No. 3 (1921) MANUFACTURE OF FISH OIL AND GUANO 249 



the value of this fertilizer," that though where tried it was found 

 " very successful," yet they '' were reluctant to buy it on account 

 of its inferior quality due to adulteration and the high price 

 demanded " coupled with the heavy rail freight ; he considers that 

 the export " should only be stopped when the fertilizer has become 

 popular in this country," and that at present an export tax of 5 to 

 10 per cent ad valorem would suffice. 



156. It is, however, to be remarked that the high price is really 

 due to the high priced demand by rubber and tea estates, to 

 supply which a single Ceylon merchant takes the bulk of our West 

 Coast fish fertilizers at rates which, as shown in paragraph I44 

 above, are much above real values ; in fact it is stated that the 

 export trade is almost monopolized by this one merchant who buys 

 many thousand tons annually of the various fish manures. This 

 and the extraordinary prices paid for these manures c.i.f. Ceylon 

 (see, for instance, paragraphs 144 and 152) show that Indian high 

 prices are due not to the intrinsic manurial value of the manures 

 but to outside competition by the producers of very high priced 

 articles, to supply which rich merchants will pay any price. This 

 may be good for the fisher-folk — though it is probably the 

 middleman who get most of the profit — but is bad for Indian 

 ryots; moreover, the trade seems speculative and unhealthy and 

 is liable to immense fluctuations as shown by the prices of the 

 last four years. Moreover, to wait for prohibition till the ryots 

 recognize the value of the manure is to wait till the Greek Kalends, 

 since, ex-hypothesi, the ryots cannot buy the manure till it is cheap 

 and it cannot be cheap till its export is prohibited or, at least, 

 strongly discouraged by a prohibitive tax. In the end it will be 

 better both for the fisher-folk and for the ryots to have a stable 

 internal demand, free from fluctuations other than those due to 

 lack or abundance of fish, and regulated by proper standards as to 

 quality and freedom from adulteration ; indeed, if the market were 

 wholly internal it would be more easy to check adulteration. 



CO-OPERATION. 



157. Obviously it is easier for petty manufacturers to sell their 

 oil and guano to advantage if they can be got to combine, co- 

 operatively, for such purpose, instead of each petty factory 

 selling its produce independently to middlemen who too often 

 take advantage of necessity to enforce prices unduly low. 



