f 73 



The Land Terms of the Two Countries Compared. 



"Are not the new land terms to some extent limiting the develop- 

 ment of the industry?" 



"Although the conditions now are a premium of $3 and $1 quit 

 rent for six years, and $4 per annum thereafter, I do not think in 

 the meantime it is checking enterprise. Roughly speaking, compar- 

 ing it with freehold land in Ceylon at £5 per acre at 5 per cent per 

 annum, a planter in both countries would have in 14 years expended 

 the same amount on land purchase. I do not suppose anyone 

 troubles himself much as to what is going to happen after that, 

 although the F. M. S. planter would be paying gs. \d. per acre per 

 annum, while his Ceylon brother would be free. It is difficult to 

 get applications for land put through with expedition, but nothing 

 like to the same extent as it is in Ceylon. I think this latter fact, 

 more than anything else, is driving Capital away from Ceylon to 

 the F. M. S. The difficulties placed in the way of the Ceylon 

 planter in the acquisition of useless lands (I mean useless to the 

 native), and in the speedy settlement of native claims, which a 

 planter may desire to have settled before concluding the purchase, 

 are little short of disgraceful in a first-class Crown Colony. The 

 Government must be aware that thousands of acres of land in 

 Ceylon, over which natives and Government alike have shadowy 

 claims, will never be cultivated by the native either to his benefit 

 or that of the State. It surely therefore is the duty of Government 

 when they know there are men ready to develop these unproductive 

 lands, to push forward the settlement of claims, and thus aid in the 

 speedy development of this new industry in which Ceylon hopes to 

 Play such an important part."— " Times of Malaya," March 6, 1907. 



CAMPHOR. 



" The Camphor production in Ceylon is unfortunately still in a 

 v 'ery bad way and although much attention has now for several 

 years been given to this new cultivation it has not been possible 

 produce more than 1,000 kilos. If it is taken into consideration 

 inat more than 100 acres are planted with Camphor-trees the result 

 must be called unsatisfactory. The principal difficulty lies in the 

 2 ck ? f experience of the planters in the distillation." So says the 

 iropical Agriculturist of Feb. 1907, p. 64. An idea had been 

 strongly prevalent that the Camphor industry in Ceylon had been 

 /nmensely successful, of late years, a mistake undoubtedly due to the 

 00 sanguine statements in local newspapers. The very high price 



^amphor at present has induced many to turn their attention 

 * the product and it is being tried in various parts of the world 

 "ii more or less promise of success. In California the tree seems 

 durS * el1 and experimental returns show that the Camphor pro- 

 tonS IS purer than Japanese Camphor. In Italy the tree is said 

 everywhere except in the neighbourhood of the Alps. In 



