MINERALS IN CEYLON.
137
diem to the former, and 25 to
30 cents to the women. His stores and picking-houses are all
cadjan-roof (that is, roofed with coconut leaves), for the very good,
but to us novel and strange, reason that the tiles would inevitably
fall off any roof under which plumbago was stored or prepared. The dust
blown about makes everything so polished and slippery, even the roof
rafters and reepers, that tiles constantly slip off, and therefore the
only safety lies in cadjans! The process first is to wash the plumbago
in large baskets the smaller pieces and dust being afterwards spread on
an asphalte barbacue to dry. By this means the quality is easily
discovered by the practised eyes of the pickers, who separate fin much
the same way as coffee) pieces affected: by iron ore, pyrites, quartz,
or other foreign material, a small piece of which passing into a
consignment to the Battersea Crucible Works might ruin the whole lot.
Some of the pickers are furnished with iron hammers to break up
suspicious-looking pieces of the plumbago, and others again are
employed in brushing the dust off good lumps, and polishing the same
with coconut husks. There are punched sheet-iron sixers with holes of
different dimensions (Nos. 1 to 4), and accordingly large lump, small
pieces, chips and dust plumbago are now a days carefully separated. It
takes about loo expert men and women to prepare two or three tons in i day,
consequently this branch of trade must give employment to several
thousands of people for the greater part of the year. The cask-making
and packing afford further occupation: each barrel holding about 5
cwts., so t'hat some
35,000 casks all made of Horn stavess (generally deemed a useless
timber) were required for last year's shipments. The plumbago is also
carried from the mines to Colombo in barrels, which, however, are sent
back in shooks and so used repeatedly. Three men are supposed to make 8
or 10 barrels .1 day. Altogether therefore it will be seen that the
Ceylon plumbago industry is a very important one to our Sinhalese
neighbours. Mr. W. A. Fernando, whose model store is well worthy, of
inspection, sells to the European mercantile houses as much as from
1,200 to 1,800 tons per annum. In olden days he used to ship on his own
account, and he has received prices as high as £32 and £48
per ton for lump plumbago, which is now only worth ,£15. His Brownrigg
Street Store should be visited during the busy season, by all who wish
to get some idea of the importance of the Plumbago Industry of Ceylon.
Appended
arc extracts from the Annual Administration Reports of the District
Revenue Officers of the Ceylon Government containing references to
plumbago and other minerals :—
(From the Report on the Sabaraganmwa District for 1873.)
Plumbago,
which sold at 200 rupees per ton, now realizes 00 rupees; the working
expenses have considerably increased by the enhanced value of labour,
and the difficulty of procuring suitable machinery in substitution
thereof. One of the native Companies, I understand, indented for a
force pump, but when it arrived, the hose was discovered to be
one-fourth the size required by the machinery: so after pumping
unsuccessfully for a couple of days, they gave up in despair and took
to the hand-bucket system of raising water more adapted to their taste.
(From the Report on the Sabaragamuwa District /of 1874.)
Very little mining operations have been carried on during
the year on account of the scarcity of labour and low prices. Plumbago
is at present unsaleable; iron cannot be manufactured for its
marketable value; and even gems are not as plentiful as formerly. Of
the latter, only three were of any great value, and realized from 3,500
rupees to 4,000 rupees each. It is most remarkable that gems command a
higher price here than at Colombo or Galle.
On
the discovery of a good "stone," correspondents advertise it in the
local papei", and merchants from all parts of the country flock in and
bid
