Jan. 1. 1903.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
4C7 
of small proprietors, many of whom sell mneli of 
their proiiiic ion in India, aiul are, cousequently, 
more or less indifferent to tlie Coss. 
The figures of ai.!a are takeri fioiU tlie Direc^'or- 
General of Stati'^tics' Report published on Mie 28 h 
June 1901, which was the most recent issue when 
the Memorial was sign. 
THE LABOUR QUESTION IN CEYLON : 
RECEUITING IMPERATIVE. 
Short crops, low prices, and a poor labour- 
supply are a trinity of evils wliicli dog the 
planter and help at times to take mucli of 
the brightness out of his life. Met singly, 
either of these evils are worrying enough ; 
while a combined attack would be hard to 
put up with for any length of time. Al- 
though evils are said to be social in their 
disposition, and dearly love companionship, 
never appearing singly — as we are prover- 
bially told— yet it is not often that the 
planters' dreaded trinity, are found in each 
other's company, or that he is called on to 
entrench himself against their combined 
advance. Short crops and low prices do not 
run as a pair at all, their natures are 
antagonistic, it is only the third item in 
the trinity, a short labour supply, which 
can work its evil way in the companionsliip 
of eicher of the others. A short cro() and 
a short labour supply are possible, indeed, 
tlie latter, if in much evidence, may be the 
creator of the former and low prices and a 
restricted labour market have been, alas ! 
common enough during these late lean 
years through which the planting industry 
has passed. Now, however, that the tea 
prospects are brightening, the danger im- 
mediately ahead of the planting industry 
is emphatically the labour question, and if 
that could be satisfactorily solved, it woi^ld 
lift a burden which, at present, oppresses 
the mind of many a man ; while it would 
be conducive to the easy-running of estate 
work, and productive t)f the best results. Not 
that a superabundance of coolies is at all a 
blessing; for to have too many, we are told, 
is even worse tlian to have too few. leading 
as it does to slackness, sliort time, and poor 
check-roll balances, paid for later on wlien the 
inevitable reaction sets in, whereas the 
short out-turn, and the clamorous demands 
of fields claiming attention, whet the plant 
er's witp, and often results in much cheaper 
working than was possible when the ranks 
of the morning parade were crowded. That 
the present labour force in the island has 
proved adetjuate on the whole during the 
last few months, is the result of thi ab- 
normal weather which lately held back 
flush, and fought on the side of the small 
battalions ; for if the conditions had been 
otherwise— nature beneficent and the measure 
])ressed down and over flowing there would 
certainly have been weedy fields, a weary 
pursuit of ii. runaway flush and a worried 
planter who hardly knew what end ot him 
was up. The ease with which the busy 
season has this ye<xr been got through, 
ought not, however, to deceive nor create a 
fool's paradise. Coolies at the end of the busy 
months always get restless; "tundus" are 
in demand, and the labour of the country 
gets shuffled for the new deal, liarly as it 
is, we are informed, that already the flight 
of the "tuiidu" li 's begun, and those desiring 
immediate reinforcements to their labour 
force, are staggered at the amounts demanded 
to effect a transfer of the scant and ragged 
following by those who possess them. If the 
debts of the cooly generally were at all in 
proportion to what appears as the face-value 
of these early movers, things would be in a 
very bad way indeed ; I)ut most estates, 
which have heavily indebted gangs, are 
willing to be inconvenienced for ;i time by 
their transfer to others, with the hope that 
later on, the same outlay will replenish their 
now repleted force to double the present 
outgoing. But this shifting does nothing for 
the country t-.s a whole— though individual 
estates may lieneflt— nay, it but locks up 
more of the planter's money in his advance 
account, which is the most unprofitable 
item in his finance ; demanding a wary 
watchfulness, a bit and bridle to keep in 
any kind of order, and liable to sudden up- 
he.avals and depressions which end at times 
in the gall and worm wood of "writing off." 
The bidding up of advances is, without doubt, 
brought about by the desire to possess a 
trained force, and the unwillingness of 
kanganies to recruit. It goes without say- 
ing that the exi)ert field-hand is a desirable 
possessioti as compared to the raw arrival 
who nmst make sad havoc when turned loose 
on the tea flush ; but the planting districts 
are unanimous that without new blood the 
labour-supply will fall far short of the de- 
mand, and soon the cooly will rule To 
recruit is, therefore, an imperative necessity 
on all employers of labour, and if the old 
supply-fields are worked out, new ones must 
be found to save the situation. If estates 
are to have a. competitive labour era, even 
of a short duration — when planter will vie 
with planter in bidding for coolies— the 
prospective profits from increased prices, 
will, to some extent, vanish. Ramasamy will 
play the increased advance game for any 
length of time. He has an unstable estimate 
of liis own work which ranges from next 
to nothing up to his full weight in silver, 
and as he is much influenced by his "durai's" 
action and opinion he reflects accurately 
the planter's mind, setthng quietly down 
when the tide runs in favour of restricted 
advances, or he becomes a restless insatiable 
nuis.ance— a daily demander of "tundus — 
wJien he sees and hears of lavish out-goings. 
At the back of the cooly there are those too 
who press him when they think that more 
coin will be forthcoming if trouble be taken 
to make estate-labour unsatisfactory and 
restless :— chetties, kaddie-keepers and such 
like. The planter is himself the barometer 
of the labour market to a great extent, 
Avhich is read by all men, and especially 
visible to the keen gaze of the needy kan- 
gany. \Vhen the planter gets excited .and 
thinks that his force is going to he hopelessly 
short, he reflects this in his manner, and 
up goes the advances. If he suffered .nlone 
it would be nothing, but his whole neigh- 
