Tenancy Contracts on Land Planted to Sugar Cane

December 7, 1933

ACT NO. 4113

AN ACT TO PRESCRIBE CERTAIN PROVISIONS CONCERNING TENANCY CONTRACTS ON LAND PLANTED TO SUGAR CANE

SECTION 1. Vouchers and Other Documents. — When the sugar cane produced on a piece of land is milled in a sugar central, it shall be the duty of the owner of said land to inform the tenant, on the basis of the receipts issued by the central which must, on demand, be exhibited to the tenant, of the number of tons of cane harvested on the land cultivated by the tenant and of the number of piculs of sugar accruing to said cane, and of the share of said cane of the additional sugar distributed by the central after each milling season and of the molasses which the tenant is entitled to receive.

SECTION 2. Necessary Expenses of Milling Elsewhere than at Central. — When the cane is not milled at the central but in the private mill of the landowner, the latter, in the absence of any agreement to the contrary, shall stipulate with his tenant regarding the necessary expenses of milling, cutting and hauling the cane from field to mill, and of purchasing all necessary ingredients for boiling the sugar, and all material to be used for the proper packing of the product.

SECTION 3. Contract for the Sale of the Product of the Land. — When there is no written agreement concerning the value of the share of the tenant, the landowner shall not sell said share without the knowledge and written consent of the tenant or his representative. When the tenant does not consent to the sale of the product representing his share of the crop, the landowner in whose keeping said product shall remain, shall have the right to sell the same after the lapse of thirty days after the termination of the milling at the current market price and shall use the proceeds of such sale to pay all indebtedness and other obligations of the tenant to the landowner and the storage and preservation of the product sold, delivering the balance, if there be any, to the tenant.

SECTION 4. Liquidation and Distribution of the Crop. — The settlement of accounts between landowner and tenant and the distribution of the crop shall be made immediately after each milling season, and as regards cane not milled in sugar centrals, each of the parties shall be obliged to haul his share to the place where it desires the same to be taken, unless previously agreed otherwise in writing between the parties.

SECTION 5. Right of Tenant to Claim. — When the landowner has for any reason pledged the crop harvested on the land to any commercial bank or other body or person, and such crop is distrained by said creditor and the share of the tenant is included, the tenant shall be entitled to claim payment by the landowner of the amount of his share at the current price of the product in the local market, out of all his real or personal property or any interest or account he may have in or against any concern or person.

SECTION 6. Written Advice. — After having paid the expenses of planting, cultivating, and harvesting the crop, the landowner shall advise the tenant in writing of said expenses.

SECTION 7. Penalty for Violation. — Any violation of the provisions of this Act shall be punished by a fine of not less than twenty-five pesos nor more than two hundred pesos, or by imprisonment for not less than ten days nor more than sixty days, or both, in the discretion of the court.

SECTION 8. This Act shall take effect on January first, nineteen hundred and thirty-four.

Approved, December 7, 1933.