The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-12-06
NEW.|NDUSTRIAL
BOOM OPENING
BRITISH india
Vast Natural Resources Of
That Country About to
Be Developed.


Sirnla, India, Dec. 6.-India is on
the threshold Of new Industrial era,
according to the opinion expressed
generally by Indian and British bust
ness men and officials. This country,
with it's vast natural resources, is now
in a comparatively undeveloped state
industrially, but a great wave OF SEN
timent in favor Of instituting measures
to insure immediate and substantial
progress along this line appears to be
sweeping the nation.
A concrete indication Of the recogni-
ton of this feeling may be seen in the
recent appointment by the government
Of an Indian Industrial Commission,
made up of prominent British and In
dian experts, who are about to start
out from Simla on a countrywide tour
for the purpose Of investigating In
dustrial possibilities and making re-
port upon which the government can
inaugurate measures that will enable
India to meet trade conditions after
the war. In appointing this commits
sion the government announced that 1t
believed the time had come to take up
in a more comprehensive manner the
question of the development of Indian
industries and manufactures, and ex-
pressed sympathy with the eager de-
lire of a large number of the people
for advancement.
Several reasons are assigned for the
seemingly sudden arousal of India
from the lethargy which, has acted as
a damper to progress industrially thus
far. The principal causes named are
these: r rs .
India to-day is more prosperous
than ever before in it's history, and.
money is plentiful, This is due large
ly to the fact that the last four mon
soon seasons, upon which the all i'm
portant crops depend, have been good.
The war also has played an impor-
For one thing it has taught the people
Of India the importance of the world
outside of their own country. The
vast bulk of the population is tlliterate,
and many for the first time are begin
ming to get an idea of geography, to
learn that India is not the hub Of the
universe and that the world is filled
with great nations which depend upon
industry and trade for their power.
They also have seen that many of the
necessities and luxuries which they
were wont to get from other countries
and which might have been produced
at home, have been cut off by the war.
Finally, Industrial education, which
has been increasing slowly but stead
lily, has had its effect. Years of Ia
Dor in the various industrial schools
appear now to be bearing considerable
fruit,
The efforts of the Government in
the past to build up new industries
have disclosed the existence of many
difficulties. Indian capital has been
un-enterprising and tinid, skilled la
Dor has been lacking, and there has
been a want Of practical information
regarding the commercial potential
tiles of midas raw products. AS
result there are only two manufactur-
ing industries Of any magnitude. They
are jute and cotton.
Outside these two businesses the
country has depended almost entirely
on foreign nations or other parts Of
the British Empire for it's manufac-
tured goods. Huge quantities Of raw
materials Of almost every description
have been exported annually and many
Of them have reappeared on the In
dian markets in the manufactured
form. The same ships which have
brought in leather, oils, paper, iron
and steel goods, dyes and various other
products, have reloaded with the raw
materials from which these very things
were made.
Industrial experts say that the In
dian consumer probably has bought
his goods as cheaply in most cases
as he could If they had been manu-
featured at home, but that India has
sacrificed the financial gain and other
advantages accruing to = the country
which has it's own factories. For one
thing, the producer of raw materials,
having no alternative market, has been
forced to accept the prices quoted him
from abroad, and many times the fig
ures have been excessively low. It
is held that the establishment Of a
home market would protect him
against such losses. The Indian
working man, too, has suffered in that
the higher wages which might have
been coming to him have been going
into the pockets of foreign artisans.
Outside the actual monetary question
great stress is being laid on the ma
tional stability derived by the nation
which has it's working classes profit
ably employed.
The commission which has been ap-
pointed to investigate this great prob
lem is made up of ten experts, headed
by Sir Thomas Holland, President Of
the Institution of N ming Engineers of
the United Kingdom and widely known
as an Industrial authority. The
scope of inquiry is so comprehensive
that it will take several months to
complete the program laid out. In
main the commission will prepare it /