September t, 1891.1 tN'P tlPlbPldAL AQRieULTUKIST. m 
THE SOUTH INDIAN PLANTING INDUSTRY 
AND THE LABOUE SUPPLY, 
It appears to us that a serious crisis in the Plant- 
ing Industry of Southern India oan only be avoided 
by prompt action on the part of the diflpreDt Asso- 
ciations, It is well within the cognisance of our 
Planting readers that duriug the year 1890 all estates, 
in addition to the terrible injuiy and loss of crop 
oocasioaed by leaf disease and an abnormal atmcs- 
pherio disturbance, suffered very considerably from 
want of a sufficient labour supply. The reason of this 
we have not far to seek. All the estates in the 
Wynaad, Ooorg and Mysore Districts have for years 
past looked to the Mysore country as the chiff scurce 
from which they could draw the necessary labour lo 
cultivate their estotea and harvest their crops. Com- 
petition has been very keen and the Cacarefe 
cooly has been pampered to his heart's content. On 
each estate heavy advances have been given to 
the same maistries and for the same coolies 
year by year, advances never really recovered, but 
only tabled at the end of each working sea- 
B03, to be again immediately advanced, with an ad- 
dition, more or less, on a fresh contract. Also it 
is not at all unusual for a dishonest maistry to take 
advances during a single season from two or more 
estates, and divide his labour-supplying powers in 
proportion. Under such a system both maistries aud 
coolies have grown rich and independent, land Las 
been taken up in Mysore, fields cultivated and hcuses 
built with the Planter's money ; year by year the 
advent of the coolies to the estates has been post- 
poned and, whilst formerly coolies used to return 
regultrly to the estates by the end of May or early 
in June, last Eeaton it was well on in September 
before they made their appearaijc->. We are aware 
that duiing the present season labour is more abundant, 
but what happened last year may r< cur during any 
year, and the estates will suffer. We would ifiiprebS 
on our riantitg friends that it they wish to secure 
a steady aud sufiicient supp'y of labour, other districts 
must be tapped ; there are thousands of coolies in 
the southern dibtriot?, and a proper organisation is 
all that is needed to reap the benefits of their ser- 
vices. Mysore is played out, and can never again 
supply all the labour required for the existing coffee 
cinchona, and what we hope is the growing tea industry. 
We are quite aware tliat we shall be met herewith 
arguments that it is not the slightest use endeavouring 
to draw labour from the Tamil country under the 
existing condition of the labour laws of the country, 
and with especial reference to the working of Act 
XIII. of 1859, and we quite agree, but what we would 
urge is agitation. The Government ought to bo fully 
aware of the immense importance to the country of 
the Planting industry, and we cannot but think that 
if reasonable representations are made to them by an 
united body, such representations will receive full cou- 
sideration. By on united body we do not mran the 
oommnnicatious of nuy one Association. We recognise 
the work that has been hitherto dune by the various 
Associtttioae, and more especially by the AVynaad 
Planters' Association, which has never ceased to be 
active since its original formation in 1856, but we 
say tho time has come for the unification of all the 
various Associations in Wynaad, Travancore, Ooorj; 
and Mysore, with one common object — the welfare of 
the whole Planting community. There need be no 
jealousy ; apart from tmall local interests, there will 
always be the one great question in common, an effi- 
cietit labour supply, and other questions, such as cattle 
trespass, &o , are of equal interest to nil Keceutly 
there lias boeu an appro&ch to a u' ificatioa of interests 
amongst tho different Associations aa witness tho united 
j)i;titious Bs regards the Cattle Trespass Act, and 
tho wore rerc<ut one, now in course of cousi- 
derati' n, concoruing tlie working ox rather the in- 
operativiMioba cf tho Contract Act XIII. of 1859, but 
our |)l»uting friends will pardon u3 if we argue that 
this is not enough. They umst march with the times 
iiud follow the cxaniplo of the Oonimorcial aud Trades 
Unions at Homo, aud so work tonether as to e.tort tbo 
utmost possible pressure ou tho (Jovornmeut of iho day. 
