, 1881-09-28

W udilCllS attendance at the oliCo
Court to enforce the penal provisions OF
the Contract Act. That he leaves for such
as have no faith in.economic principles, and
like to luxuriate in a fight, for the love of
the thing: exactly in the same way as the
ordinary run of people in England pursue
with what calmnesS they may the even
tenor of their way, leaving it to some
eccentric spirit now and then to create a
sensation by eXhuming the old act of one
of the Stuarts enforcing the strict obser-
vance Of the Sabbath by tradesmen and
others. The keeping of the Contract
Act upon the Statue book in its present
shape serves no purpose whatever, in the
real interests of agriculture or plantation
economy, which might not be served i'll
the absence of amy such Act. But people
abroad who read the Act, look upon it as
an instrument in ordinary use: and
political aspirants in search of the
means of making capital ring the
Changes upon the one sided nature
Of the kct, the provisions of which
enable them 10 deliver gushing speeches to
admiring audi noes upon the Oppression"
practise1 towards what they are p'eased TO
call the sub ect race IN Barbados aud If it
should happen, which does happen some
times, that some Cautaukefous book keeper
should bring up a stray labourer whom he
finds utterly u~nmanageab'e, that Isolated
case cropping mp at an awkward moment,
OF course is a conclusive Argument to shat
up ANYBODY who ventures to Say that the
Contrac. Act is a dead letter in Barbados.
Oue swallow, we are told, does net make a
summer, but there is another equally fami-
liar phrase wi ich is, "that aI seems yellow
to the inuudiced eye; aud, ~aftefaIl, 1t is the
interruptions proceedings Of one or two
harsh landlords in Ireland which have fur
nished the excuse for the startling Land Bill
that i now dragging its weary lnngtb along
in he b lush Parliament.
But, besides al' IIS, here is q very spri.
QUE difficulty wh'ch The present CuAtract
Act gives use to, aud Governor Heunessv,
Wi h bis usual asiuteress, put that d'liicuI-
~ before us IN a very embarrassing way
The Acr, by making provision tor 'he occG
pnry Of land by laaorcrS, as incidental to
service, distinctly recog iz.S the p i cip!e Of
a tenancy ; and since an agricultural tenancy,
10 h0ld is g'oun3, must take into account
tn" nature aud dlra len # Tbs crops We rnisr,
the ugy qnrS ion must Inevitably clme up
Tor S"G lon. We h r such a tenancy, to De
equitable, should not at the least he annual.
NV the ruth Of the mater iS-hat there
Is no c~mpai,on at all between propri-
etorS Ia Barbados VIII work their own estates,
and Landlords ia England who lease out
their land to tenants. The plantations here
are too small, to commence with, FIR tensncies
in To z correct sense Of the word. But people
els where, who know wnat an agricultural
tenancy mea s, arr apt to CpnfJund the
boiling by a labO er in Barbados OF a quarter
OF IN acre of ground, with an English tenancy
of land and in thrir vi w, it is Il downright
Injustice done to the labourer who plants a
crop that takes twelve months 20 mature so
as 10 be remuneralivr, to put him upon land
on a four weeks tenure. Annual t%enanclPs
by Iahorers, or long leases of portions of
estates are, of course, simply impossible in
this Island and there can b. no doubt at all
about if that it was a mistake, pure and sim.
plI, at, Emancipation, 10 I~eg'slate, in passing
the Contract Act, upon he basis hat lahour-
erS working upon estates might be ag' 'ultufal
tenants. 1t seems 10 US, that The time has
now fully come to undo this hlunder aud make
a new departure, if we would avoid cOmpIi-
cations that will at least be discomforting.
And The best way of setting about this, is by
amending the present Contract Act in the
particulars which The foregoing remarks pretty
clearly indicate. With the Contract Act
amended, We get rid of all The objurgations
and adverse cri' icisns which its continuance
on the Sfatu'e Book gives rise to. If that
Act were swept away, there is nothing to
prevent a proprietor of an estate from locating
q trustworthy oversee. or Watcbman. or one