Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 142, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 June 1911 — Small Estates In Jamaica. [ARTICLE]

Small Estates In Jamaica.

In Jamaica 75 per cent of the 155, 051 landed properties are valued at less than |2OO each. Nearly all of these small holdings are owned by negroes who live chiefly on salt fish and on fruits and vegetables, especially yams grown by themselves. Being able to live in this manner with little exertion these peasant proprietors are averse to entering into contracts to labor by the year or even by the month. Hence, in spite of the fact that 95 per cent, of the 862,000 inhabitants of Jamaica are negroes (including mulattoes), it is necessary to employ East Indian coolies on the larger sugar and banana plantations, on which there must be a certain proportion of laborers who may be relied upon for steady work at all times.