Dec.  2,  1895. J 
THE  TROPICA! 
AGRICULTURTS  T. 
405 
per  ^ent.  of  tlie  original  cofl'ee  planters  (proprietors) 
of  tlie  jte. ia  I wlien  tlie  decaile  l>egati  are  ali\o  or 
resilient  liere.  Wliat  is  being  planted  in  Ceylon 
is  Liberian  Colfee,  and  that  tiniidly  and  ipiietly 
by  those  witli  little  or  no  experience,  aiul  none  of 
these  care  to  rnn  over  to  India  for  the  purpose, 
as  there  is  much  lanil  available  for  this  jiroduct  in 
districts  where  iVrabian  ColTee  in  its  best  days 
wonhl  not  yield  very  profitable  returns.  The 
cultivation  of  tea  seems  best  to  thrive  in  the 
hands  of  Limited  Companies,  and  the  gradual 
sinking  in  value  of  the  article  will  not  alarm 
the  shareholders  even  if  the  dividends  per  an- 
num are  only  live  ])er  cent.  Individual- proprie- 
tois  of  medium-sized  estates  would  prefer  [uo- 
ducts  giving  larger  returns,  and  Cocoa  and 
Liberian  Coffee  estates  are  M’hat  we  expect  to 
see  in  numbers  in  a few  years.  The  price  of 
cocoa  has  faden,  but  not  yet  to  its  former  ao/’/ao/ 
price,  and  its  ju-esent  average  value  has  been 
maintained,  since  its  fall,  from  the  unaccoun- 
table and  most  certainly,  unexpected  [U'ices  ob- 
tained a year  ago.  Liberian  Collee  jnomises 
not  only  to  maintain  its  present  very  paying 
price,  but  there  is  every  probability  of  the  price 
for  bulk  increasing. 
The  cultivation  of  these  products  is  slower  than 
tea,  and  has  hence  been  overlooked.  There  has 
been  much  planteil  out  this  year,  and  the  present 
weather  has  enabled  the  lilling  in  of  vacancies  to 
be  successfully  carried  out.  At  this  .season  of  the 
year  small  jdants  are  jireferred,  as  they  take 
root  sooner  and  stand  the  drought  that  follows 
much  better  than  larger  jilants.  d'liesc  lattei’  do 
well  generally  in  the  .South-West  season,  fn  low 
districts  dalaii  cuttings  or  .seedings  should  now 
be  grown  as  shade.  l>y  January,  when  hy  then  they 
are  well  looted,  they  grow  vigorously  during  the 
drought  that  follows,  seeking  moisture  from  be- 
low. Some  time  back  Mr.  Munton  dreu'  at- 
tention to  the  Castilloa  rubber,  used  as  a shade 
tree  in  South  America.  These  trees  grow  very 
tall,  afford  excellent  sh.ade,  as  they  flo  not  shed 
their  leaves  during  the  hot  months  and  at  the 
end  of  eight  or  ten  years  yield  |irolits.  The 
planting  of  Liberian  Coffee  this  .season  is  an 
advantage,  as  the  jdants  are  generally  free  from 
disea.se  and  take  a goorl  start,  fitting  them,  for 
an  attack  in  June — July.  A nursery  for  the 
South-East  is  best  starteil  in  March— the  end  of 
the  ripening  season.  li.  T,  M. 
COOLIES  AND  LABOUR  LAWS; 
IMPORTANT  TESTIMONY. 
Oct.  27. 
