663 the tropical AGRICULTURIST. [March 2, 1891. 
eentali?'^, while conlitjuing to ( Xprea=i strong objoclion 
to any aUerai-ion of tiie law of 1389, oblaiaccl an 
eslcusioa from 80 to 60 d lys f r the period which 
may elapso attvr tho caUiiOar month expires wherein 
the wages were carneJ, before non-payment frees 
the lab )urer, without notice or demsu 1, from all 
his ohligrtious. In obtaining that exteus-i m of 
periods, the Planting Member intimatccl that he only 
acceptod it as tho best m ans of giving effect to tho 
Secretary of State’s orders, and n it because lie ap- 
proved cf cr agreed to the alteration w/liich had bee t 
forced upon tits Legisl -tivo Ootiueil. With the greatest 
diffioully the Association, by the aid of the Pliuters’ 
liepre.sentative in Ooucci! had succeeded in obtaining “a 
fair law wntli a continaity of the practice of a quarter 
of a century,” conserving to the conly“ih6 privileges of a 
daily laborer, combitiad wilii cjtitiuuity of eninioy 
ment ” together with absolute security f ir bis wages 
but the conditions of tho law previously set forth in the 
last annual report are now varied in this, viz; — That 
it has been made easy for laborers indeb'ed to the 
Estate to desert (labourers not in debt r.iroly or 
never desiring such opp irfunit} ), while tho thrifty 
labourer has been in no way benefited. Tlie avowed 
object of the less acceptable alternative was to provide a 
“ Bclf-aeting” process wln-reby the labourer, with'iut 
notice and wi' bout niiy preferred demand to be paid 
hia balance of wages, could be relieved at a fixo 1 time 
of his liabi'ity for obsdient si-rvioe ; but, as i: woii 
known to practical planters, the previous comlitions 
wore just as much s df-aoting ” and were so upon a 
sounder basis, viz: tbs ola'm to b-i r liave:! a't r so 
mneh wages earned or work done, instead of merely 
time pissed i i nominal service. Hence the neces-ity 
for sucli a provision only existed in the imrgirin/; ion of 
those who in their iniads o mfuse i the inability of 
certain Proprietors when overtsken by ruin some tix 
years 8-go, to discharge promptly their Jiabilitirs, with 
a suppositious disinclination to do so ; for it was not 
the case th;t any planter denied or qn 'stionod Ids 
duty to pay monthly wages when requ red so to do. 
Moreover the Ordinance No. 16 of 1884 had already 
acoord"d to the lab >urers a priority lien upon the estate 
for double the amount of wages which the rejected 
ordinatice permitted to remain outstanding liefore the 
labourer could be relieved of his liability as a monthly 
servant. In thus reviewing the position of this vexed 
question your Committee cannot hut regret that tlie 
Officers responsible for the govGr.imont and adminis- 
tration of the c nntry .shoull have exhibited so de- 
fective a knowledge of the prevailing conditions of the 
case, and a bearing so unsympathetic and rarrovv in 
view towards the Planter.s and estate Owners as a 
class. 
Laboor Supply. — In tliemoni hs of Apn! and May owing 
in a great m^aruro to the prova'once of influenza and the 
sickness attendant cu it coming ns it did when there 
was m' si; leaf to be plucked the lahour was greatly in- 
sufficii nt to the lequir: nient.s, ai.d a great los.s of lent 
and consequently of money was sustained by tho plant- 
ing community. This foircitv of labour was increased 
by the unprecedouted and arbitrary ac'tiou of the Gov- 
eriimeur in wantonly stopping the.Northern immigration 
rout", ai.d c.t the sa.ne time imposing vexatious 
qn.irantine regulations nt Colombo. Repr sentations 
were made by the Asmi-iaiion to the Goi’eniment and 
your Committee is plea.S'’d to record it.s appreidatien of 
tho very prom;)t and liindly altent'oi given to tho | 
matter by idi: Exc( llency the, Ooveinor both as regards ' 
the 'topirago of the No- them route a.tid the quarantine i 
regnlatiors. Y< iir Ooniniittoe vontnres to h'.pe that 
such vexati' IIS and disastrous checks to immigration i 
will not again l)o impo-od liy the G'lvernment of ! 
Oeylon. Rince tli : ilimwing open o- tho Nurtltcrn route j 
and t lie introduction of bettor (lunnaid ine arrangenu-nts 
the influx of'i uiiiil imniigi anh, into Ceylon has been 
CO mid-r lUr: inltbc Uhonr foi ce of th.‘ country ha.s 
been raplo ii.'h' d a; i . s on by tho Cnv that, this year 
the arriva; , xcmal 'In; departure'' by 8S 212. 
Co\ r A O', ;ci.. ■- 'i'le (p'o lion of c n't ndvairccs 
has lieeii iu' u dr fo i- Km- Association and a circular 
ban b'eu isaund by the A"mk;i itn.n, the rcc.Hnmonda- 
tions of wl.icti will, it is li d>e l, commend tliornsolvcs to 
the community. 
