Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-30
HINTS FROM CEYLON
CONTINUED from First Page.)


| land in Ceylon still held by the govern
| ment which may be taken up and culti-
waited.
Though the government did not become
direct cultivator Of the land. through a
series Of active and intelligent governors
general and other officials 1t co-operated
| heartily with the large individual land
| owners in developing the agricultural re-
sources Of the island.
The British planters In Ceylon have as
ISOLATED themselves to experiment and IN
vestigate in order to work their property
| to the best advantage. and through their
intelligent and cooperative labors much
has been done for the development and
prosperity of the island. When blight had
destroyed the coffee plants. which were
their main product and Ceylon's resources
seemed exhausted and the island threaten
ed with bankruptcy, they abandoned cofree'
revolutioniZed the agriculture Of the is
| land, substituted tea and pushed the new
experimental product with tremendous
vigor. with the result of rehabilitating the
island financially and introducing an era
| of renewed prosperity.
CeylOn's Labor System.
In Ceylon the Chinese have no foothold
whatsoever. This productive little island
three millions of permanent population. but
an army of Tamils is brought over each
year from closely neighboring southern
India to supplement the Cinghalese labor In
the tea and other plantations. Thus the
British are enabled by combination to util-
lie the resources Of their Asiatic posses
sions. to ward off famine in drought-threat-
ened southern India and to develop fruitful
Ceylon. The Cinghalese are not seriously
injured by division of the plantation work,
since they find ample and more congenial
DEMONSTRATING opportunities in trading,
small farming. carting produce and in
handicrafts. A similar annual migration of
Tamils moves to Burma and returns In
1895 1851 Tamils came to Ceylon and in
1896 12S.350 The number recorded as re-
turning in each of these years was less
than 100000, that part of the immigra-
ton may be viewed natural and perma-
nent. OF Ceylon's fixed population of three
millions over 100000 are Tamils. This i'm
portation Of plantation labor, though all in
the British colonial family so to speak, in
volving a very slight change of location as
from one province to another, and unac-
companied by any striking injury to the
Cinghaese residents Of the island is still
Objectionable as reducing the strictly local
opportunities for labor. John Ferguson, in
the Ceylon Directory for 1S9S-99. says on
this point: I'm the interests of this colony
and of its great tea industry, as we'll as
that in other new products receiving
attention apart from the public works in
hand, must hope that there may be a
gradual advance in arrivals of Tamils for
some years to come. although 1t may even
be an advantage to the island that the
local native population. especially Sinha-
4
in the earnings for work on plantations"
Polygamy and slavery.
The author above quoted is the editor ard
proprietor of the Ceylon Observer an old
| resident and champion of the planting in
terest. and a high authority on all matters
pertaining to Ceylon. I met him in Colon
loo. and through him obtained informa ton
on a variety of pertinent topics. Concern
ing Englands method of abolishing slavery
| In Ceylon he said: Slavery was abolished
here by proclama ton. but fifteen years, APP
proxfmately, between 1880 and 1913 were
required before it became completely eff
fective. There was provision for compensa-
ton. but most of the Slave-owners did not
exact It, The amount paid in this COM
pensated emancipation was consequently
small, and was received almost exclusively
by the poorest of the slave-owners The
| slaves had been well treated. their burdens
We're light, and their nominal liberation
made little difference in the domestic rea-
ticns the ex-slaves remaining servants,
and generally treated precisely as before"
Concerning polygamy he said: 1.-The En-
glish do not NEEDLE at all with Mahometan
polygamy. 1t is part OF that religion; but
the practice has been decreasing and may
die out on account of the increasing ex-
pense which it involves. Among the Gin
ghalese the associated practice of polyan-
dry existed a custom. With consent of
the Cinghalese leaders polyandry was abol-
ished fifty years ago by ordinance. But the
legislation was far ahead of the times. The
mass of the people knew nothing of the
statute and followed old customs. Finally
twenty years ago another ordinance became
necessary. recognizing polyandry during the
period and legitimatizing issue"
IrOspe rOus and Reasonably COntented
The Cinghalese are free from famines and
epidemics. Industrious and well-employed.
They are apparently prosperous and hap
py in spite of the habit of growing, which
may be accepted as evidence Of the extent
to which they have been Anglicised
Ceylon as a colony pays; that Is. its re-
ceipts readily meet its expenditures, and
its possession, instead of involving any
drain the imperial treasury, is Il fnan-
cial gain to England.
Though it contains three millions of
Asiatics, its affairs are so well regulated
and its docie population has so little real
cause for discomfort that single reg1-
ment constitutes Great Britain's military
representation on the island. The force in
Ceylon in 1898 was composed of 1.4S3 Eu
ropeans and 23S natives. There is also a
volunteer regiment. paid for by the island.
which in 1898 numbered nearly LOO. in
Guiding officers. made up of Brtish-born
Eurasians. Malays. Tamils Cinghalese and
others. and police force Of LOGO men. of
whom only forty-two are Europeans.
The English in Ceylon. as in India. have
respected the rights. traditions and re-
ligons of the natives. and have increased
local prosperity, while expanding imperial
trade by creating extensive public works.
which have developed to the utmost the
resources of the colonies. India imports
mara from Great Rrjt ain than any ma tiOn