8io THE TRdPICAL AQFtldULTURtST [Mat 1892. 
only tend to confirm the greater part of what Mr. 
I)eakia has said. He wrote for a Fpecial purpose and 
touched upon eomo points which the Indian critic is 
content to' take for granted. But. the reports now 
published on the working of the Irrig.^tion Depart, 
raents ia India during 1&90-91| strengthen us in thg 
belief that that country is fortuuate indeed, which can 
truthfully say that it lias nothing to loam from India 
in regard to irrigation. What is being done here is 
the outcome of centuries of native experience, followed 
np by European ecience. Irrigation must have been 
practised by Indians in very remote ages, and even 
the perennial canal of today appears to date back 
from the thirteenth or fourtfen'h century. But now, 
outeide the Government schemes, the rain-filled tanks 
and the little wells are the chief source of native 
supplies. It is to these Bnd not to the canal.s, or the 
tanks built by Mahomedan mooarchs, that the 
peoplt have trusted for centuries ; it is to these that 
we chiefly look now for protection Bgainat a threatened 
water-famine. 
In regard to irrigation we do cot propose to dwell 
at great length on the usual test of a system, its 
financial results. These, if studied narrowly, would 
lead us to wrong conclusions; while to make cltar 
the broad deductions that may ba drawn from the 
annual returns, would occupy more space than we 
can spare. Suffice it for tbe present to refer to some- 
what old figures which enable us conveniently to com- 
pare the cost of irrigation in various parts of India 
60 far as concerns works wLich may be regarded as 
comparatively new. Here are 1 he figures : — 
Expenditure. Acres Irrigated 
£ annually. 
.Ajmere 160,000 36,000 
Bombay 2,500,000 85,000 
Sind 1,180,000 150,000 
Bengal 6,000,000 550,000 
North-west 8,000,000 2,000,000 
Madras 5,300,000 2,400,000 
Punjab 6,500.000 3,OUO,000 
Maaras, it will be seen, suowa up well here. It has 
made large use of Native works, and hds thus been 
able to recuce the average of costs. But it we add 
to the above Native canals used in Grovernmeut 
schemes, the table given would be increased by many 
acres —Burma, 200,000; Siud, 1,000,000 and Madras 
2,500,000, makmg about 13,000,000, for £33,000,000, 
yielding 4 per cent net revenue. To ttiis total muat be 
added the immense extent of country everywhere but 
especially in the North-West and in Madras, supplied 
from wells and tanks by the people themselves, and 
also the totals of Independent Status. That all the 
outlay thus incurred ia highly profitable, can hardly 
be shown in actual figures ; though we have ever 
before us the fact that without iirigatiou millious of 
people could not live and some ibillipns would be 
decimated by famine every few years. Speaking broadly 
however, of the financial results shown iu ofiicial 
accounts, Madras, the North-West, the Punjab and 
Sind show handsome profits in regard to irrigation ; 
Bombay figures are healthy; while in Bengal irrigation 
has been found to be the oheape.st and boit means of 
fighting famine, and saving the public Treasury from 
rumoua drafts in bad seasons. 
