KoV. I, 1897. J THE TROPICAL 
If yon had asked me for an essay on the present 
troubles attending the working of the Labour Ordi- 
nance I would nave been more pleased I 
With respect to sugges ions as 10 keeping labour, 1 
found, in woiking iny places in Badulla, that the giving 
of ground for gardens to each of the lines attiacted 
and kept coolies. Another attraction to them was the 
great number of jak aud arecanut trees I had on 
Brechin, by the stems of which T encouraged the 
coolies to plant betel vines. I was never hard up for 
labor on Brechin ; but those times have changed ; heavy 
advances were unknown then. 
I don’t know that the multiplication of bazaars in 
the neighbourhood of estates, is an unmixed blessing. 
Still the coolies undoubtedly appreciate the conveni- 
ence of a nearness of bazaars whence they can get 
their provisions. 
What my opinion is about liquor shops, I have 
endeavoured to embody in the report ol the Sub- 
committee P.A , on the arrack question, of which I 
was a member. I am strongly of opinion that liquor- 
shops should be lessened in the country; at the same 
time it is undoubtedly true that arrack, fairly pure, 
is sold in taverns; while it is an ascertained fact 
that vile adulteration comes in when the arrack is 
illicitly sold. It is a matter for much regret that kan- 
ganies themselves illicitly retail airack in the t'ery lines 
to the coolies. So that the close proximity of liquor 
shops really makes no difference — if any, it is rather 
favourable to the cooly who gets purer stuff to drink. 
These are my crude ideas — next time, ask me some- 
thing about Law or Procedure 1 
LAWYER-PLANTER. 
LXVIII. 
(By an Old Planter.) 
Aberdeen, Sept. 16th, 1897. 
Prom the papers to hand by last mail, 1 see you 
are still putting questions to your Upcountry friends ; 
permit me to answer from this distance, although 
it may be somewhat late in the day for publication. 
No. 1. Yes, for transporting fuel, but not for leaf. 
Certainly, they might be more freely used than 
they now are. In some of the places of amusement 
in England, they are a great source of amusement as 
a means of getting from one place to another, 
simply by hanging to the hook attached to the 
pulley. The travellers did not seem to have the slightest 
fear of any accident : even two went along the shoot, 
hanging from the same pulley. You may yet hear 
of shoots being connected to the factory from the 
bungalow on some estates, as being the quickest and 
safest way of getting to the factory ! 
No. 2. In the field, by the use of saws, when they 
can be used, instead of employing axes for cutting 
fuel, also all the best tea machinery required in- 
cluding a tea-packer and circular-saw. Under this 
heading might be included the chests made by the 
Acme Tea Company, as they are far more easily put 
together than wooden chests. 
No. 3. On an estate of an easy lay of land, tramways 
might be laid to be worked profitably, but hand-carts 
costing less, or even light bullock-carts would meet all 
the requirements equally well. 
No, 4, 6, and 6. No, certainly not ; weeding three 
times in two months is preferable in my opinion to 
once a month, and it is the best and cheapest way 
of tackling a tveedy estate and keeping it clean. I 
look on a plant out of place as a weed, and prefer 
a clean estate. 
No. 7. The present system I consider very satis- 
factory, and an improvement on the old coffee-day 
system, inasmuch as, that the drains are generally 
closer than they were then. 
No. 8. If leaf be weighed only twice daily, try 
three times a day for a month, and, instead of having 
a staff of men spreading leaf in the factory, make the 
leaf carriers always spread their own leaf. It has 
been found that with a man looking after them, the 
work is quicker, and ought soon to be equally well 
done, and at less cost. 
No. 9. Perquisites are always acceptable to coolies, 
and from their birth onwards, they are always in need 
AGRICULTURIST. 355 
of any thing master is pleased to give ; special needs 
are constantly arising, from the time the cooly enters 
the world till be leaves it. Estates having cattle 
establishments with plenty of milk to give to tbe young 
children, and the sick, are always favourite estates 
with coolies ; also where land is allowed near lines 
suitable for cooly-gardens. These gardens may not 
always be well kept, but a good cooly likes his 
garden and will often be seen working it on Sun- 
days and till late on week nights. Coolies, the so- 
called owners of gardens, are not so easily enticed 
to leave an estate as coolies are who have no 
gardens. Supplying coolies with cloths and cumblies 
direct, and charging them to their accounts is prefer- 
able to their buying them in the bazaar. 
No. 10. I believe in allowing a few boutiques to be 
on a large estate, and a small kaddai for the sale of 
curry stuffs, etc., in a room of the lines on a 
small one. 
No. 11. The illicit sale of diink (arrack) aud es- 
pecially toddy does more towards demoralizing the 
cooly, than even the indiscriminate issuing of so- 
called, coast advances.' — Yours truly, J. W. 
[This concludes the discit.ssion raised by our 
Circular on “ how to economise the available 
labour supply,” and we have to thank the several 
correspondents who have answered our questions ; 
the whole distu.ssion will be reprinted in pam- 
phlet form. — Eu T.A."\ 
FINAL REVIEW— LETTERS 
LXIII. TO LXVIII. 
Our task now is to offer our final comments 
on tlie last six letters of the series, and 
a pleasant duty it is, equally in view’ of the 
prospect of finality to our labour in this direc- 
tion, and because of the value of tlie informa- 
tion w’e have been able to bring together, through 
the cou»’tesy and powers of observation of so many 
])lanting friends. To deal, however, witlr the letters 
immediately before ns : first, “ D,” informs us in 
the briefest possible terms that he has had ex- 
perience of wire shoots and has found them a 
great saving of labour in the transport of hotli 
leaf and and firewood ; that he thinks tramw'ays 
should he useful, that weeding is not overdone, 
and that he is not favourable to any crop being 
grown to he dug in ; that drains as a rule are 
cut too steep, and that an easy gradient would 
render the soil available for the adjacent tea 
bushes ; that he is a believer in bazaars in 
moderation, but not in liquor ! “ D.E.” from a 
High District claims extensive and varied ex- 
perience with shoots himself, and has seen them 
at work on other estate.s : he has one on liis 
present charge Ij: mile long, and another of £ mile 
brings leaf to hi.s factory from a neighbour- 
ing estate; and his verdict is that leat is not 
damaged where a buffer of mana grass or other 
soft substance is provided, while shoots un- 
doubtedly save labour. Endless tramways, he 
thinks, might be more largely used, and he 
instances the facilities to a large number of estates 
which one from I’adupolala to the top of Kurundu- 
oya or High Forest would afford, for fetching 
up rice, manure and tea requisites, and send- 
ing down tea and tea boxes. Such tram- 
ways have, in point of fact, passed the experi- 
mental stage for manure transport on the 
Glen Alpine, Rock Hill and Spring Valley 
estates ; but where the lay of the land does not 
fa”our these wire tramw'ays, tavalams are re- 
commended for tea transport in narrower .and 
longer boxes than .are now in use, and which 
have been tried on Dehigclla. Ground traimvays 
are voted unsuitable on ordinary estate roads. 
