This Tax, I
Believe, Is Now Removed Or Much Reduced; But As For The Liberian
Republic, It Simply Gets Its Revenue In An Utterly Unjustifiable Way
Out Of Taxing The Krumen Who Ship As Labourers.
The Krumen are no
property of theirs, and they dare not interfere with them on shore;
but owing to
That little transaction in the celebrated Rubber
Monopoly, the Liberians became possessed of some ready cash, which,
with great foresight, they invested in two little gun-boats which
enabled them to enforce their tax on the Krumen in their small
canoes. I do not feel so sympathetic with the Krumen or their
employers in this matter as I should, for the Krumen are silly hens
not to go and wipe out Liberia on shore, and the white men are silly
hens not to - but I had better leave that opinion unexpressed.
The power of managing Kruboys is a great accomplishment for any one
working the West Coast. One man will get 20 per cent. more work out
of his staff, and always have them cheerful, fit, and ready; while
another will get very little out of the same set of men except
vexation to himself, and accidents to his goods; but this very
necessary and important factor in trade is not to be taught with
ink. Some men fall into the proper way of managing the boys very
quickly, others may have years of experience and yet fail to learn
it. The rule is, make them respect you, and make them like you, and
then the thing is done; but first dealing with the Kruboy, with all
his good points, is very trying work, and they give the new hand an
awful time of it while they are experimenting on him to see how far
they can do him.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 626 of 705
Words from 172668 to 172970
of 194943
