135 



is absolutely incorrect and is an idea merely based on 

 the fact that the operations are in charge of this depart- 

 ment. The first side is that where fish-oil and stearine 

 are worked up into insecticidal soaps for use by planters, 

 fruit growers, etc. ; this is a derivative industry from the 

 production of fish-oil by the department. The second 

 side deals with the production of ordinary soaps for 

 household and personal use, in which fish-oil finds no 

 place whatever, its sole connection with fisheries being 

 in its direction, and, till now, its location at Tanur. 



25. During the year fish-oil insecticidal soaps were 

 made to the amount of about 28 tons (including balance) 

 and nearly 25 tons were sold. Of these the greater 

 proportion was a soap containing rosin which the 

 planters prefer to plain soap ; as stated last year, this 

 rosin soap readily dissolves in water, so that an emulsion 

 is formed by simply stirring a small quantity of the pasty 

 substance in a pail or barrel of water. The plain soap 

 continued to be sold with profit at Rs. 12 and the rosin 

 soap at Rs. 16 per hundredweight, notwithstanding the 

 rise in prices of fish-oil, alkali, and rosin. 



A larger demand was anticipated, but the year proved 

 less pestiferous than usual ; moreover it was reported 

 from some estates that areas treated last year with 

 this soap were less infested than before. The soaps 

 were very favourably reported on by the Government 

 Entomologist as against " mango hopper," a 75 per cent 

 crop being considered probable where such means are 

 adopted ; if this is so, there should be a wider future 

 for these insecticidal soaps. Enquiries were received 

 about this soap from the Punjab to the Federated Malay 

 States. 



26. The soapery for ordinary soaps is, however, far 

 more important, and its small scale operations very 

 sucessful. With a small i-ton locally made pan and 

 some frames, excellent soap has been made of various 

 classes, samples of which were exhibited at the Madras 

 Exhibition ; subsequently sales have been frequent — 

 about 3 tons — though, owing to the smallness of opera- 

 tions, to the work on the fish-oil soaps, and to the 

 heavy work of opening a new factory on a larger scale, 

 the soap has not yet been placed in bulk on the open 

 market but will be by the time that this report is issued. 