Immiguatijn Seiivices.— M embers are well aware 
'hat this su' j ct of paramount importance to all 
Plant' rs ina occupied and O' utiiiu(:8 to engage the 
constant and earmst ccnsidi ratu n < f your Associa- 
tion. Tile hardship, gnat inconveidiuce ai d loss en- 
dured in the early part of tho ye.-r under review owing 
to tlie sudilen uuolied tor stoppage of Uie Immi- 
gration S rvioe via the North Read is still fresh in 
your memory. At the same time yon will rum m'ler that 
the Steamer Service via Tutiooiin was rendered prao- 
ticiilly tisolees owing to the strliigei cy of the quarau* 
line rfgul.itions enforce! at Colombo. The action of 
tlie As-ocintion on (hat occasion took the form of the 
foliow'iig resolution which was pa'srd u ..".nimonsly at 
a large and represent-.tivo General ItUoling. “ That 
thi.s Association desires to express its strong condem- 
nation of the lute unprecedented action of Government 
in stopping Iramigiation on the North R r.id by recently 
witliuriwiijg their sailing vessids that have for twenty 
■six years been at Ihu suviceof our coolies without 
one day’s cessation and which witlidrawal has unfor- 
tunately created a feeling of mistrust, and has been 
greatly accentuated by the stoppage of the steamer 
immigration service from Tulicoriii to .Cohimbo by 
the stringent quarantine regulations at the latter port.” 
Your Committee lias plersure in freely recognizing 
the great inleregt and concern that His K.''.ce!lency Sir 
Artliur Havelock lias r-iuce evinced in the wliole sub- 
j''cf, and tlio steps taken by his Government to faci- 
litate and where practicable increase the efficiency of 
the Immigrati 'n rontis. Thi.s v/\s evidenced by the 
Governor’s asking for an e.xpression cf y-urr opinion 
as to the roliicivo advantages of the route via the North 
Hoad and via, Tuticorin. Of such vital importance 
lire lioth routes to your eruu'prise that it was felt 
libsulutoly n.-cessary to VRSS ths foilowing resoln- 
tion in reply, ‘'Th A since tho Tuiuil.') iminigrato to Cey- 
lon of their o-.''ii free will it i,s imperatively necessary 
that the existing r, u'es fva kept open, and every faci- 
lity given to the coolies to avril thourolves of them.” 
In acknowledging this refcolu'im the Government 
stated that there was no intention on its part to 
withdraw any facility or aocommo'iaticn now given by 
eitlier route aud .'■ubmitted a proposal for the consider- 
ation of the Association as to the leiisibility of a sup- 
plementary route for Immigrant ccoHes into tho 
planting districts from ports in India to Hambantot- 
aud Wellawaya. Tour Cotemirteo utiauimonsly 
refo'vcd that the openiBg of an alternative route for 
Irainigrunts via Hambanlota would bo of the greatest 
a Ivantage to the planting districts aud remitted the 
matter to a large sub-Ooiumittee to enquire into the 
f a-'ibility of the r. u’e and to cot.fi r with the Chamber 
of Commerco regarding the immigration routes gene- 
rally. That sub-Committee has not completed its 
labours nor has a report yot been p.'.csented ; acoord- 
iinS^y your Committee would recommend the re. 
appointment of the same sub-Committee to complete 
the enquiry dosi 'erated which naturally 'will take 
sometime and careful ooii.‘i'!ei'.''.tion. It may be mene 
lioiiod th'it the sub-Committee met at Kandy in Nov- 
ember in co’iforeace with repi esontatives of the 
Ohambsr of Oommerco and pasied the following reso- 
latioue: — 
(I) Tiiat this sub-Oom nittee strougly recommends 
the establishment of an a id tional immigration route 
via Hamhanlota and Wellaways, provided one of the 
steam shipping companies will undertake steam 
communication between Negape.tara and Hambantota. 
(Ill The Secretary of tie Planters’ Association 
ot Ocy 1( n bo nut hori.sed to communicate with the various 
Sfc"am Shipping Compan'es with the view of ascertain- 
ing what nrraiigcmciits they ai-e prepared to make 
in order to carry out the proposed new Immigration 
route and to collect all iuforino,' ion in reply to the 
Coicui.il Secretary’s letter of 0 h Nov mber 1890 rela- 
tive (o the requireraents in the way of accommodation 
iind sdiff f'.r tho e.-.t'blishment cf ihu route from 
Handiaiitota to Wellaway 
(Ill) Tliat a copy of 'the above resiplutinns be for- 
warded to Gjvernmoiit and to the Ceylon Chamber of 
Comintroo. 
It is I'urthor understood that Messrs. Alstons, Scott 
i & Co., as representing the British India Steam NavU 
