l8 
TITK  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST 
[July  i,  1895. 
CEYLOX  1‘LAXTATTONS  AND 
l>AI’.ori{  snM'LY— Xo.  III. 
Siu. — I see  some  of  your  contemporaries  keep  up 
the  good  old  rule  of  “ going  one  Better  ” than  the 
old  Ohaen-rr.  It  is  a sporting  way  of  looking  at 
matters  ; but  I prefer,  myself,  to  see  things  judged 
upon  their  merits:  and  when  I see  half  columns  of 
editorial  wisdom  expended  on  the  above- named  sub- 
ject, and  all  laboriously  i)roving  that  the  re/o/0-// 
has  since  Sandy  Urown’s  time,  ami  that 
the  is  "out  of  date  ’ hecanso  be  “dwells  " 
on  what  planters  of  tJiat  time  thought  about  this 
cooly  question,  1 really  do  not  think  the  matter 
i.i  being  judged  upon  its  merits.  The  point  waiit(‘d 
to  he  settled  surely  is  not  whether  the  country  has 
developed  (even  the  beuighti-d  Ohsi  ri-rr  can  be  brought 
to  admit  that,  altnough.  of  course,  he  has  been  an 
enemy  of  development  with  his  handbooks,  lYc.)  ; but 
whether  our  dear  friend  Itamasainy,  on  the  point  in 
question,  lias  developed.  It  is  all  \ery  well  to  de- 
spise the  wisdom  of  our  dead  Sandy  llrowns  : hut 
there  may  be  some  of  his  practical  stamp  living, 
and  it  may  be  that  they  will  despise  this  irre- 
sponsible nonsense  about  “development.'’  The 
“ Times  " would  do  well  to  think  a little  be- 
fore it  tackles  this  labour  question.  When  it 
has  done  so,  it  will  probably  conclude  with  me 
that  the  foundation  upon  which  Ceylon  plantation 
labour  supply  rests  is  the  same  as  of  old.  It  is, 
n.xmely,  that  kangani  system  which,  with  all  its  faults 
(and  some  of  them  may  be  rcmediable'i  has  outlived 
all  other  ni/.sleiii.f,  agencies,  and  all,  and  is  today  the 
only  means  of  cooly  immigration.  On  that  point 
Kauiasamy  has  not  developed  one  iota,  and  will  not. 
To  find  remedies  for  the  evils  of  the  system,  to  open 
up  new  fields  io  smooth  his  ))ath  upon  his  own  lines 
must  he  onr  task;  but  let  ns  get  rid  of  the  “develop- 
ment" theory,  for.  in  all  ])oiuts  essential  to  (mticing 
him  onto  our  tea  estates.  Uamasamy,  to  all  prai-tical 
ends,  must  be  taken  as  th(‘  same  yesterday,  today 
and  for  ever.  And  a good  thing  for  us  that  it  is 
sol— Yours.  Ac..  “OUT  Ob'  DAT’K.  ’ 
Xo.  IV. 
May  1-2. 
Dead  Sir, — With  reference  to  the  correspondenc 
which  has  recently  been  appearing  in  your  columns, 
I think  the  experience  of  any  planter  who  has  a/i- 
l>reriahlji  increased  his  labour  force  during  j-ecent 
Years,  through  sending  money  to  the  coast  bj'  a 
kangany,  would  be  highly  interesting. 
So  far  as  I can  judge  this  system  is  now  reduced 
to  a farce,  and  the  sooner  the  fact  is  recognised  by 
planters  the  better.  After  having  squeezed  what  mone.v 
he  can  out  of  a superintendent  a kangany  departs 
for  the  coast  full  of  promises.  When  it  suits  him- 
self, he  returns  with  a few  relatives  and  dependents, 
but  in  all  probability  without  a single  hona  tide  new 
coolie. 
What  then  remains  for  a superintendent  to  do 
but  take  on  local  labour  at  a high  rate.  Although  the 
dolicy  is  a suicidal  one  in  the  long  run  he  at  least 
gets  something  for  his  money  in  the  meantime. — I 
am,  Ac.,  A t'ENTllAL  PUOVINCE  PLANTEH. 
Xo.  V. 
May  lltlt. 
Sir. — Mr.  Charles  Young  deserves  the  thanks  of  the 
whole  ])lanting  community  for  his  admirable  letter. 
The  ))resent  position  of  matters  could  not  be  more 
accurately  portrayed.  His  diagnosis  is  as  perfect  as, 
1 have  no  doubt,  his  remedy  would  be  effectual. 
Tlanters  have  only  themselves  to  thank  for  the 
present  state  of  things,  and  if  they  would  all  agree 
not  to  employ  nor  to  allow  to  be  employed  on  con- 
tracti,  work  a single  coolie  who  could  not  show  his 
writ  '’en  discharge  from  his  last  euqiloyer  the  labour 
dilli  cnlty  would  disappear  in  three  months,  and 
theg  coolies  woidd  be, f taught  that  they  arc  no 
loner  luntcrs  of  the  * situation  as  they  certainly 
are  at  present. — Vo  irs  faithfidly.  I 
CUSTOS. 
Xo.  YI. 
Gampola,  May  llth. 
