March  i,  1893.]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
589 
NEW  LOCAL  INDUSTRIES  IN  CEYLON  : 
AND  HOW  THE  GOVERNMENT  ENCOURAGES 
THEM. 
Swift’s  epophihcgm  on  the  deserls  of  the  man  who 
makes  two  blades  of  grass  to  grow  where  there 
was  only  one  before,  is  of  world-wide  quotation. 
Dealing  with  the  “ over  production  ” of  certain 
staples,  in  our  leoture  before  the  London  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  we  ventured  to  call  in  question, 
the  wisdom  of  the  Dean  of  St.  Patrick,  End  to 
say  that  in  the  case  of  Ceylon  at  least,  we  had 
to  be  cautions  in  cur  praise  of  agricultural 
benefactors  who,  when  they  were  good,  were  apt 
to  become  too  good  ! More  to  the  point  perhaps, 
is  the  motto  v®  have  prefixed  to  our  Tropieal 
Agriculturist  quoting  Sir  John  Sinclair  when  he 
wrote  “ He  who  introduces,  beneficially , a new 
“ and  useful  Seed,  Plant  or  Shrub  into  his  distriot, 
“ is  a blessing  atd  honour  to  his  country.” 
Canny  Scot  was  Sir  John:  the  introduction  murt 
not  only  be  ‘ beneficial,”  but  the  seed,  plant  or 
shrub  prove  to  be  a “ useful  ” ene,  for  the  commen- 
dation to  be  merited.  Many  have  been  the  illustra- 
tions in  the  planting  history  of  Ceylon,  however 
of  the  need  ot  euch  qualifications,  not  only,  in 
reference  to  the  risk  of  over  producing  as  in  the 
case  of  oinnamoD,  cinchona,  cardamoms  and  tea  ; 
but  alBO  of  introducing  innocently,  seed  or  plant 
— like  the  white  weed  ageratum — which  may  prove 
a curse  instead  of  a blest ing. 
But  in  turning  from  agricultural  to  mechanical 
industry,  we  oome  on  far  surer  ground  in  the  oaee  of 
this  Colony  ; for  very  apparent  it  is  that  the  great 
want  of  Ceylon  ss  of  India  and  other  Asiatic 
lands  is  in  the  direction  of  manufactures,  mecha- 
nical industry,  rather  than  in  the  extension  of 
agricultural  pursuits.  This  is  most  true,  so  lhat 
the  man  or  firm,  or  limited  Company  successfully 
introducing  a new  and  useful  manufacturing  in 
dustry  for  the  employment  and  benefit  of  the 
natives  in  our  towns  or  suburbs,  can  unquestion- 
ably be  classed  as  a public  benefactor.  Under 
this  designation  indeed,  oame  all  the  ccffee  planttrs 
on  aocount  of  the  large  mechanical  industry  which 
they  started  end  supported  in  cask-making  for 
their  produce,  and  in  the  preparation  of  the  coffee 
bean  in  Colombo  stores  to  giving  employment  to  some 
20,000  men,  women  and  children.  No  less  im- 
portant to  the  people  at  large  (though  Dot  to  these 
of  Colombo)  is  the  box-miking  industry  created 
by  tea  and  the  abundant  employment  afforded  to 
masons,  carpenters  and  other  artificers  by  the  many 
factories  required  for  260,000  acreB  of  that  product. 
But  it  may  be  truly  said  that  all  such  mechs- 
nical  employment  depends  directly  on  Planting 
and  has  no  independent  footing  of  its  own.  It  is 
in  other  and  independent  directions  that  we  should 
seek  out  the  men  whom  it  ought  to  be  the  business 
of  an  enlightened  Government  to  honour  and 
reward.  In  the  Australian  colonies,  where  there  is 
scope  for  new  branohes  of  agricultural  development 
aB  well  as  for  manufactures,  the  system  of  bonuses 
has,  in  many  oases,  been  found  to  work  well. 
Now  why  in  Ceylon  should  1 ot  the  colonist  or  native, 
or  even  the  Firm  or  the  Company  that  may  start  and 
establish  a new  beneficial  industry,  be  rewarded  with 
a substantial  bonus,  unless  he  should  prefer  a medal 
of  honour  which  might  be  graded  from  “ leaiher” 
up  to  the  purest  “gold”  according  to  the  impor!- 
ance  of  the  industry  claimed  for.  Such  enoourage* 
ment,— even  to  the  voting,  annually,  of  a substantial 
sum  in  the  Supply  Bill, — Would  prove  true  economy 
in  the  end.  Hue  f r instance,  are  we  introducing 
at  considerable  expense  a Technical  Instructor  who 
will  requite  a little  Establishment  of  his  own  if 
ho  is  to  make  any  progress.  Altogether,  the  ex- 
penditure on  his  aeoount  including  house  rent, 
and  assistance  cannot,  we  suppose,  begin  at  less 
than  R10, 000  to  R12.000  per  annum.  Now,  the 
result  aimed  at  must  either  be  the  improvement 
of  existing  industries,  or  the  introduction  of  new 
forms,  But  if  suoh  can  be  promoted  through  un- 
official agencies  with  a greater  chance  of  perma- 
nency, it  may  be  found  advisable  later  on  to 
make  our  Technical  officer,  an  Inspector  of  such 
new  branches,  so  that  on  his  Reports  it  may  be 
deoided  where  official  encouragement  or  honour 
should  be  bestowed  on  our  Industrial  pioneers. 
