The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-04-03

1 scending, tearing off the bandages when they reach the bottom, thus keeping their | eyes in focus for immediate work. They use hats of palm leaves to protect their heads from the stones and earth which 1 fall upon them from the sides of the shafts. Their product is sold to the trust and al such rates that they can make but little more than fair wages
 The Burmese Oil company has to pay a royalty to the government, but it is large ly protected by the administration and there is little chance for outside com petition. The best of its present oil fields cover only about 100 square miles.
 Burma's Oil Rehneries
 During my stay at Syrian I have gone through the refineries. The managers claim that they are the largest of the world. saying that they surpass any owned by the Standard Oil company, which does its business in smaller insti- tutions widely scattered throughout the United States
 The works here at Syrian cover 100 acres or more. They are situated on the banks of the Irawadi, about Is miles from its mouth. The river is full of silt and 1t has built up a great sand bank just opposite the landing so that ships cannot come close except at high tide The silt Is so great that the little lake, inside the works, used as a water supply has to be dug out to depth of six or eight feet every year. I saw hundreds of coolies excavating this now dry lake They were taking out dirt which looked like cement, and carrying it away in baskets on their heads. The deposits of the Irawadi are so rapidly filling the bed of the river that jetties similar to those we have at the mouth of the Missis- sippi will probably be put in.
 l went through the works with the su- , perintendent, a Scotchman named Bishop l had my camera with me, but he ob jected to my photographing the ret1neries, although he allowed me to take snap shots of the laborers and the scenes out side the plant.
 I shall not attempt to describe the pro- cesses, except to say that enormous fur naces are kept hot with oil fires and that the boilers above them have pipes to catch the vapor as the oil boils. Refin- ing petroleum is much like distlling whisky. The crude oil is heated to a vapor which flows off into the cold pipes. As it strikes them this condenses and run off as pure oil.
 Wax Candles for Buddha In the meantime, the residue is carried from boiler to boiler, until all the oil has been won. A part of what is left is turned into wax, and in the end there is a product which is made into a coke superior to that from coal The wax is used chiefly for candles, which are made here in great quantities to be used in the worship of Buddha. Anyone who can burn a candle before a shrine ac- quires merit, and the bigger the candle the greater the merit. For this reason the candles are of all sizes, from wax matches to great, round, tapering cyln- ders six and a half feet tall and as thick as an elephants leg. Such a candle brings about BIO, or 30 rupees. It will burn 15 hours, and if consumed at a shrine will add much to one's chance of reaching Nirvana.
 Machinery and Labor
 The machinery of Syrian is up to date. It is nearly all English, although there are some Yankee inventions employed. The institution has can-making factories, and the oil is run into the cans on the premises.
 The labor of the mills is almost alto gether East Indian. About 5000 men, wom- en and boys are employed, the children ranging in age from 10 years upward. l saw little Hindus who should have been in school packing candles, carrying heavy loads and doing all sorts of work. They labored with all their might. and their wages were a few cents day. We rode about through the works on a trolley car pushed by four Hindus, and before leaving took a ride on a big. automobile in and out among the great tanks where the oil is stored. There are something like forty or more of these tanks, each marked 100000 gallons.
 This oil trust has other refineries at | Dunneedaw, on the opposite bank of the | Irawadi, and 1t Is steadily adding to its works. It makes it's own barges and l has almost as many departments as the | Standard. I understand that the oil prices | are rising and that the value of the field | has quadrupled In the last year or so. | The whole country is now being pros- pected, with view of finding new oil | territory.
 Where Rubies Come From
 Next to coal oil, the biggest monopoly in Burma is in rubies This country pro- duces the finest of such stones and fur nshes the most of the worlds supply. The industry is in the hands of the Burma Ruby Mines comuany, which is operating in the Mogok valley about 90 miles from Mandalay There is a region there 400 feet above the sea, cov- ering from 50 to 100 square miles, which has produced more and better rubies than any other place upon each. At times 1t yields as much as a half million dollars worth of rubes year, and about 10 years ago a single stone was found weighing 77 carats, which sold for more than s100000. The fine ruby Is more valuable than diamond of the same weight. It is estl- mated that one the color of pigeons blood weighing five carats will sell for ten times the value of five-carat dia- mond. and that the price will increase