ing the pricker was used on this fresh area, and the day's 

 latex thereby obtained. By such a method great economy 

 in bark is effected, and the risks accompanying the deep 

 paring method are obviated to a large extent. 



Labour in Ceylon, 



Everybody knows, or believes, that coolies are gener- 

 ally abundant in the tropics, that their labour is very 

 cheap, and that the native races do all the manual work 

 in the open field. In most parts of the East these sur- 

 mises are correct as far as they relate to those areas 

 where rubber cultivation is at all popular. The rate of 

 wages is by no means constant, though it is always 

 fairly low. In Ceylon, where the rupee is equal to is. 4d., 

 the small girls and boys get from i6 to 25 cents, women 

 about 25 cents, and full-grown men 30 (rarely 45) cents, 

 per day; the maximum average coolie pay ranges from 

 about 5-ld. to yd., and the minimum less than 3d'. During 

 the last few years, and especially when rubber planters 

 thought they were in for a bit of real luxury, almost 

 bordering on extravagance, a few suggestions were made 

 to the effect that the wage of the Tamil coolie would, 

 sooner or later, have to be raised. So far, however, 

 there has been no definite scheme agreed upon, and 

 planters are living in hopes that a change will not be 

 necessary on some estates. Tappers, when skilled men, 

 are often paid at rates exceeding the average; on other 

 plantations, where the same work is done by boys and 

 women, the pay is sometimes below the average on the 

 property. 



No one with experience will deny that the Tamil coolie 

 in Cej'lon is, taken on the average, worthy of his hire 

 and deserving of all the encouragement he gets. Con- 

 trast, for a moment, the hard-working Tamil coolie with 

 the average type of Sinhalese villager, and I think the 

 former will strongly appeal to you. The Sinhalese are, of 

 course, in their own country, and there may not be the same 

 necessity for persistent, strenuous labour on their part. 

 The " simple life " appears to find favour with many of 

 that race who have their own compound; there is some- 

 thing akin to philosophy in the habits of the average low- 

 country villager. He does not care whether he toils or 