We  have  been  led  into  this  train  of  speculation 
through  the  consideration  of  many  minor  as  well 
as  greater  branches  of  industry  introduced  into 
Colombo  of  late  years  through  private  enterprise 
and  without  the  recognition  of,  but  rather  in 
Eome  cases,  in  the  face  of  discouragement 
from  Government.  We  are  not  prepared  to 
give  “facts  and  figures”  or  an  exhaustive  liet  at 
this  time;  but  we  may  refer  to  what  has  already 
been  noticed  in  our  columns,  “ the  nickel-plating” 
industry  begun  and  in  a fair  way  of  establishment 
by  Mr,  George  Armitage,  giving  employment  in 
an  extremely  novel  and  interesting  way  to  a 
number  cf  nutives.  Why  should  not  Mr.  Armitage, 
after  due  inspection,  have  some  recognition  from 
Goierr.ment?  There  is  then  Mr.  E.  B.  Creasy’s 
“plumbing”  establishment,  the  necessary  outcome 
to  some  extent  of  our  Water  Supply  Works,  but  still 
leadirg  native  workmen  into  new  employment.  Stiil 
more  interesting  is  it  to  learn  how  Messrs.  H.  W. 
Cave  A Co.  have  succeeded  in  establishing  two 
entirely  new  and  interesting  branches  of  meohani- 
cal  industry  at  tlieir  Colombo  Establishment-. 
This  firm  has  rot  only  benefUted  the  community  by 
the  importation  of  pianos  and  organs,  and  of  pictures 
and  others  works  ot  art  on  a large  scale  ; but  out  of 
this  businee*  has  arisen  the  steady  employment 
of  Eome  score  of  native  artificers  in  the  work  of 
repairing  and  refitting  pianos  and  other  instru- 
ments and  of  making  at  d fitting  frames  to  pic- 
tures. In  respect  of  pianos,  we  are  assured  that 
under  the  instruction  of  a European  assistant 
(tuner,  Ac.)  the  Sinhalese  have  developed  Euch 
care,  neatness  and  finish  that  instruments  in  need  of 
rt  pair  and  refitting  can  now  be  treated  as  euoocssfully 
in  Colcmbo  as  in  England.  Electrical  and  small 
scientific  instruments  ate  also  dealt  wi  b.  In 
picture  framing,  quite  a large  business  bss  bten 
developed  by  the  Etime  firm,  so  that  as  many  as 
fitteen  natives  are  now  regularly  employed  to  meet 
the  demands  of  Cejlonese  customers  chitfly.  This 
is  most  satisfactory  ; for  both  branches  of  art — 
music  and  pictures — are  specialty  calculated  to 
uplift  the  people.  And  this  is  the  more  notable, 
because  the  character  of  the  pictures  imported  of 
late  by  Messrs,  Cave  is  of  a very  high  order. 
Engravings  of  some  of  the  finest  pictures  in  the 
Royal  Aoademy  of  late  years — suoh  engravings 
as  figure  in  certain  Pall  Mall  windows — now  form 
a most  attractive  gallery  in  the  “Amen  Comer” 
establishment  in  which  any  one  can  spend  balf- 
an-hour  or  more  very  instructively.  Surely  then, 
we  may  well  ask  how  the  Ceylon  Government 
encourages  gentlemen  like  those  we  have  already 
mentioned  in  starting  new  industries?  Why,  of 
course,  by  taxing  their  raw  material  at  the  Customs  ! 
So  that  in  the  ease  of  Messrs.  Cave  A Co. 
we  have  the  oomioal  experience  that  while  all 
piotures,  engravings  and  photographs  imported,  in 
or  out  of  frames,  are  free  of  duty ; yet,  on  the 
raw  material  for  picture  frames,  the  "mou  d- 
ing,”  “beading,”  “glass”  Ao.  they  hove  to  pay 
6J  per  oent  duty.  What  our  authorities  in  effect, 
therefore,  say,  is  “Get  your  piotures  framed  in 
England,  and  they  will  pass  free;  as  we  do  not 
