Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-08-14

~ pOndence to The Bee. - have
had chat with one of the most
progressive millonaires of the
FStGHtSH Asatic continent. I refer to d.
S8NsNkY j. Tata, the head of the rich
Tata family, which owns the Tai Maha at
Bombay the biggest hotel Of the far east
which holds the majority of stock in the
largest cotton mills of India, and which is
about starting a steel and iron industry
here in Hindustan which may make them
the Carnegies Of Asia.
Have you ever heard of the Tatas? Their
family is to Hindustan what the Mltsuis
are to Japan the Rothschlds to Europe
OF the Vanderbilts and Astors to the United
States. 1t is a family of millionaires which
makes its money breed like Australian rab-
bits and whose every touch turns all things
20 gold.
1t is one of the oldest families Of history
1t comes from the rich sect of fire wor-
shippers known as Parsees. Its ancestors
were priests of that religion and they are
supposed to have descended from the kings
of Persia. The Tatas were driven out of
Persia with the other Parsees and they
settled ON the coast above Bombay. BY
ana vs. they drfted away from the priest
hood and went into trade. The great
grandfather of the present heads of the
family was a government contractor at
the tine OF our civil war. He made and
lost several fortunes and gave hundreds
OF thousands Of rupees to the support of
his faith
Jamsetjee Nusserwanjee Tata, this mans
son, came to Bombay a boy and engaged
in general trading. He made money and
invested in cotton mills and later
tabnshed a spinning and weaving industry
which has revolutionized that business in
India. He established mills not only at
Bombay, but in different parts of the in
terror and handled them Well that the
stockholders got the average 20 per
cent q year we'll stock dividends
worth millions. In one mill he paid back
In profits more than thirteen times the
original capital and he founded other en-
terprises equally as good. The man be-
came a multmillionaire and when he died
he had interests in all parts of India as
well as in England and in China, Japan
and other countries Of the far east.
j. n. Tata introduced all sorts of mod
ern inventions into the cotton industry. He
believed in throwing old machinery on the
scrap heap, and he had everything up-to-
date. 1t was to benefit Indian travellers
that he founded the Tai Mahal hotel at
cost of one or two millions. and he had
his own steamers to fight the sEeat liners,
which were charging high freight rates
lie was a charitable millionaire. He gave
away great sums to the church and he es-
tablished the Tata Research institute at
Bangalore, for the education Of Parsee
young men.
One of the big schemes of this man was
TO utilize the rivers of the hills back of
Bombay to generate electricity for the cot
ton mills ThiS is now being done by the
building of great dams across the necks
Of three valleys, thus making reservoirs
with surface area of 5000 acres, and a
storage capacity of 5000 100000 cubic feet.
The power will be conducted to Bombay
distance of forty-three miles, by over
head wires.
More important than all the above are
the plans of the elder Tata for steel
and iron industry for Hindustan l first
heard Of them through the vlceroy's min
lister of commerce and industry at Calcutta,
and have learned more from ID. j. Tata,
the son of J. n. Tata. here at Bombay.
met Mr. Tata In his office and we talked
for an hour about these steel works They
have been started with capital OF $780,
OO0 and are already well under way. They
are situated about $50 miles from Calcutta
and not far from great beds of iron and
coal American managers metalurgists
and engineers have been employed and the
enterprise Is DelnB pusneu Tor all II Is
worth The company has made a contract
with the government to take 10000 tons of
steel rails per annum for term of ten
years and the officials have also agreed
TO build a railroad for them at a cost of
S2.000000 TO carry their ore TO the mills.
Mr.. Tata SAYS that the company will prob
ably pay dividends within four or five
years He thinks the profits will be at
least 10 per cent and that the business Will
steadily grow. lie tells me the plant will
consist Of two blast furnaces. six open
hearth basic steel furnaces of forty tons
each. three merchant bar mills and bloom
ing and rail mills, 1t will produce 10000
tons OF pig iron and 1900 tons Of finished
steel per year
IL these works succeed they will be the
beginning OF an industry which may run
high into the millions. India IS already
importing something like $25,OtJ,OC0 worth
OF IRON and steel II annually takes 3d.
100000 worth OF railway steel and rolling
stock as well as machinery and hardware
TO the amount of SsO,OOO,0OO more. The gov
eminent demands are enormous, Its rail-
ways are longer than those Of the United
Kingdom. ana IL has eighty-seven railway
shops. whose average force is 1000 hands
1t has arsenals ami dockyards employing
$500 men, and it imports great quantities
OF such materials as these works demand
In addition to this, factories and mills are
now sprnEing up over India. and they all
need machinery. There are almost 900
cotton mills. well jute mills. sugar
mills and foundres making iron and brass
q AT present Great Britain is monopoliMng
the importAtions. II ships about all the
machinery and mill work. the most OF the
railway materials and the greater part OF
the iron and steel IL India can make It's
own goods OF this kind IL viii result in