It cennot be denied that repteeentatioDS from a Central 
Association, composed of delegates from tho different 
bodies and empowered to present a united front on all 
questions of general interests, would have far moip 
power than the casual and intermittent complaints 
fri rr. Wjnaad Travancore, Ooorg and Mysore. The 
case of Ceylon is analogons. In that colony there was 
originally only one Association, the Ceylon Planters' 
Association ; as the estates inoreaeed, and new districts 
were opened up, other and local Afsooiations were 
formed, but in a few years it was found necessary to 
combine, and all the various bodies found it to their 
interest to affiliate with tha Parent Association and 
present a united front on all questions of general 
interest. They did more than this ; they never rested 
until their status was so far recoRnised as to lead to 
the appointment of a Plantirg Member of Council, It 
is almost unnecessary to point out the advantages that 
the Oeylon planters have gained by uaited action, and 
there is no reason why the planters of Southern India 
should not obtain similar bsLeSts, or such as are 
suited to the different requirements of these districts, 
if they will unite into one central body which shall be 
the mouth-piece of the whole community. There can 
be no doubt but that the excellently organised institu- 
tions of Ceylon helped very considerably in ena- 
bling the planters in that colony to recover from 
the prostration caused by the comparative failure of, 
the coffee plantations, and to build up so quickly 
the Eucoessful tea industry to an extent that is the 
admiration of neighbouring countries. 
With a well-conceived and established Central Asso- 
ciation, formed by tho planters of Southern Indii, 
oflficered by picked and experienced men from the 
different districts, and kept posted up by the brauc. 
Associations with every necessary detail of informa- 
tion, the gain to every planter would, ia our opinion, 
be directly or indirectly enormous; for whilst, theie 
are thousands of acrep, that are available for planting, 
remaining undeveloped, owing to the dread uncer- 
tainty of a sufficient laf our supply ; whilst the courts 
of law in almost every district require considerable 
expansion and improvement; whilst the construction 
of necessary roads and bridges is delayed ; and 
whilst railways are as yet in the womb of the future 
no fresh capital will be attracted to the country and 
its development is retarded. As regards rail com- 
munication we understand that a survey of an exten- 
sion of the Southern Mahratta line from Nanjan- 
gode in Mysore to Gudalore in S. E. Wynaad has 
been sanctioned, if it has notalready been commenced, 
and a further extension thence through the Wyiiaad 
to the Western Ooast can be only a question of time. 
Other extensions from the existing lines to Coorg 
and the Mysore coffee districts are also talked about. 
These and other projects would be hastened if the 
countries were .more settled and developed, and, to 
make such settlements possible, planters must combine 
to urge on Government the improvement and the 
perfecting of the labour laws. Immigration from the 
congested, and, at times, famine-stricken districts of 
Southern India, would benefit the coolies, the planters 
and Governmeat, and whilst the latter give every 
encouragement in their power to the imigration of 
these coolies to Oeylon, Mauritius and other places, 
they ought surely to be equally ready to enact such 
laws as woujd enable the planters of Southern India 
to ke; p such of the labour as they require, at home, 
and thus develop the country they possess and increase 
its prosperity and revenues. We hope to return to 
this tubjeot on another occasion, and shall be glad 
if its ventilation in our columns should lead even- 
tually to the furtherance of the important interests 
of the Planting community, — Madras Times. 
^ 
NOTES ON PRODUCE AND FINANCE. 
CoFPBB Companies and Tea Cultivation.— From 
tho reports issued by two coffee companies, the Ouvah 
aud the Spring Valley, it will be seen that tho 
cultivation of tea is a prominent feature in the ope 
ration of these coucorns, whose titles might benlterod 
with Qdv.antnge now that they are tea as well as 
colfof companies. 
