September, 1911.] 



211 



Fibres. 



in this case there would be the item of 

 transport. If steam power is used a 

 supply of coal would be necessary and 

 the refuse of the raw materials also could 

 be used. 



Paper industry, unlike other indus" 

 tries, requires a very large quantity of 

 Water 



for manufacturing purposes. The mill 

 should be situated in a place where 

 plenty of clean water could be had, and 

 there is not the least difficulty in this in 

 Ceylon. 



As for Labour in Ceylon it is much 

 cheaper than in other paper-making 

 countries except India, and so this also 

 will not be an obstacle. 



Taking all these into consideration 

 we see that 



Ceylon is Situated most Advan- 

 tageously 

 for the establishment of a paper mill, 

 and it is my firm belief that such an 

 undertaking will give a very decent 

 return as profit, and I shall endeavour 

 to establish this by facts and figures. 



A paper mill in Ceylon should have the 

 Support and Sympathy op the 

 Government, 

 without which such a concern cannot 

 become a success. The Government of 

 Burma has promised to give many con- 

 cessions to any one proposing to start 

 either a pulp or paper mill in Burma. 

 With Government support, a Ceylon 

 paper-mill should be able to get a ton of 

 air-dry bamboo for about Rs- 10 (Mr, Sin- 

 dall's estimate is Rs. 9 18 (12s. 3d.) 



A mill capable of turning out about 

 six tons of paper a day would be just the 

 thing for Ceylon. The necessary plant 

 has to be imported, and from an estimate 

 I was supplied with by a leading British 

 engineering firm I find the estimated 



Rs. 



Approximate cost of plant ... 250,000 

 Buildings, &c. ... ... 100,000 



Contingencies ... ... 50,000 



Total cost about Rs. 400,000 



To this amount should be added another 

 hundred thousand, which would be the 

 working capital. So 



A Joint Stock Company 

 with a capital of about Five Lakhs of 

 rupees would be lequired to start a 

 Paper Mill of the capacity above men- 

 tioned. The figure may look a big one 

 (I don't think it is so for a place like 

 Ceylon), but when divided into fifty 

 thousand 



Shares op Ten Rupees Each, 

 the amount could be easily collected ; 

 but then again, as an esteemed friend of 

 mine, who is very much in sympathy 

 with such undertakiugs, told me, " it is 

 not who could but who would." 

 I will now try to give an approximate 

 Cost op Working 

 this mill— the cost per day. Presuming 

 that bamboo is the raw material used, 

 and this could be had at Rs. 10 per ton at 

 the mills, the quantity required per day 

 to make 6 tons of paper at 2| tons of air- 

 dry bamboo for every ton of paper 

 would be 14 tons or say 15 tons. 



Rs. 



Bamboo ... ... ... 150 



Chemicals ... ... ... 600 



Fuel ... ... ... 200 



Establishment ... ... 150 



Contingencies and wear and tear 

 of machinery ... ... 100 



Total cost of 6 tons ... Rs. 1,200 



The market value of such paper at 

 present would be Rs. 350 a ton, but say 

 Rs. 300. Then, the selling price of 6 tons 

 would be R1.8C0, and 



The Daily Profit 



Rs. 600, and this amount would give a 

 profit of 36 % per annum on a capital of 

 5 lakhs, there being twenty-five working 

 days in the month. 



I will leave this bluntly here and let 

 the reader form his own opinion. It 

 is my belief that such a concern should 

 give a return of about 24 % per annum. 

 If any of my countrymen want any more 

 information on this subject, 1 am at 

 their disposal. 



I am enclosing samples of reed and 

 brown paper manufactured by me, and 

 leave the Editor of the Morning Leader 

 to have his say on the quality and get 

 up. I am also enclosing a small bit of 

 bamboo paper. 



T. P. MASILAMANY, 

 Jaffna, June 3. 



[This article must arrest general atten- 

 tion. It arouses our sympathy and en- 

 lists our support. The idea is well stated 

 in a thoroughly practical form. We 

 leave the reader to digest the suggestion, 

 and propose to deal with the matter 

 editorially.— Ed., M. L.] 



