PROMPT PUNISHMENT NECESSARY, 
ance. Patches of weeds will be left in corners unpiilled 
up or covered over with prunings, eartb or anything 
else to serve a temporary concealment. This of course 
merely eventuallv accelerates their growth. A tree will 
be left unpruned, or insufficiently, in order that he may 
keep up with his fellows. When a gang of coolies are 
tasked at any work, it is extremely advisable that they 
should all be able to accomplish their task about the same 
time, as, when a few of the smart workmen begin to 
drop olf, those who are behind them either lose heart 
or begin to hurry on the work too much, in order to 
get after their fellows. But there are exceptions to 
every rule, a general idea. All transport work should, 
if possible, be done by task, because the quality of the 
work is not in any way affected injuriously by the 
quuntity actually done. The transport of coffee and 
rice is especially alluded to. In these works, by insist- 
ing on a certain fair daily task, of bags or bushels 
to be carrried, a much better result on the day’s work 
will be attained botn to master and coolies. The 
former will get a bag or a few bushels more, in work 
from his labourt-rs, and the latter, although having a 
heavier amount of work to get through with, still accom- 
plish it in less time than on the four o’clock system, and 
so have more leisure during the afternoons and evenings. 
The s^^stem of task work was utterly unknown, 
or at all events never practised, in the olden times. 
If coolies did not do what was considered a fair 
amount of work, they were either put absent, or half 
a day, in the check-roll, or kept out at the workimj place, 
not at w^ork, till it- was dark. With regard to being put 
absent in the check-roll, the men frequently did not be- 
lieve it ; they considered it merely an idJe threat, and even 
if it was true, as the consequences did not immediately 
follow, they were not held in very great dread ; they 
were more in dread of being kept out till dcirk, than 
of the threat of having their pay stopped, because the 
results of this were immediate, the punishment suc- 
ceeding the fault. 
Here, again, we have just human nature stfoiigly 
developed. If the consequences of evil or evil deeds 
linger in coming, how apt are all men, even although 
they are of a much higher standing in life and in position 
than the coolies, to be drawn into evil. They reason 
thus: — “ From this act we will derive an immediate ad- 
vantage (?) apparent, at all events, any evil consequences 
•will not speedily follow, and after W'e have reaped the 
advantage, we will have time to consider, and ward 
them off, or at all events greatly modify them,” and 
so, as a matter of course, follows the expediency or 
rather necessity that where punishment of the cooly 
