32 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[July  i,  1S95. 
lowing  infoniuiLion  on  this  sahjccl  is  troni  ;in 
nndenialile  auttiority  witlt  long  L‘N|i(,'rience  ol'  t lio 
working  of  |)lantat.ions  : — 
Plelku-Contkai  Ts  AN'ii  Till:  Ai'va.nae  System.— The 
maintenance  of  the  cinnamon  industry  depends  upon, 
among  other  things,  i)enally  enforced  contracts  ex- 
tending over  a term  of  )cars,  Advances  ranging  from 
iUO  to  UdO  each  are  made  to  the  peelers  on  written 
contracts,  executed  in  the  manner  prescribed  by 
clause  7 of  the  Ordinance  No.  11  of  186."),  whereby 
they  agree  to  peel  and  prepare  cinnamon  *■  oil  all 
the' days,  excejit  Sundays,  ’ during  a term  of  threi^ 
years,  it  being  important  to  secure  an  adequate 
force  so  as  to  take  in  the  available  crop  when  the 
conditions  for  ))eeling  are  favourable : otherwise 
the  crop  depreciates  if  it  is  not  harvested  at 
the  proper  time  from  the  spice  becoming  coarse 
in  quality,  or,  if  it  has  become  too  coarse  to 
peel,  the  out-turn  of  (piill  bark  is  diminished.  There 
are  two  distinct  peeling  seasons  in  the  year,  the 
maha  mosiuna  or  big  crop,  which  usually  begins  some 
time  in  May  and  the  iiitiirhir,  monuiau.  or  small  crop, 
which  commences  on  some  date  in  No\embei.  The 
iieeling  is  adversely  affected  by  drought  and  the 
tlushiiig  of  the  bushes  and  whenever  this  hajipens 
harvesting  operations  cease  till  such  time  as  the  con- 
dition for  peeling  are  again  favourable.  Although, 
when  a break  of  this  kind  occurs,  the  peeler  is 
offered  other  work  on  the  estate,  at  a rate  of  wages 
which  the  ordinary  Sinhalese  labourer  is  satisfied  witli, 
he  seldom  avails  himself  of  the  offer  and  leaves  the 
village  in  search  of  more  congenial  occupation.  If 
he  succeed  in  the  object  of  his  search  he  is  often 
tempted  to  stay  away  altogether  taking  cave  to  con- 
ceal his  whereabouts  from  the  two  individuals  most 
concerned  in  his  welfare,  namely  ; the  Cangany  and 
Superintendent,  thus  defrauding  the  estate  of  his 
services  and  the  money  advanced.  Others  again  take 
advances  from  estate  after  estate  with  no  intention 
whatever  of  performing  their  shaie  of  the  contract 
and  with  the  money  tlius  obtained  by  fraud  hold 
high  carnival  during  the  Sinholese  Aifuntda  Maiujabia 
and  having  “ rubbed  themselves  with  oil  ” elude 
the  clutches  of  the  several  dupes  by  mysteriously 
disappearing  just  about  the  time  work  begins  on  the 
estates.  . ,,  , , i i i 
The  peeler  being  a skilled  workman,  his  place  cannot 
be  tilled  by  an  ordinary  labourer,  with  the  result 
that  serious  loss  is  caused  to  the  estate  as  previously 
stated  It  seems  to  be  unfair  to  the  employer  that 
a labourer  absenting  himself  without  leave  during 
the  period  of  his  contract  can  practically  deduct  the 
time  of  his  absence  from  the  term  he  has  to  serve  and 
it  also  seems  unfair  to  both  that  if,  on  arrest  aftei 
the  expiry  of  the  term  of  liis  contract,  the  labourer 
is  willing  to  work  and  the  em[)loyer  to  accept  his 
services  the  Court  cannot  pass  an  order  to  that  effect. 