Taruing now to portioos of the reports for 1890 91, 
we find that in Bombay 2^1,464 acres were irrigated, 
as against 230,753 in 1889-90. The decrease is ex- 
plained as due to the exceptionally gool rainfall 
during the late season, which led to a reduced de- 
mand for water. The aggregate estimated value of the 
crops irrigated was 40 lakhs, and the working expenses 
per acre irrigated are returned at Hl-35. In the 
Deccan and Gujarat the uet irrigable area under 
command was increased from 533,313 to 535,702 
acres. The area irrigated by all the works taken 
together was 75,001 acres, which showed a falling off 
of 10,698 actea, due to favourable rainfall. The total 
revenue realised was K4,r)0,813 ; while the working 
expenses amounted to 112,39,015. Bengal reports allude 
to returns for Major Works as less favourable than 
in the preceding yexr. The largo Canal Works are 
iipccially commented npou by the Goverumdut of India, 
whioh mentions incidentally that there is now no reason 
for further d lay in completing the Orisaa project bo far 
as regards detailed eaootioned estimates, but progress 
continues flow owing to the want of labour. As re- 
gards Major Works the net result of the year was a loss 
of li92,995 ; while when Major and Minor are combined, 
the uet results are sho-Ku to be. Receipts 1:21,70,960; 
Working Expense R20,28,2-J8 ; Interest payable to the 
G 'vernmPiit of Indir. K23,87,119 ; Net charge oa Pro- 
vincial revenues H22, 44,49. The lotal outlay in Madras 
was E68,45,384 ; the total area charged as irri- 
gatfd both for first and seccu.l crops 5,514,184 acres, 
and the total irrigatio i (inflirect) revenues, exclusive 
of deductions and reruissiona amounted to h 1,38,20,535. 
The net revenue it is observed, amountel to 695 per 
cent in the capital outlay of the works in operation ; 
and this percent-ige would have been 1 180 were it not 
for the Kurnool-Oud'Japah canal. Taken all in all, the 
above figures ^re taiiafactory ; and they give but a 
faiot clue to the benefits derived from the works to 
which they refer. Although at the present moment 
we have to say that the shadow of Distress is cast 
over India, we may also 8af>-ly assert that that shadow 
v\oald be much darker and much more to be dreaded 
were it not. for the stendy care that has been bestowed 
upon irrigation, and the great advances that have 
been made. — Madras Times, March II, 
« 
SUVA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 
The Annual Generil Meeti' g of the Suva Cham- 
ber of Commerce was held at the Suva Olub Hotel 
last Friday evening, the Chairman, Henry Marks, Esq., 
J. P. presiding. 
THE chairman's eepoet. 
» * * 
The total importg for 1890 amounted to £206,757 
as against £189,393 for the preceding year; being 
an iLcrease of 8'4 per cent. 
Under the beading of exports, the value for 
1890 is set down in tbe official return as £364,533 
as agaitiSt £364,282 be ng only an increase of £251, 
the smallnets of which may be accounted for by the 
fall in price of one of the staple articles of export 
namely sugar, the diminution io value aveiaging £4 
per ton; but as there was a total increase in value, 
despite the fall in p ice of one of the principal com- 
modities, it is evident that the exports of the colony 
are considerably on the increase. As regards navi- 
gation I might mention that tbe total foreign 
tonnage for 1890 exceeded that of the previous year 
by 26,456 tons. 
I w II now make a few comments on some of tbe 
products of our colony. 
Tea — This is finding favour in all quarters and it 
is greatly to be deplored that the supply is in no 
way adequate to tbe demand. In fact for some 
months past a considerable quantity of foreign tea 
has had to be imported by local merchants ; this 
marked increase in appreciation should prove an en- 
couraging factor to producers, and it is to be'hoped 
will lead to more widely extended cultivation. 
Bananas. —The export of this fruit is still increasing 
and from the large amount of fresh land being 
brought into use for the growth of bananas, it is to 
be concluded that the prooucsra find the industry a 
profitable one, notwithstanding the many drawbacks 
they have to contend with, 
OoPBA. — 1891 having been a very favourable year 
for the growth of coconuts and as new areas are 
coming into bearing, there is every reason to believe 
that the export of copra will be considerably in ad- 
vance of former years. 
Desiccated Coconut. — It is satisfactory to note the 
various kinus manufactured by the local coaapaaiea 
are coming into larger and rapidly increasing demand, 
so as to neossitate a considerable increase of plant 
from time to time. 
Tobacco. — Although bo far there has been no export 
of high class tobacoo from Fiji, thern is some reason 
to hope that the year 1893 will show superior tobacoo 
both for wrapping and filling cigars, euteiiug iotQ 
