and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. 



295 



that it was a matter in which the people inter- 

 ested should devise some means for the 

 improvement of the tohacco industry in Jaffna. 

 He had, therefore, called that meeting to lay 

 Before it his own views and to know whether 

 the amount required for conducting the pro- 

 posed experimental cultivation could be raised 

 in the country. He had prepared a memoran- 

 dum on the subject embodying the facts 

 contained in his communications with the 

 Government. Mr. Harrison Jones then read the 

 memorandum of the Government Agent. 



The Chairman — having called for discussion, 

 Messrs. A. Sapapathy, A. M. Chittambalam, S. 

 Thambiahpillai, and J. H. Vanniahsingam took 

 part in it. Mr. Sapapathy expressed his dis- 

 appointment at the action of Government in no' 

 redeeming the promise made by Sir Henry 

 Blake in regard to the appointment of a tobacco 

 expert to advise and instruct the people 

 in the cultivation of new varieties of tobacco 

 and curing them to suit foreign markets. 

 Without Government aid and initiative it would 

 be impossible to carry on any experiment in 

 Jaffna. As one interested in the Jaffna-Travancore 

 tobacco trade, he detailed its present depressed 

 condition owing to overproduction here and 

 less demand in Travancore. He estimated the 

 difference between the price which the 

 quantity of tobacco exported from Jaffna 

 fetched in that State last year compared with 

 the amount that could be realized by the 

 sale of that quantity according to the reduced 

 price that at present prevailed at 4 lakhs of 

 mpees. Mr. Chittambalam shared Mr. Sapa- 

 pathy's views in regard to the appointmont of an 

 expert and expressed his doubts whether the 

 people, if left to themselves, would be able to 

 do anything to promote the cause of improved 

 tobacco cultivation. He asked why that question 

 should have been taken up by a separate public 

 meeting instead of having been dealt with by 

 the Jaffna branch of the Agricultural Society. 

 He also wanted to. know the result of the ex- 

 perimental cultivation carried on at the in- 

 stance of Government at Maha-Illuppalama 

 before the Jaffna public were asked to carry 

 on experiments with tobacco cultivation 

 themselves. Mr. Thambiah Pillai suggested 

 the desirability of sending a Jaffna young man 

 at Government expense to Sumatra or to some 

 other tobacco-growing countries to learn modern 

 methods of growing and curing tobacco, in case 

 the Government would not incur the larger ex- 

 penditure of establishing an experimental sta- 

 tion in Jaffna, Mr. Vanniahsingam, in supporting 



the views of the previous speakers, said that in 

 the existing condition of the country the people 

 would not be able to raise the necessary funds 

 to carry on the experiment. 



The Government Agent expressed a desire to 

 leave the consideration and decision of the ques- 

 tion to a Committee. 



Mr. A. Sapapathy was appointed Secretary. 



A large committee was appointed to carry out 

 the object of the meeting. With a vote of thanks 

 to the Chairman, moved by Mr. A.Mailvaganam, 

 seconded by Mr. A. Sapapathy, the meeting came 

 to a close at 10-30 a.m. 



The Memorandum of Mr. Price, g.a., n.p.^ 

 on Tobacco. 



I placB on record the following observations in respect 

 of the tobacco industry in the Northern Province. 



2. The future of the cultivation depends to a great ex- 

 tent on the finding of new markets for export, new mar- 

 kets, that is to say, for tobacco for smoking. It does not 

 seem probable that new markets for tobacco for chewing 

 can be found. 



3. Here it is convenient to emphasise the distinction 

 between the two descriptions of the tobacco industry in 

 the Northern Province. The production consists of (1) to- 

 bucco for smoking, and (2) tobacco for chewing. 



4. Dealing first with (2), I may say at once that tobacco 

 for chewing is not the object of my present communication. 

 But, before dismissing it from further consideration, I re- 

 mark that the demand for this tobacco has recently de- 

 creased considerably. The merchants of Jaffna have re- 

 cently been advised from Travancore and Cochin that the 

 stocks there are at present so large that the usual ex- 

 ports from Jaffna will not be required. The consequence 

 is that there is a large quantity of chewing tobacco in 

 Jaffna which is unsaleable. For this I see no remedy in 

 the immediate future. It may be that in the further future 

 a remedy may be found by diverting from chewing to- 

 bacco the capital, labour, and land at present used in its 

 cultivation, and by applying them to the cultivation of 

 smoking tobacco. But this will depend upon the finding 

 of new markets for smoking tobacco. 



5. To return now to (1) smoking tobacco. Figures are 

 not available, because much of what is produced is con- 

 sumed locally; but it is safe to put the production of 

 smoking tobacco at not less than that of chewing to- 

 bacco, (say) at 4J million pounds (page I 14 of Report 

 on Ceylon Blue Book for 1906, paragraph 11). It may 

 be safely assumed that the value of the smoking to- 

 bacco produced in the Northern Province during 1906 

 amonnts to R450.000. Details of the calculation are 

 given in enclosure A. The value of chewing tobacco 

 exported beyond sea in 1906 was, in round numbers. 

 K915.000 which brings the total value of the (estimated) 

 local production up to El, 365,000. At any rate the annual 

 production represents well over a million rupees. 



6 The cost of production has increased considerably, 

 for instance, within the past five years wage* have risen 

 by 50 per cent. To increased cost of production and 



