in the way of 

 labour. They assure him they can obtain a 

 good and sufficient supply, and are forthwith 

 provided with advances (a signed and witnessed 

 agreement having been made with them) i.e., Rs. 5, 

 or so for each man they agree to find. This 

 money is supposed to pass into the coolie's hands, 

 and act as an inducement for him to leave home, 

 or as something to support the family while he is 

 away. 



At the stipulated time the Maistries appear 

 in the jungle, each at the head of his gang of 

 coolies, all heavily loaded with earthen " chatties " 

 or cooking pans, native shawls, supplies of dried 

 fish, curry stuffs, &c. ; and "salaaming" to the 

 European, they settle down, building themselves 

 "lines" or huts, if there are none ready, and 

 working off those advances entered (on the first 