The  intention  of  the  existing  Ordinance  winch 
governs  the  relation  between  master  and  servant  is 
that  breaches  of  contract  should  be  treated  criminally  ; 
but  the  law  seems  defective  or  capable  of  being  so 
interpreted  as  to  afford  several  loop-holes  of  escanc 
to  defaulters  as  the  case  under  notice  illustrates.  The 
contract  does  not  stipulate  that  notice  of  the  date  of 
commencement  or  resumption  of  work  shall  be  given 
to  the  peelers,  for  the  peeling  season  is  a period 
well  ascertained  and  understood  in  the  business  and, 
as  skilled  labourers,  (peelers  from  their  childhood  up 
and  descendants  of  peelers)  they  ought  to  know,  and 
do  know  very  well,  when  the  cinnamon  is  peelable.  it 
is  absurd,  therefore,  to  suppose  that  a peeler  who  keeps 
away  for  not  one  season  only,  but  for  several  suc- 
cessive seasons  and  in  some  cases  for  the  whole  term  of 
his  contr.act  is  not  aware  that  during  his  absence 
harvesting  has  bi^cii  going  on  on  the  e.stato_  where  he 
has  contracted  to  work.  To  hold,  as  the  Magistrate  has 
held  incase  No.  lll'-lll,  that  a defaulter,  'yiofoi;  a 
neriod  of  more  than  1 1 consecutive  months  failed 
to  attend  and  carry  on  the  work  he  had  contracted  to 
nerform  is  not  gnihy  hccause  notice  of  the  resumption 
of  work  could  not  lie  served  on  him  in  a U;n-a  iiirourifa 
must  work  niiicli  mischief  with  a class  ot  people  who 
•u-e  so  ready  to  take  iindiio  advantage  ol  op- 
portunity for  neglecting  to  perform  their  obhgatioiia. 
5:o  iUustrato;-It  is  a fact,  well-known  in  heNepnbo 
pisU-ict,  that  about  9 years  ago,  o^YJng  to  neglect  on 
the  part  of  a Superiiitondciit  to  prosecute  deserting 
peelers,  liis  successor  in  oliice,  who  was  most  alive 
to  the  interests  of  his  employer,  liad  to  institute 
nearly  ’iO*)  cases  shortly  after  he  assumed  the  manage- 
ment of  the  estate.  This,  it  is  said,  led  to  the 
Govcninient  inquiring  how  it  was  that  there  was 
such  a sudden  and  appalling  increase  of  crime  in 
the  district ! 
Desertion,  on  the  estate  referred  to,  was  soon 
checked  by  the  prompt  prosecution  and  punish- 
ment of  offenders,  but  it  is  likely  to  break 
out  again  in  an  epidemic  form  on  all  estates 
generally  when  the  nows  s[)veads  out  among 
the  peelers  that  the  evasion  of  notice  in  all  that 
is  required  to  justify  the  offence. 
In  case  No.  111,217,  the  judgment,  so  far  as  it  holds 
that  the  previous  conviction  of  the  defendant  deter- 
mined the  contract  of  service  and  bars  any  prosecu- 
tion for  failing  to  rettini  to  work  after  tlie  expira- 
tion of  the  term  of  imprisonment,  is  erroncoiu  and 
against  authority.  The  case  rejiorted  in  I S.C.C. 
referred  to  by  the  Magistrate,  is  the  leading  case  in 
point.  The  unqualified  statement  of  the  8uperinten- 
doiit  ill  the  previous  case  against  tlie  same  accused 
that  he  was  ‘‘  not  willing  to  receive  him  back  ” is 
taken  by  the  Magistrate  to  imply  a rescission  of  the 
contract,  hut  it  may  also  mean — and  it  is  to  be  infer- 
red from  the  statement  having  been  made  before  the 
vonrictioH  that  it  was  so  meant — that  the  defendant 
should  not  go  unpunished  and  that  if  the  comjilain- 
ant's  taking  tlie  man  back  was  to  end  in  the  man 
being  discharged  from  the  prosecution  he  would  rather 
not  take  him  back. 
