The evening times., 1900-01-24

Hamilton King. Counsel General for the
United States in SIAM has sent the fol-
lowing report 10 the state Department
from Bangkok:
There is an S.OG6-Hght (incGndescenD
central station in Bangkok which was pur-
chased in 1890 from an English Company
by a Siamese company. FOR the purpose Of
lighting the Kings palace and for the use
Of the public The plant was not operated
until 1884, as the company met with nnan-
cial difficulties. and finally it was turned
over TO Mr. L. E. Bennett. an American
engineer. under a twenty-year exclusive
franchise to furnish light for the govern
ment and the public. Since that time it
has been operated fairly well by an Ameri-
can syndicate.
This plant, which is at present valued
at $2O0.CG0 IN United States currency, has
recently been sold TO q Danish company,
and viii be extended and improved Most
of the supplies for these works have been
purchased in Europe. but very recently
several orders have been placed in America.
'Thirty-hve years ago. there were no
streets in Bangkok. All trafhc was carried
compete with the street traffic. As late as
ten years ago there were no more than nine
miles Of paved streets in the whole city.
Today there are over fOrJy-seyen miles
and many new streets are being open
ed up each year. on which the old iron
and wooden bridges are being replaced by
modern steel bridges. The King himself
builds one steel bridge each year out OF
his private funds as a gift to the city. ana
&c f.sI IN FH.a r.frH a.. Nrrffh
ceremony on his birthday. The government
imports from England every year consid-
eTable quantities OF bridge materials.
SevenJy-hve miles Of canals traverse
the city of RaugSo,, a large percentage OF
which has been added in resent years.
1 The tendency, however, j. 90 make streets
instead.
Outside Of the city. and extending all
| over the vast allUyial plain Of southern
Sima. are a number Of canals. hundreds
of miles in extent. which serve as the
highways or the country. These canals
have been dug within the last fifty years,
. and up TO ten years ago we're the only
means Of communication. except hy-paths
through the jungle They serve to connect
the three great tidal rivers which flow nm
somewhat parallel courses &C the sea. buJ.
as a result OF TIE action OF the tides they
are rapidly sil.ing up and becoming use
! less.
Ten years ago the siam Canal. Land
and Irrigation Company was formed
through the announcement Cf the King.
/ This company received large concessions
! Of land and had for its purpose To dig
canals for irrigation. as well as highways.
/ and to convert large tracts OF loNland into
/ paddy or rice fields. The company is now
! opening up two large blocks Of land.
On the left side Of the M.uam. a canal
| p - feet wide and p miles long
| connects the two rivers Menam Chow
/ Phya and Menam Nachon Nayok. Several
! miles south OF this canal. and running
parallel 10 IL, Is another main canal, and
about the same distance north. aad run
/ ming in the same direction is third,
I 50 feet wide. These three main
/ canals furnish the chief water supply
! Of this system. At intervals OF ] -
miles branch canals are TO be cut az
( right angles 10 the main channels. About
/ half of this work has been completed.
/ ard tract Cf waste land - J0 81 m les
| in extent is being brought under cuIti-
vatiOn- Ten years ago this was swamp ANA
! jungle Inhabited only by the elephant and
/ other wild beasts To-day IL is occupied by
/ over 10000 people and IFS product fur
uishes one Of he richest reTeuues Of the
| country.
! "On the opposite bank OF the Menam is
another canal system. between the Menam
/ Chow Phya and the Menam Nachon Chat
! see The work on the main canal is fairly
well begun.
/ AT present the work is delayed on ac-
! count Of some questions relating to the
| concessions. When these difficulties are
| settled as they are expected 20 be in the
near future. the company. which has now
! only four macbiues-one dredge and three
| e=Cayators-at work. will Immediately in
crease its force and finish the task in four
or five years.
According TO the agreements by which
the concessions were granted, the cOmpa-
ny derives its revenue from The sale OF
lands bordering on the canals which are
opened. The lands are TO be sold at not
| more than about S2.1J gold per acre. a
percentage Of which is to be paid in ad-
vance when the work upon the canal Is be-
gun. So popular has this pIa2 proved that
all the land in he first block on the left
side Of the Menam is already taken up.
and the people are impatiently waiting f5T
| the completion cs ISe work. while in the
second block, which does not promise at
present 20 be completed for several years.
more than half the ground has already
been applied for.
a second source OF revenue for the
company is the toll collected at the several
locks, and a third will be the supply of
FISH which swarm in the waters Of the
canals.
Encouraged BY the success OF this COM
pany. the King has In mind an extensive
canal programme FOR the development Of
the rich lands in Siam that now lie waste.
and l am told that he has already sent TO
| Holland for expert engineers to make
plan for this comprehensive canal system
There are thousands of miles of such waste
| lands still uncultivated and il would seem
that there is nothing to which the Govern
ment Of the country could with more ad-
vantage turn its immediate attention. in
view of the small amount Of capital re-
qured, the revenues that must accrue TO
the treasury, the splendid values that viii
be added TO the country in its increased
productive area and the abundant employ
ment afforded a people who are today in
need of such encouragement
The opening up of these rich rice fields
is giving a new aspect to the question Of
agriculture in this country. Besides the
thousands who are taking up small hold
ings. there are also those who are buying
large estates to await an increase in val
ues for the cultivation OF rice on an OK
tensive scale. Already the question of bet
! ter methods and tools for the cultivation
Of the land is of importance.
"The crude wheels run BIZ the human
foot. the wooden plow with its iron shoe
a barrow, the scattering OF the seed bv
hand. the thrashing hoor Of hardened mud
and buffclO dung tramped by buffalo hoofs.
and the winnowing Of grain by the shovel
\ and the wind must soon give way to the
! windmill pump, the steel plow, the i'm
I proved harrow. the seed drill. and the
Hhr1f= limo ffasa As hfF.a- =