Dear  Sir, — May  I again  add  my  humble  item  in 
re  the  “ Labor  Difficulty.”  If  agencies  are  to  be 
appointed  you  advocate  agencies  carried  on  by  Com- 
panies. such  as  the  “ llritish  India  Company  ” and 
Mactaggart  A'  Co.,  established  in  Tuticorin;  and  throw'- 
ing  cold  watoi'  on  agents  generally, cite  failures  of  years 
a.go;  others  eliminate  the  kangani  .system  from  the  ques- 
lion:  anil  two  agents  are  already  in  the  held  offering 
theii'  services  on  commission  “ jier  capitem 'The 
Northern  Disti’icts  I’lantcrs’  Association  propose  an 
agent  paid  H;i,tM)0  a year  i)lus  commission  " per  capi- 
tem , also  ignore  the  presence  of  a kangani  by'  ad- 
vocating “the  a])pointment  of  one  of  the  gang  to  act 
as  kangani  and  be  put  in  charge  of  the  consignment 
for  which  he  would  receive  commission  A’c.”  Now  the 
above  are  the  very  causes  of  the  failure  of  the 
agency  sy  stem.  I'he  agent  ma.’it  not  rcsitle  at  Tuticorin; 
lie  must  be  located  centrally  in  the  Coolie  Districts 
and  personally  superintend  the  recruiting  of  coolies, 
the  recruiting  to  be  instituted  by  private  enter- 
prise and  the  agent  appointed  and  instructed  by  a 
“ Ijabor  Intelligence  Committee”  formed  by  mem- 
bers of  such  private  Company  of  Planters,  with  or 
without  the  support  and  recognition  of  the  Planters' 
Association.  A'o  cunuiiisHiun  “ jx'r  ra/nteM’’  muHt  be  j)ai(I. 
This  would  only  lead  to  recruiting  promiscuously  and 
hurriedly.  The  agent  must  be  an  experienced  Planter 
who  has  an  interest  in  the  recruiting  of  suitable  coo- 
lies, and  whose  work  shall  reflect  credit  on  himself. 
It  is  very  easy  fora  Conqiany  or  agent  and  sub-agents 
t')  collect  from  the  “ highway  and  byeways”  gangs 
of  coolies  and  send  them  across  to  Ceylon  on  com- 
mission “ per  capitem,”  who,  on  their  arrival  on  the 
Estate  for  which  they  are  consigned,  find  that  their 
relations  and  friends  are  stationed  on  other  Estates,  and 
by  driblets  drift  away'  to  their  friends  leaving  the 
kangani  to  moui'ii  the  loss  as  sole  representative  of, 
and  seenrity  for,  the  advances.  The  coolies  must  be 
recruited  by  a kangani  belonging  to  the  estate 
which  linds  the  .advances,  in  those  villages,  in  which 
the  friends  and  relations  of  the  coolies  already  on 
the  estate  reside ; supiu-vised  personally  by  the  agent. 
Without  the  tie  of  relationship  cooly  advances  and 
recruiting  are  a farce  and  nnc.Hl  fail. 
Hy  all  means  try  further  north  into  fresh  fields 
and  obtain  an  entirely  new  connection  which  may 
or  may  not  prove  a success,  but  certainly  the 
“ devil  one  knows  is  better  than  he  whom  one  knows 
not.”  C.  W.  T. 
No.  VII. 
M.ay  1 5. 
Dear  Mr.  Editor, — I see  letters  appearing  again 
in  your  p.aper  on  the  subject  of  labour.  I am  afraid 
all  the  writing  in  the  world  will  have  no  effect.  I 
am  just  going  to  give  you  an  instance  of  the  way 
some  )danters  in  Ceylon  manage  the  labour  ijne.-i- 
tion.  I had  occasion  some  time  ago  to  pay  off  a 
head  kangani  of  mine.  A few  months  afterwards  I 
saw  him  about  and  cautioned  my  kangani  about  him, 
and  that  he  was  on  the  crimp.  A short  time  elapsed 
when  a kangani  of  mine  came  and  wanted  to  be 
paid  off  as  he  said  his  men  wanted  to  go  to  the 
coast.  But  I told  him  that  that  was  a lie,  but  that  as  I 
always  paid  a man  off  at  once  if  he  wished  to 
leave  to  come  at  4 o’clock  and  1 would  settle 
his  account.  'L’his  I did  and  gave  him  a paid  off 
tDoncloo,  believing  he  was  heiim  crimped  by  my  old 
he-id  kangani.  I wrote  on  the  p-.ud-oft  tooiidoo 
“ If  this  kangani  should  present  this  to  the  Superin- 
tendent of  .‘luch  and  axteh  an  estate  (naming  the  estate) 
would  the  Superintendent  conljvPinicate  with  me?" 
never  dreaming  for  one  moment  that  any  planter 
would  take  on  any  labour  without  seeing  his  paid 
off  toondoo.  But  anyway,  in  this  case — these 
crimped  coolies  (about  20)  of  mine  were  given  work, 
and  the  paid-off  toondoo  m vei' asked  for.  ’I'liis  is  the 
l ui'ie  of  the  laboin  qui  dion.  If  men  will  act  in 
(hi;:  wav.  Well,  ••o.ilics  wdl  get  like  theit  misters. 
No  planter  should  take  on  any  coolies  without  a 
proi)er  paid-off  toondoo.  and  if  you  wish  to  make 
any  remark  about  the  Kangani  write  it  on  the 
