The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-11-12

] tIldl ucNClOpHlclll H"a wv" WV -
the surprises OF the war, Her ac
complishments during the last lou
wears have astonishcd those whit
! with indifferent success have loni
advocated changes i'll processes o
manufacture habitual to the East
and the extension OF her act!vitie
beyond agricultural limits. The,
have vitalized the possibilities tina
lie in the application OF moderi
methods to great natural resource
by a population exceeding that o
any other country except China.
The war greatly curtailed impor
tations of manufactured goods from
the United Kingdom, and stoppc
altogether those from Germany
and Austria Hungary. Meanwhile
India's needs were largely increased
because OF the call made upon hel
bv the mother country for supplies
OF every kind. The extent OF hei
contribution will not be known un-
til the war is over, but there are in
timations that it has not been less
satisfactory than her very subStan-
tial war loan and her investment i'll
vestment in British Treasury notes
Even before the war there was i
marked tendency toward CONNER
cial and industrial development, but
war conditions have given increased
force and directneSS to the move
ment. The British government has
! recognized this fact, and, As result
Of the Investigations OF the com
mittee on Commercial and indus
trial policy after the war, an India
trade commissioner is to have OF
iices in London, from which fur
ther industrial expansion in India
will be promoted. Ultimately there
will be show rooms for Indian prod
ucts and manufactures so that buy
ers from all countries may see at
first hand what is being accom-
plished.
Progress of Industrial Expansion.
The ability and readiness OF India
to help forward this industrial ex-
pansion is indicated in the number
of enterprises started since the war
began. This movement became so
marked as to induce the govern
ment to increase last March the re-
strictions on flotations which had
been provided in the Indian Com
panies Act of 1918. This act became
effective April /, 1914, and in antic-
ipation of it there were an unusual
number of flotations during the fis-
cal year l9l5-19l4, so that-the rec
ord for the year 19l7-l9lS shows I
decrease of p per cent in the num-
Der OF new companies, if 'compari-
son is made with the pre-war year.
Ii the comparison is confined to
the war years the steady progress
made is more clearly shown. In
l9l4-l9l5 there were organized ll2
companies with an aggregate au-
thorized capital OF RS 4,43,20,000, or
about $15,477, ,40S, and an average
authorized capital OF RS. $4,000,
or about $l2S,4o2. The number of
new companies formed in l9l5-l6
was 157; in 1916-17, 1874, and in
l9l7-lS, 27S. The aggregate author
lied capital for the 27S companies
was RS, 3057.930O0, or about 500
l99,2 ,249, and the average authorized
capital per company was Rs. ll,00,-
600, or about $356,S40. Not only
was there very heavy increase each
year in the number OF new indus
trial organizations founded, but
there was also an increase in the
average size OF the organizations.
The total number of companies
registered during the four war years
is I05 with total authorized cap
ital of Rs. 59,H, $1,000, or about
Sl92,95l,060. In addition to these
investments in new companies there
were OF course a very great num-
Der of extensions of existing COM
panies.
Hides and Skins.
One OF the first OF her industries
to which India turned with the idea
OF development after the war began
was the tanning OF hides. During
l9l3-14 India exported l,632,000
hundrcdweight of hides and skins,
totalling in value $l3,7S4,S15. Ger.
many took 3SS,409 hundredweight
of raw hides, valued at $993,414,
aud . -Ql J,ra;,rl,. - -,,,.