312 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Nov. 1, 1899. 
PREVENTION OF COFFEE-STEALING IN 
INDIA. 
THE PROPOSED NEW LAW. 
The publication in the Gazette of the 
draft Coffee stealing Act Amendment Bill marks, 
says the Madras Mail, another step forward 
in the adjustment of the planter's relations 
with iiis neighbours and his fellow men. It is 
now a quarter of a century since i)lanters first 
brous;ht to the notice of Government the need 
for legislation against coffee-stealing, a crime that 
was said to be " increasing terribly." In 1878 
The Madras Cofl'ee-Stealing Prevention Act, was 
passed. The Bill originally drafted provided that 
within certain localities, to be notified, it was 
to be declared unlawful for any person to deal 
in coffee without a license from a Magistrate, 
with whom the granting of such license was 
optional ; every licensed dealer was to be bound 
to keep books and accounts showing details of 
every transaction in coffee made by him. Penal- 
ties "^were attached to breaches of these provisions, 
to the dealing in coffee by any person other 
than a licensed dealer, to the selling or bartering 
coffee to any person other than a dealer, to tlie 
buying of green coffee from any person other 
than a licensed dealer or owner of a coffee estate 
or some person authorised by him, to the possession 
of green coffee by a laboui er employed on a coffee 
estate, who failed to account satisfactorily for 
such possession, to the removal of coffee from 
any premises without permission, and to the 
gathering, removal or loading and unloading of 
coffee on any estate between sunset and sunrise. 
In case of a second conviction for certain of the 
offences specified, flogging was to be awardable, 
and despite sundry saving clauses regarding pur- 
chases for domestic use, the dr.ift Bill was seemingly 
a very formidable piece of legislation. The 
planters approved of the licensing system thus 
provided for, but objected to the limitation to 
f/reen coffee indicated .above, and desired certain 
protective regulations concerning coffee in transit. 
The Standing Committee agreed to alter " green " 
to '• green gathered," but asserted that the "special 
protection which the coffee-planting industry 
might fairly demand could not properly extend 
beyond the crop on the ground and the harvested 
crop in transit through the coffee growing Dis- 
tricts." This is the principle that guided the 
farmers of Act VIII of 1878. 
Complaints began as early as 1879, partly 
because the application of the Act was thought 
to be confined within too narrow limits. A host 
of receivers of stolen coffee were otticially reported 
to be springing up. Not until 1893 was the question 
of amending the provisions of Section 9 of the 
Act raised, though this was from the beginni-ig 
the weak spot of the Act. Since 1893 there has 
been a steady and persistent rejiresentation by the 
United PI inters' Association, and the Nilgiri Plant- 
ers' Association in particular, of the need for amend- 
ment of tiie Act. The matter eventually came before 
the South of Incia Planter's Enquiry Committee, 
and the result was certain recommendations which 
have now been embodied in the draft Bill. The 
words " pai'chmentor cherry dried " are now added 
to Section 9, which v/il! thus run as follows : — 
" Any cooly, maistry or other labourer employed 
on a coffee estate found with green gathered, paixh- 
menfc, or cherry dried coifee in his possession, and 
failing to account satisfactorily for such possession, 
shall be liable, on conviction by a Magistrate, to pay 
a fine not exceeding five hundred rupees." 
Provision is also made for the rendering by coffee 
planters of certaia returns, according to forms 
to be laid down by Government. The object of 
this is clear. Sellers as well as jmrchasers of 
coffee are brought within the sco))e of the new 
Bill ; and the provision just referred to will enable 
District officials not only to ascertain, for ex- 
ample, the amount said to have been obtained 
by a dealer fiom his own garden or by purchase, 
and its disposal, but to ascertain also the amount 
really produced in the dealer's garden. Properly 
apidied, this Section should strike a severe blow 
at one of the commonest forms of roguery in 
connection with the theft of coffee and the 
receiving of stolen coffee. 
THE SOUTH INDIAN COFFEE STEALING 
BILL. 
The following is the full text of the Coffee- 
Stealing Bill published in Madi as Gazette : — 
No. 3 of 1899. 
A BILL TO AMKMD MADRAS ACT VIII OF 1878 
(COFFKE-STEALING). 
Whereas it is expedient to amend Act VIII of 1878 
(coffee-stealing) ; it is hereby enacted as follows : — 
1 This Act may be called the Coffee-stealiug Act 
Amendment Act. 
2. It shall come into force at once. 
3. After Section 5 of the Act the following Section 
shall be inserted : — 
5-A. Every person in occupation and enjoyment of a 
coffee estate who sells, barteis or gives in exchange, 
any coffee shall at the time enter or cause to be 
entered in a book to be kept by him a true record of 
such transaction specifying. 
(a) The name, residence and occupation of the 
p^rsou to whom sach coffee was so sold, bartered or 
given in exchange. 
{h) The date of the transaction, and 
(c) The quantity and description of the coffee so 
sold, bartered or given in exchange. 
4. In Section 6 of the Act for the words " Sec- 
tion " the words "Section 5 and 5-A" shall be 
substituted, and after the word " purchasing " the 
words " or selling " shall be added. 
6, In Section 8 of the Act after the figure 5 the 
figure and letter 5-A shall be inserted. 
6. In Section 9 of the Act after the words " green 
gathered" the words "parchment or cherry dried" 
shall be added. 
TEA IN EAST AFRICA. 
From an article in the Zanzibar Gazette of 
the ."0th August we take the following; : — 
Tea. — We have decided to give this product a 
trial because of the healthy appearance of the tea 
bushes at Miss^Thakeray's shamba, BIbweni, planted 
by Sir John Kirk. These were pruned down in 
October and flushed well, bearing enough new 
growth in two months to form a plucking surface 
and .leave six inches of pruning wood. Half a 
maund of Horagalla, Ceylon, Assam Hybrid haa 
been obtiiiued and planted in the new nursery at 
Mpapa and is growing well. This should give us 
enough plants for six acres, planting five by five, 
and leave a margiu for supplies and distribution. 
I don't think that Zanzibar will ever enter the 
lists as a lea-producing countiy, even if low 
country varieties are found to flourish here, as the 
labour supply is too small and uncertain. The 
plentiful supply of organised labour in Ceylon ii 
one of the chief reasons why that country has 
taken the lead in this industry, while Natal is am 
example where the comparatively adverse conditiona 
of labour have operated unfavourably. In our present 
unstable condition of labour we could not do more 
than grow a few acres for local consumption and 
perhaps induce the Arabs and natives to cultivate 
a few trees for their own use. Another point to 
remember is that tea is a declining market an^ 
is probably already over : produced. 