Sir, — I was  glad  to  see  your  correspondent  “ Aber 
donetiHis’s”  letter  in  the  Observer  of  25th  inst.  My  ex- 
perience - and  it  has  been  a pretty  large  one — coincides 
entirely  with  his.  To  take  the  matter  of  “ in- 
herited debt,”  during  the  last  few  months  I have  been 
asked  to  take  on  a good  number  of  coolies  in  small 
gangs  of  two  or  three,  who  had  been  paid  off  by  me 
a year  or  two  previously.  In  every  case  their  debts 
had  increased  from  RIO  to  R15  per  head  to  from  R40 
to  R60.  The  explanation  of  this  is  simple.  The 
coolie  knowing  fiis  value  demanded  from  his  Kau- 
gany  further  advances  under  the  threat  of 
leaving  unless  he  got  them;  that  money  he  has 
simply  squandered  to  the  benefit  of  the  proprietors  of 
Arrack  Taverns  and  Boutiques.  As  an  instance  of  this, 
I may  quote  a case  which  I know  to  be  true.  On 
the  recent  Tee  Vali,  an  Arrack  Tavern  renter  in  this 
district,  who  supplies  arrack  at  the  most  to  a group 
of  not  more  than  ten  estates,  acknowledged  ttat 
he  had  sold  arrack  to  the  value  of  oyer  J12,000  in 
^hree  days 
.Some  impulsive  people  have  now  jumped  to  tl  e 
conclu.sion,  that  monthly  payments  will  prove  a 
panacea  for  all  our  troubles.  A friend  of  mine,  thun 
whom  no  better  or  more  practical  planter  exists 
tried  them  on  taking  up  a large  charge  in  another 
district,  hut  was  obliged  to  revert  io  his  old  system 
of  three  monthly  payments  as  he  found  his  labour 
force  w’as  becoming  very  unsettled.  Heaven  help 
us  if  Grovei'nment  arc  now  to  be  asked  to  step  in 
and  compel  us  to  pay  monthly.  Surely  there  has 
been  enough  legislation  in  recent  years  regarding 
our  coolies,  and  does  anyone  for  a moment  suppose 
that  were  such  a law  passed,  it  would  be  anything 
but  a dead  letter  in  a number  of  cases.  I have  no  doubt 
the  same  gentlemen  who  advocate  the  passing  of 
the  above  law  will  shortly  be  clamouring  for  inden- 
tured labour,  witli  all  the  necessary  regulations  and 
interference  by  Government. 
The  only  way  out  of  our  present  difficulties  is  to 
stop  the  system  of  bidding  against  each  other  for 
labour  now  in  the  country,  and  to  endeavour  to  get 
more  from  Inditi;  but  I must  confess  I see  little 
chance  of  this  happy  consummation  unless  we  Planters 
can  be  brought  to  one  mind  in  the  nutter,  and  judg- 
ing from  past  experience,  I fear  that  will  be  a difficult 
matter. — I am,  etc.,  M. 
THE  LABOUR  (QUESTION 
PAYMENTS. 
AND  COOLY 
Garamadua,  Oct.  27. 
Dear  Sir,— One  of  the  recommendations  of  the 
Joint  Committee  of  the  Ceylon  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  the  Planters’  Association  appointed  to  con- 
sider the  Question  of  Coast  Advances,  was  the  adoption 
of  “ a system  of  monthly  payment  of  coolies  wages 
within  say  :-!5  to  40  dayr,  and  in  any  event  to  make 
payments  every  two  months.’’  As  I had  the  honour 
of  serving  on  that  Committee  and  supporting  the 
recommendation  my  experience  in  the  paying  cf 
coolies  monthly  may  now  be  of  interest  to  “Tea” 
and  your  readers  and  be  useful  in  discussing  ti  e 
Labour  Question. 
My  first  experience  of  paying  coolies  monthly  dates 
liack  five  years,  the  first  jiayment  of  a single  month’ 
balance  paid  to  all  my  coolies  was  in  September,  18t.0| 
when  the  July  balance  of  pay  was  handed  them 
and  since  then  I have  had  a pay-day  monthly  with 
the  exception  of  the  following  moiitlis : — 
April,  August  and  December  . . 1891 
P’ebruary,  September  and  November 
March  and  September 
November 
September 
By  special  request  of  the  kanganies 
1892 
1893 
1894 
1895 
the  balance 
of  pay  then  due,  was  held  over  till  the  following 
month  and  two  months’  balances  were  then  paid  to- 
gether. To  show  that  the  monthly  system  of  payment 
is  favourable  to  the  recovei'y  of  Coast  Advances,  I sub- 
mit an  abstract  of  the  advances  of  three  estates 
During 
xidvanced. 
Recovered. 
R 
c. 
R 
c. 
1889 
1,414 
71 
637 
30 
1890 
977 
81 
1,271 
15 
1891 
1,797 
00 
1,685 
78 
1892 
1,715 
25 
1,679 
41 
1893 
1,570 
00 
2,073 
83 
1894 
1,897 
50 
1,809 
46 
i of  1895 
2,531 
00 
1,846 
13 
4 mons.  „ 
1,417 
25 
690 
53 
_ The  average 
13,320 
52 
11,693 
59 
daili/  out-tum  of 
coolies 
at 
31st 
j-/cceiuuer  1008  was  ttajiing  Clays  in  tne  moutn; 
127  coolies.  The  average  days  for  September  30th 
1895  was  257  without  weeding  contractors’  coolies. 
Other  three  estates  in  my  charge  have  no  coast 
advance  account  and  trifling  sums  advanced  to 
the  kanganies  going  or  sending  coolies  to  the 
Coast  annually  to  recruit,  are  generally  so  small 
they  are  debited  in  the  checkroU,  and  recovered  in 
a month  or  t^g. 
