, 1888-10-17

SlOllC1S LO W6IU " AUdEN EGDDEl6u budU
the line OF public road had become almost
impossible, and the once dourisbing
estates had been changed into a long
succession of peStilent swampS. On the
East Coast, where the planters were
feeling the hard times the least, owing
to a better labour market, the rail way
having attracted a number Of villagers
to the district who occasionally gave a
days work to the estates, the evil day
seemed to be removed a slight distance
further off. The estates had succeeded so
tar in weatherug the storm and the ''pe-
culiar soil bad saved the planters from
the loss which heavy rains and temporary
inundationS had, in other districts, added
to the other evllS in the planters cup but
Notwithstanding the advantages of posi-
ton -. to labour, and the superiority OF
soil, il was believed that the estates could
not long continue "tO resist the free-trlde
measure. The East Bank estates which
were re2t died rs 1.-THE finest in the colony"
were al. lan4uisllin2 for want of labour,
and the best wages which the price OF Sill.
gar could warrant the planters to otf"r,
were inadequate to tempt the peaSantry
out of their state Of Incidence. On plan
tatiOn RUimrejdt the paYliSt showed IA
UOJdl vi CJD IlOltuIA ltDOUItIS, Il HttIIl|PI
large enough to have worked the estate
to perfection but the average number Of
tasks performed by each of the gang was
a fraction under tour, or about one days
work, OF six hours, every week. The Com
miSSionerS reported Creatures Of ruin and
distress everywhere perceptible." Canal
No. 3, which previously was covered with
coffee and cotton estates was il scene OF
.l,,.At $3.50 l-,.1,+;-, 81 TT.y.. D,.nLo
that used to give ''imm"nSe crops of coffee
had reaped II harvest for the year of 1,4OO
lbs. Crossing the river to the West Bank,
a like melancholy condition of things was
encountered In 1929 Canal No. l had 30
estates in cultivation, makinga total crop OF
over a million pounds OF coffee. Now they
were 5 estates to the fore but maintaining
only ga Spmhlauce Of cultivation the total
crop OF the lot amounting ia 100 600 lbs.
less than lantation Jaca alone used to
produce. Between the lIobaboe creek
and S rjrken HeuveI, which used to be Il
we'll |cuitiva. rl stretch of land, there was
no sign Of organised field labour, the PEG,
pie had given themselves up altogether
ITO the rude pleasure of a completely Sa-
wage life" The West Coast estates sue
ceedcd to a good extent in escaping total
abandonment but their cultivation had
decreased ut Il rate that affected the re
turns to fully fifty per cent. In ESseque-
40, cultivation had refrigerated in a still
more alarming proportion, and there was
reason to trar Il relapse into total abandon
ment. The appearance of the land he
tween Su cnaam and ItpIibiSSe was SIDE
plOrahle.' The ''once famous Arabian
Coast, so long the boast Of the colony
where a la sc resident body Of prOprie-
tors lived in he district and freely eXpen-
ded their incomes on the spot whence they
drew them presented a woful picture of
departed prosperity. Beyond Der0nShjre
CASTE nothing met the eye but ga total
deSola,ion.' The Commissioners comment,
ing upon what they had seen, thus express
ell themselves "favOured by a genial
climate and a bOundleSS fertility of soil the
peasantry of this country seem to care
very little beyond satisfying their appe-
titles, and sit down in silent apathy while
plantation after plantation is growing up
in bush around them.7 The EsSe-
quebO islands exhibited unmiStakabIe
signs of decaience. The cultivation on
Hog Island was being maintained solely
10y cOolle labonr; Tiger Island was fast
being taken over by bush and nothing
apparently could save it from placement
but the speedy introduction of immigrants
Wakenaam was not quite in such a deplo-
rable condition; but Leguan, the ~"fertile
and beautiful island" ''the garden Of the
colony once covered By % DrOSD0rOuS