April l, 1898 . 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
667 
wheel, with a very large fall, namely, 500ft. The 
supply of water, however, is small and in conse- 
quence the effective horse-power is only to be 15; 
but we are' informed that this will be quite sufficient 
for the requirements of the property. The machi- 
nery to be supplied will be all new, and of the 
latest and most approved types. 
A PROJECTED FACTORY ON UDABAGE. 
There is a scheme afoot for a large factory on 
Udabage estate, in the Kelani 'Valley. The motive- 
power is to be a 40 horse-power turbine ; but as 
this work has not yet been put in hand, we are 
unable at the present moment to give further de- 
tails ; but we may say the factory will be a large 
one — about lOU ft. long by 40 ft. broad, and, like all 
the other factories here described, it will consist 
of a groundfloor and two upper floors. 
The list we have given i-i probably an unprece- 
dented one of work proceeding at one period ; but 
it by no means exhausts the statement of opera- 
tions Messrs. Brown & Co. are carrying out, for 
their Hatton branch has a good deal of work of a 
similar kind. 
In addition Messrs. Finlay, Muir <£• Co. are put- 
ting up 
A BIG FACTORY ON CHESTERFORD ESTATE, 
in the Kelani Valley. This will be a noteworthy 
work, when it is completed. As our readers know, 
Messrs. Finlay, Jluir A Co. employ their own 
engineer (Mr. \V. Pottie), who supervis s their build- 
ings the actual work of erection being given to 
contractors, who work under the immediate direction 
of Messrs. Finlay, Muir & Company’s superintendents.' 
The new Chesterford factory is to be completed by 
the first week in February, and will be 150 ft. in 
length, and 40 ft. wide, with annexes. There will 
be a ground floor and two upper floors, and the. 
structure will be an iron building with tear weather- 
boarding and window sashes all round. It will 
be a very fine building when completed, and great 
credit is due to the superintendent (Mr. Angus) for' 
the speed with which the work has so far been 
carried out, and to Messrs. Walker, Sons & Co., who 
have furnished all the necessary iron-work in an 
incredibly short space of time. The factory will 
serve both Chesterford and Madooitenne, and is very 
central. Old Madooitenne factory adjoins it, and will 
be converted into a withering-house ; while all the, 
old machinery of the two factories will be re-laid 
in the new building, and will be supplemented by 
a new Paragon tea-dryer; one of Jackson’s 32 inch 
Rapids ; and one of Mickie’s made-tea sifters. The 
power will be steam ; and the engine one of Marshall 
& Sous’ 12 horse power. 
A HUGUE FACTORY AT CHETNOLE. 
At Chetuole in Balangoda, the same firm are put- 
ting up, under the supervision of IMr. Clark, a new 
withering- house, 100 ft. long by 40 ft. wide — and, 
like the other buildings described, one of three floprs. 
Moreover, the existing factory is to be extended, and 
a new turbine, with a fall of 150 ft., and capable 
of developing 40 horse-power, is to be installed. 
With the addition of a new withering-house, and 
the extension of the factory, the factory (which, by 
the way, serves also Meddakande estate) will be 
capable of turning out 600,000 lbs. of made-tea a 
year. The new building will be of stone and timber, 
with center pillars and cross-beams of iron, and a roof 
of corrugated iron. Plans are now being made, bat 
the work is wanted quickly, and it is to be executed 
with all possible speed. 
RASAGALLA’s new FACTORY 
— a work also under the supervision of Mr. Pottie, 
and like the last, directly superintened by Mr. Clark, 
— is rising fast, and here again Messrs. Walker, Sons 
& Co. have shown great expedition in preparing the 
iron-work, for, though it was only ordered a mouth 
ago, it is now ready for desp.itch. For this work, 
howAver, there is no immediate hurry as far as 
regards completion as it is intended to finish 
Chetnole before this, and al io before 
THE NEW FACTORY A'l UOPEWELI, 
is completed. 'This last-nam ■ 1 milding is being put 
up under the direct supervision of Mr. Wm. Taylor 
and when finished it will be 200 ft. long by 65 ft! 
