798 
Supplement  to  the  '■  Tropical  Agriculturist  I' 
[May  1,  189G, 
kainfall  taken  at  the  school  of 
AGRICULTUKE  DURING  THE  MONTH 
OF  APRIL,  1896. 
1 
Wednesday . . 
•05 
19 
Sunday 
•18 
2 
Thursday  . . 
2-96 
20 
Monday 
•39 
3 
Friday 
•07 
21 
Tuesday 
Nil 
4 
Saturday  , . 
•43 
22 
Wednesday . . 
Nil 
5 
Sunday 
3-18 
23 
Th  ursday  . 
•26 
6 
Monday 
•08 
24 
Friday 
•07 
7 
Tuesday 
•30 
25 
Saturday 
•01 
8 
Wednesday  . . 
•05 
26 
Sunday 
•;34 
9 
Thursday  . . 
Nil 
27 
Monday 
•.')0 
10 
Friday 
Nil 
28 
Tuesday 
Nil 
11 
Saturday 
Nil 
29 
Wednesday . 
1^89 
12 
Sunday 
•01 
30 
Thursday  . 
•12 
13 
Monday 
•90 
1 
Friday 
•08 
14 
Tuesday 
Nil 
15 
Wednesday  . 
•16 
16 
Thursday  . 
Nil 
Total . . 
12-48 
17 
Friday 
•43 
18 
Saturday 
•07 
Mean. 
. 4-16 
Greatest  amount 
of  rainfall 
in  any  24  hours  on 
the  5th  instant,  3T8  inches. 
Recorded  by 
M. 
W.  R.  Bandak. 
-o 
— 
MINOR  INDUSTRIES. 
In  spite  of  all  the  natural  advantages  we 
possess  in  regard  to  a wealth  of  raw  products  and 
in  the  way  of  cheap  labour,  minor  manufacturing 
industries  have  not  taken  a hold  in  any  part  of  the 
country.  In  this  respect  we  are  even  far  behind 
India.  Practically  the  only  occupation  which  the 
villager  thinks  seriously  of  ns  a means  of  susten- 
ance is  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  but  as  he  is  not 
engaged  in  this  work  all  throughout  the  year,  and 
his  family  have  ample  leisure  between  the  sowing 
and  reaping  seasons,  there  is  ample  opportunity 
thus  afforded  for  working  at  the  minor  manu- 
facturing industries  if  they  are  so  inclined. 
This  is  particularly  the  cases  in  interior  vil- 
lages. Along  the  sea  coast  where  arable  land  is 
not  available  a few  minor  industries,  notably  car- 
pentry and  coir-work  have  sprung  up,  but  even  here 
there  is  a tendency  to  stagnation.  And  what  is  the 
reason  of  all  this  ? It  is  not  fair  to  attribute  it  to 
apathy  and  idleness,  for  which  the  Sinhalese 
villager  is  invariably  blamed.  In  many  instances 
it  will  be  found  that  he  will  be  only  too  glad  to 
avail  himself  of  a means  of  increasing  his  income 
and  willing  to  work  by  night  and  day  in  some 
profitable  employment  which  will  not  interfere 
with  the  cultivation  of  his  ancestral  holdings, 
were  he  not  met  by  serious  obstacles.  Tlie  lack  of 
technical  knowledge  and  the  inability  to  initiate 
new  industrial  enterprises  are  indeed  the  true 
causes  which  are  responsible  for  the  enforced 
idleness  of  the  Ceylon  goyiya.  For  who  is  capable 
of  starting  a new  industry  without  possessing 
these  qualifications  ? But  given  these  conditions 
two  others  are  also  necessary,  viz.,  the  possession 
of  sufficient  capital  to  carry  on  the  enterprize 
through  its  initial  and  experimental  stage  and  the 
existence  of  a market  for  the  produce. 
