November, 1908.] 



479 



Miscellaneoxis. 



Proposed by Mr. Canagarajah and 

 seconded by Mr. A. Auwardt, and 

 carried unanimously, that Mr. C. P. S. 

 Jayawickrama be elected President of 

 the Association. 



Mr. Jayawickrama explained the 

 history of the Association since its organ- 

 ization in 1894, and how he had to 

 resign its Presidentship seven years ago, 

 as it vvas decided by Government 

 that it was incompatible with his 

 position as a Government servant to 

 hold the office of President. But in 

 view of the great interest taken by 

 Government in the cause of agriculture, 

 he undertook to submit this resolution 

 to Government, and until the order in 

 reply is known, he said he was not in a 

 position to give his consent to be elected 

 President. 



Proposed by Mr. tElian Auwardt 

 and seconded by Mr. Vallipuram 

 and carried unanimously that Mr. D. S. 

 Jayasinha be elected Vice-President. 



Proposed by Mr. Wickramasooriya 

 and seconded by Mr. W. Babun Appu 

 and carried unanimously that Mr. J. D. 

 Patiratna be elected Secretary. 



Proposed by Mr. Auwardt and second- 

 ed by Mr. K. P. Don Jacoris de Silva 

 that Mr. S. Canagarajah be elected 

 Assistant Secretary. Carried unani- 

 mously. 



Proposed by Mr. Jayawickrama 

 (Chairman), and seconded by Mr. M. L. M. 

 Sinna Marikkan that Mr. K. P. Don 

 Jaeoris de Silva be elected Treasurer. 

 Carried unanimously. 



It was unanimously resolved that the 

 following six members be elected to 

 serve on the Committee :— Messrs. D. C. 

 A. Wickramasooriya, ^Elian Auwardt, 

 S. Vallipuram, M. L. M. Sinna Marikkan, 

 D. Jayasinha, and S. B. Don Andiris. 



Resolved, that all the landowners now 

 present be enrolled as members of the 

 Association in accordance with the Rules 

 thereof dated the 15th September, 1901. 



Proposed by Mr. S. Vallipuram and 

 seconded by Mr. Wickramasooriya 

 that for the purpose of paying fees the 

 remaining four months of 1908 be con- 

 sidered a year. Carried unanimously. 



The Secretary urged the necessity 

 of having a fixed place of business for 

 the Association. Thereupon Mr. Babun 

 Appu offered, rent free, the bungalow 

 in the land belonging to Amarasinha 

 Mudaliyar, which he holds on lease. 

 Accepted with thanks. 



The Chairman called upon the meeting 

 to furnish information on the following 

 subjects : — 



(a) Extent of land sown and crops 

 failed. 



(6) Extent of land sown and ripened. 



(c) Extent of land prepared for culti- 

 vation but had to be left uncultivated 

 because no water was supplied. 



[Remarks in previous numbers about 

 alkali in irrigated land may be referred 

 to. The waste of water in Ceylon is 

 enormous.— Ed.] 



The information furnished under 

 these heads were as follows :— (a) Acres 

 sown 1,860; failed acres 589. (6.) Total 

 1,045 acres, (e.) Total 388| acres. 



So that out of a total area sown for this 

 (Yala) season of 2,905 acres, an extent of 

 589 acres perished for want of water, 

 that is to say, 20*28 per cent, failed, and 

 that an extent of 3881 acres was not 

 cultivated at all, solely because no water 

 was supplied. 



The Chairman invited discussion as to 

 the cause of the failure of crops and of 

 the non-supply of water. 



Agreed, that two causes have con 

 tributed for the disaster to the crops- 

 this season, namely : — 



(1) That the reservoirs intended to 

 hold the water f mm the Ellegala anicut 

 are not in proper order, and those that 

 are in order are not of sufficient capacity, 

 and 



(2) That the quantity of water stored 

 in the tanks was not properly dis- 

 tributed. 



As regards (1) suggested by Mr. D. C. A. 

 Wickramasooriya " that this annually 

 recurring scarcity of water during yala 

 season could be averted if the tanks 

 Muthiamma Wewa, Henagehu Wewa, 

 and Korgas Wewa, situated between 

 the anient and Tissa Tank, are repaired 

 andfilled." Mr. Vallipuram seconded 

 this proposal. 



Mr. iELiAN Auwardt said that 

 unless more water was stored in the 

 issuing reservoirs the above proposal 

 alone would not suffice. He therefore 

 suggested in addition that the head of 

 water in Tissa Wewa should be raised 

 to 16 feet ; in Debarawewa, to 10 feet, and 

 in Yoda Wewa to 13 feet. Seconded by 

 Mr. D. S. Jayasinha, and unanimously 

 carried. 



(2) Agreed, that the want of distri- 

 buting sluices at suitable places in exist- 

 ing channels and the insufficient nature 



