WAGES ON PLANTATIONS.

393
at which a child should be deemed to be an adult for the purpose of the
basic rate.
The “ Hazjra ” and Unit Systems.

Rates of the kind suggested would make payment depend upon
attendance and would, therefore, allow automatically for the part-time
worker. Moreover, they could be applied either to the unit system or
to the old hazira system. We would observe, however, that it has not
vet been demonstrated that the unit system is in the best interests of
employer and worker. The old hazira system is yet to be found on many
gardens and, indeed, would appear to predominate still in certain dis-
tricts ‘and to be deeply ingrained in the minds of the workers. The
hazire is the standard daily task which the worker should be able to
complete in the morning, thus leaving the afternoon for ticca or addi-
tional tasks at overtime rates, should he desire to augment his “ daily ”
earnings. The irregularity of the garden worker is chiefly in respect of
the ticca or the afternoon work and we believe that no hardship would be
caused if, on those days on which he presents himself for employment,
he were required to attend for the half day, which corresponds roughly
to the old hazira. We therefore suggest that the wage-fixing body should
explore the possibility of fixing rates, whether time or task, on the basis
of a half day’s work, or a hazira, and, if necessary, of prescribing addi-
tional rates for ticca. This would ensure a reasonable minimum payment
for each working day and would also simplify the task of time-keeping
and of checking the adequacy of the rates paid. The machinery is,
however, equally adaptable to payment on the unit ’ system in the case
of those employers who consider this svstem preferable to the old hazire
basis.

- The Basic Rate and the Present System.

The essential is that the piece rate fixed by the employer for
a particular job shall be such as to yield the worker of ordinary capa-
city and diligence the statutory amount for a given unit of time. Itisa
significant fact that this is what employers have been doing under their
present system since, no matter whether the task was hoeing, pruning
or plucking, every planter was able to say what an ““ average ” worker
could earn per hour or per day on the rate fixed for the task, irrespective
of whether it was based on the kazira or the unit system. Under such a
condition the fast worker will naturally earn more and the slow worker
less than the prescribed rate and there will be no question of the employer
being required to make good the earnings of the latter. Thereby neither
the employer nor the fast worker is penalised, and the worker who fails
to exercise due diligence suffers the penalty of his slackness. In the
case of the time-worker, all that is required is that he should be paid a
minimum amount for work done during a given unit of time, unless a
special exemption has been obtained by the employer from the proper
authority to pay at an agreed lower rate on grounds of old age, ill health
or other incapacity. The system of wage payment whether by time,
piece or task, customary in Assam gardens could thus continue subject
only to these requirements.