If  ’•  the  conviction  and  imprisonment  of  a servant 
for  breach  of  contract  operates  as  a rescission  of  the 
contract  of  service  and  the  servant  is  not  liable  to  be 
again  convicted”  then  the  servant  might,  if  he  is  so 
disposed,  “ put  an  end  to  his  contract,  by  a wrongful 
act,  (((/(lin.'it  the  n:i.ih  of  his  emploi/ern.” 
Wc  think  it  can  be  seen  from  the  above  how 
tlie  obstacles  now  tlirown  in  the  way  of 
tile  planters  in  trying  to  recover  and  punisli 
deserters,  threaten  to  underiniiie.the  very  founda- 
tions of  the  Cinnainon  Industry — an  industry' 
already  none  too  prosperous  and  which  has  to  lie 
worked  with  the  closest  regard  to  economy  in 
every  department.  We  think,  therefore,  that  the 
Attorney-tieneral  should  give  ei’ery  facility  to 
have  an  aj^ieal  taken  to  the  Supreme  Court  from 
the  Negomho  decisions,  and  then,  if  these  are  up- 
held, there  should  be  a (dear  ease  fur  going  to  the 
Covernment  and  Legislative  Council — asotlierwi.se 
we  may  eertainiy  expect  a withdrawal  of  capital 
from  the  already  far  from  popular,  luit  on  many 
grounds,  im|M>rtant  Cinnamon  Indu.stry. 
♦ 
KSSKXTIAI.  OII.H, 
(TXMMox  OiE,  ('Eri.o.N— A lively  iiloveiileiit  llils  l.-iksu 
])lace  ill  the  iiiices  (if  fine  (pialities  of  ciiiiiMiiiiiii-clii|i*, 
which  ranged  in  the  ennrse  of  the  la.st  half-year  from 
l’(l  to  y.jd  per  Ih,  the  last  (|notations  from  CoU'miho  being 
2(1  to  21(1  l»er  Ih  for  April-shipment.  The  total  export.s 
of  cliips  average  ahont  one-third  hy  weight  of  the  total 
e.viiorts  of  ( 'eyhin-eiiinamoM  hark,  'i'hc  world  s eonsumtion 
of  harks  and  chips  together  during  the  last  few  years 
lias  been,  in  round  figures  2,.snii,ono  Ih  a year.  From  our 
means  of  .indging  the  iiositioii  we  are  ratlier  inelined 
to  predict  an  advance  in  the  price  of  eiiinainon-bark 
oil. 
('rriK)M'.l.r.A  On,  since  onr  last  deport  the  i>riees  of 
tliis  important  article  of  perfumery  have  gradually  ad- 
vanced to  (he  extent  of  ahont  to  jicr  cent.  The  con- 
sumers however  have  not  taken  any  notice  whatever  of 
(his  occorreiice,  widch  in  all  iirohahility  is  connecte(l  with 
the  large  exportation  of  the  oil.  For  the  jiast  year  the 
statistics  show  a.  (piite  nmisiially  high  figure. 
With  regard  to  the  exiiort  of  cilronella  oil  to  (termaiiy 
it  may  he  iiointed  out  tliat  the  figure  of  S()S,044  onnees 
does  not  represent  the  whole  of  the  actual  consump- 
tion, inasmuch  as  a large  portion  of  onr  imports  is 
sliiiM'ed  hy  w.'ty  of  Fngland  ; the  iin])ort.s  of  onr  Leip- 
zig house  (done  in  the  course  of  lSi)4  aniouiited  to  over 
one  million  oiims's,  while  our  New  ^ ork  firm  alone  take  . 
more  than  oiie-tliinl  cd  the  entire  exportation  of  dtronelja 
oil  to  the  United  litates.  -,?ehinma  d:  Co.,  Jieip,iig,  April, 
1895. 
