COTTON SPINNING AND WEAVING 39 



established near such falls. The law in Brazil is that the one who 

 owns the land on both sides of a river is also the proprietor of the 

 river. In this way many mills have acquired in the past huge 

 water forces at low prices. One such fall capable of supplying 

 3,000 h.p. has a hydro-electric plant for 1,700 h.p. costing 300 contos. 

 Light to three towns and power for the cotton spinning and weaving 

 mill are supplied. At another place in the same State 2,000 h.p. 

 were generated, the installation costing also 300 contos. Light is 

 supplied to live towns and power to a mill with 9,400 ring spindles and 

 480 looms. The largest waterfalls generating electricity which we 

 saw in Brazil are the Paulo Affonso Falls, mentioned on pages 35-36. 



Fuel. — Steam is generally generated by wood fires, but some 

 mills have boilers that can be fired with oil, wood or coal. With the 

 present rate of exchange at considerably below one shilling per milreis 

 it does not pay to import coal from England or U.S.A. Coal of a 

 kind is found in Santa Catharina, in the south of Brazil, but so far it 

 has not given satisfaction. Recently some people talked of having 

 found oil in Brazil, but this is a question of the future. Even with the 

 present low rate of exchange one or two mills were importing oil as 

 fuel for the boilers. But the fuel in general use is wood, tree roots 

 and knotted pieces, which are sold at 8 to 10 $000 per cubic metre in 

 Sao Paulo and Rio. In the interior the price is lower, of course the 

 railway freight causing the difference. Brazilians have been very 

 lavish in the use of wood for fuel and it is realised that unless 

 afiforestation is more generally adopted, not so many j^ears will elapse 

 before the supply is used up, though at first glance it seems inexhaus- 

 tible. It must be borne in mind that every household, every loco- 

 motive (with the exception when ascending steep gradients), and 

 most of the boiler fires use wood as fuel. Sao Paulo and also some 

 northern States have for this reason embarked on afforestation, using 

 the rapidly growing eucalyptus tree, which after five years' growth is 

 ready to be cut down for timber. Literally millions of these trees 

 have been planted of late in Brazil and in most cases these plantations 

 have given every satisfaction. 



One mill which we visited had a peat deposit in the neighbourhood 

 and used peat and wood for fuel for the boilers. 



Taxes. — Besides the land taxes, taxes are payable on every 

 metre of cloth produced in the mills. (So far there is no tax on 

 cloth woven on the hand looms.) The following are the present rates : 

 Cotton cloth of any width or weight pays per metre : — 

 Grey cotton cloth . . . . . . . . . . Rs. 20 



Bleached ,, „ „ 30 



Coloured cloth, dyed or printed . . . . . . ,, 40 



Bed covers . . . . . . . . . . • • ,• 160 



Knitted shirt ,,100 



Pair of socks . . . . . . . . . . ,, 40 



A mill with 1,237 ordinary looms, 224 Northrop looms and 62 

 Jacquard looms paid last year more than 600,000 $000 in such taxes. 

 The form of payment is by means of stamps which have to be 

 fixed to each Invoice. 



Every piece of goods must bear the inscription " Brazilian make." 