The  charge  of  laziness  brought  against  Sinhalese 
villagers  is  often  the  result  of  a comparison  made 
between  him  and  the  Tamil  cooly.  It  is  stated 
that  the  latter  is  constantly  absenting  himself  from 
work  on  the  e.xcuse  that  lie  lias  to  ;.."'‘,nd  to  his 
own  land  at  certain  season,  or  again  that  he  has  ■, 
to  observe  certain  religious  festivals,  or  even  toper- 
form  such  social  duties  such  as  attending  weddings  ? 
and  funerals.  The  great  difference  in  the  domes- 
tic life  and  relations  of  the  Sinhalese  and  Tamils  t 
must,  however,  be  taken  into  consideration  in  i 
making  such  a comparison,  and  due  allowance 
made  for  the  strong  associations  by  w’hich  the 
Sinhalese  villagers,  from  his  environments,  is  >; 
influenced — perhaps  to  his  misfortune.  The  force 
of  circumstances  thus  works  against  his  “ shining  ” 
under  so  exacting  a system  of  discipline  as  is  in- 
volved in  the  management  of  estate  labour.  In  i 
this  connection  I would  quote  the  opinion  of  a i 
leading  Sinhalese  gentleman,  put  with  much  force,  , 
on  the  suitability  or  otherwise  r f cooly  labour  for  v 
the  Siidialese  villager.  He  says:  “ I shall  be  as  » 
sorry  to  see  the  Sinhalese  villager  reduced  to  the  e 
condition  of  a Tamil  cooly  as  delighted  to  find  I 
him  elevated  to  the  position  of  a peasant  proprie- 
tor  The  magic  of  property  turns  sand  into  t 
gold  and  converts  a desert  into  a garden.  It  ] 
stimulates  industry,  helps  the  cultivation  of  1 
piudential  wishe.s,  encourages  thrift,  and  inspires  i 
one  with  a spirit  of  self-reliance,  The  economical,  , 
social,  and  ])olitical  advantages  which  such  rl 
peasant  proprietorshi])  in  places  circumstanced  I 
as  Ceylon  would  .secure  are  obvious-  In  short,  , 
one  ]>refers  a Sinhalese  with  the  feelings  and  f 
])rinciples  of  a proprietor  to  one  with  those  of  a t 
cooly.  If  he  is  transformed  into  a cooly,  the  results  ( 
of  his  .labours  will  bo  to  confer  advantages  uijou  1 
his  emi)loyer  out  of  all  proportion  to  any  which  f 
he  will  derive  by  the  transformation.  The  advan-  t 
tr.ges  to  him,  if  any,  will  be  temporary  and  more 
seeming  than  real,  !uul  dependent  entirely  on  the 
laws  of  demand  and  sup])ly  ; and  the  operations 
of  these  laws  will  be  eventually  to  the  advantage 
of  the  emidoyer.” 
To  resume : there  are,  as  jminted  out,  certain 
adverse  circumstances  lliat  combine  against  the 
develojjement  of  minor  industries  in  the  villages. 
The  villagers  have  no  opportunity  of  acquiring  any  I 
knowledge  of  the  methods  on  which  these 
industries  are  based,  or  of  the  aj)])liances  which 
aid  their  developement  and  the  i)rinciples  which 
control  them.  A.ssuming  that  the  villager  can 
read,  there  are  no  l)Ooks  in  the  vernacular  to 
which  he  could  look  for  enlightenment,  while  he 
has  no  0])portunity  of  i)ractically  accpiainting 
himself  with  the  processes  he  desires  to  adojit  in 
the  manufacture  of  the  various  industrial 
products  that  fill  the  imerkets  of  the  world 
and  have  to  bo  im])oi’ted  into  this  Island.  How, 
for  instance,  could  ho  be  expected  to  ])re])are  dye 
stuffs  or  tanning  materials  tis  commercial  articles 
wlien  he  knows  nothing  of  the  dtunand  for  them 
or  the  uses  to  which  they  are  i)ut  ? It  would  seem 
reasonable,  therefore,  to  expect  that  those  who 
are  concerned  in  '.he  welfare  of  the  masses,  and 
indeed  of  the  Island  itself,  should  devise  means  to 
clear  away  the  obstacles  that  stand  in  the  way  of  j 
industrial  developement  in  its  relation  ])articularly 
to  the  vegetable  resources  of  the  colony.  Some 
of  the  means  tliat  suggest  themselves  as  likely  to 
be  of  avail  are  the  holding  of  imiustrial  shows, 
estal)lishing  of  industrial  museum.s,  and  the  dis- 
tribution  of  ])amphlets  giving  .such  information 
as  will  help  the  people.  The  former  iu.'-litutions 
need  not  be  on  a lavish  .scale,  but  carefully  planned 
and  economically  worked  with  certain  s|)ecitie 
objects  in  view,  Technical  instruction,  wherever 
