CHAPTER VII. 

 MINING METHODS. 



The Tribute System. 



Wolfram was rediscovered in Tavoy in 1908 and the modern 

 history of the field may be said to date from 1909. Up to the 

 end of 1910 some 408 tons of high grade concent rat es had been pro- 

 duced, and no less than G87 applications had been received by the 

 local authorities from persons desirous of taking up land for pros- 

 pecting purposes. 



Mining methods in those days were of a very primitive character 

 and the industry still suffers because their evils have never been 

 entirely eradicated. This is to some extent the fault of the mine- 

 owners, but it is also a result of the very large numbers of veins 

 which exist, the wide area over which they are scattered, and the per- 

 manent shortage of labour. 



The first discoveries were made by Burmans and Karens and 

 these races were the first to collect the ores from the outcrops. 

 They were followed speedily by Chinese, whose " crude methods 

 exasperate equally with their bland unwillingness to improve on 

 them." 1 A gang of Chinese works under a contractor who is paid 

 according to the amount of clean high grade concentrate he brings 

 in, and sometimes a footage rate for underground driving or cross- 

 eutting in addition. Rates naturally vary with the position 

 of the mine and with the richness of the particular vein. When 

 Lefroy wrote in 1915 the figure fluctuated "round one shilling per 

 viss of clean concentrates, equivalent to £32 per ton. less from 

 3 per cent, to 8 per cent, for water and sand. The standard viss is 

 3"l)0 lbs., or 555*5 viss to the long ton, though Tavoy methods 

 prevail in this, for many concessions call 3 - 5 lbs. a viss, making 640 

 to the long ton." 



During the period of the war these rates increased and Re. 1 

 to Rs. 1-8, or one shilling and four pence to two shillings per viss, 



1 Lefroy, (20) p. 7. 