Wide, and 40 ft. high -in a word, one of the lar<7cst 
factories in the island. “ 
THE HAPUGASTENNE CART ROAD. 
A different class of estate work, but an equally 
important one, is now in progress in the Ratnapura 
district, when a cart-road is being cut from Ratnanura 
to Hapugastenne. There will be about 17 mile's of 
this road, which will ultimately be carried right on to 
Hopewell. The work has been begun from the Rat- 
napure and, and is in charge of Mr. A, J. Emery, the 
manager for the Hapugastenne estates. The Road 
is already cut, almost to the tenth mile. 
AN AERIAL TRAMWAY IN TRAVANCORE. 
_ Messrs. Finlay. Muir & Co., however, are not only busy 
in Ceylon, for we hear an important undertaking they 
are about to set on foot in Travancore, where they 
propose to construct an aerial tramway extending 
from the bottom of the ghaut at Bhodiniya-Koonoor 
to the Yallaka Gap — a distance of about six miles 
When completed it will give Messrs. Finlay, Muir 
& Co., a second outlet from their land. We have fre- 
quently referred to the work going on to the West 
where Mr. Benzie is engaged in making a cart-roac( 
which will place the property in direct communication 
with Cochin. That is steadily progressing, but the firm 
deemed it advisable to have an alternative outlet, and 
S 0 they propose on the eastern side of their block to 
put up an aerial tramway, which will convey their pro- 
duce eastward to a point on the main road whence it 
can easily be forwarded to Ammanaya Koonoor, the re- 
ceiving railway station for goods intended for Madras. 
The tramway will begin at an elevation of 2,000 feet 
and will reach an elevation of 6,000 feet, and will be 
over a trace surveyed originally and recommended by 
Messrs. Benzie, Mickie & Pottie. Our readers will see 
at once that it will allow Messes. Finlay, Muir & Co. 
to send produce down and to get rice up much more' 
advantageously than they have hitherto been able to 
do. Tenders' are to be invited for the work ; and 
amongst those who have gohe up to inspect the land 
and judge on the spot what is wanted is Mr. G. H. M. 
Hyde, of the Colombo Commercial Company, so that 
Company will possibly tender.— Local “Times ’’ 
British Guiama and Ceylon — The Times of 
India says “ Home time ago, in discussing the 
reiiort of the W esfc Indies Commis.sion, we °took 
occasion to compare the condition of British 
Guiana with that of Ceylon. We pointed out that 
both Guiana and Ceylon had, at a certain stage 
of their existence, suffered grave reverses owing 
to the failure of the respective industries upon 
wliidi their prosperity depended ; and we instituted 
eoniparlsons regarding the subsequent policy 
pui.sued by the inhahitants of the two colonies, 
whicli^ (lid not altogether redound to the credit of 
the Guianese. A Guiana contemporary, tfie 
Demeram Chronicle, has published a reply to 
these criticisms, in whicli it points out that 
Ceylon, with its 3| million inhabitants, has 
infinitely better opportunities for development 
tlian has Guiana, which only po.ssesses 300,000 
people all told. The disparity in population means, 
it urges, ‘ a vast difference in the cost of labour, 
a far greater consumption of dutiable products’ 
and a larger niimbeiof people to occupy lands 
newly opened-up.’ Had it nob been for the artificial 
increase induced by immigration from India, 
Guiana, .says the Demerara journal, ‘would have 
made hardly any advance upon tlie position held 
at the time of Emancipation ' At the same time, 
the general accuracy of our contention tliat the 
present depression would have been far less serious 
if the colonists of oast generations had been less 
concentrated upon tlie sugar indiisr.ry, and had 
tried to develop the other resources of the 
colony, is admitted.” 
