The evening times., 1900-01-24

Hamilton King. Counsel General for the
United States in Siam, has sent the fol-
lowing report to the State Department
from Bangkok
There is an S.O06-light (incandescenD
| 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 1894, as the company met with finan-
/ cial difficulties. and finally it was turned
! over TO Mr. L. L. Bennett. an American
J engineer. under a twenty-year exclusive
franchise to furnish light for the govern
| ;nent and the public. Since that time ii
has been operated fairly well by an Ameri-
can syndicate.
1 This plant which is at present valued
at $200, ,06e in United States currency has
recently been sold to Danish company
and will 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 five years ago. there were no
| streets in Bangkok. All traffic was carried
on by boats. and the numerous canals still
compete with the street traffic. As late as
/ ten years ago there were no more than nln@
miles Of paved streets in the whole city,
! Today there are over forty-seven 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
! Il g.f
/ his private funds as a gift TO the city, and
1 this is opened to the public with some
( ceremony on his birthday. The government
! imports from England every year consid-
erable quantities OF bridge materials.
Seventy-five miles OF canals traverse
/ the city uf bangkok large percentage on
which has been added in resent years
The tendency, however, is 10 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 OF the country. These canals
4 have been dug within the last fifty years
and up to ten years ago we're the only
means of communication, except by paths
! through the jungle. They serve to connect
The three great tidal rivers which flow III
/ somewhat parallel courses tC the sea, buJ,
! as result of the action OF the tides, they
/ are rapidly sitting up and becoming use
/ less.
Ten years ago the Siam Canal, Land
and Irrigation Company was formed
through the announcement Of the King.
! This company received large concessions
! Of land and had foT 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 N, nam. canal
! - 1-2 feet wide and 81 miles long
/ connects the TWO rivers Menam Chow
| Phya and Menam Nachon Nayok. Several
| miles south of this canal and running
! parallel 10 it, Is another main canal. and
! about the same distance north. and run
| ming in the same direction, is a third,
So feet wide. These three main
canals furnish the chief water supply
! OF this system. At intervals of ] l2
miles branch canals are 10 bC cut at
right angles TO the main channels About
half OF this work has been completed
and tract Of waste land - Je 81 M les
in extent is being brought under culti-
| walton. Ten years ago this was swamp and
| jungle inhabited ouly by the elephant and
| other wild beasts. To-day ii is occupied by
over 1o000 people. and its product fur
! nishes one of he richest revenues 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 to be in the
near future. the company, which has now
only four machines-one dredge and three
| eEcayators-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..5 gold per acre,
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 The first block on the left
side Of the Menam is already taken up
and the people are impatiently waiting t1T
the completion ct Tie work. while in the
second block, which does not promise at
present TO be completed for several years,
more than half the ground has already
been applied for.
A second source or revenue Tor 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 / 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 it 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-
auired. 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 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 cX-
tensive scale. Already the question of bet
ter methods and tools for the cultivation
Of the land is of Importance.
The crude wheels run by the human
foot. the wooden plow with its iron shoe,
the wooden-toothed buffalo rake used for
a harrow, the scattering of the seed by
hand. the thrasbing floor of hardened mud
and buffalo 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
proved harrow. the seed drill, and the