formed
in London, composed of representatives of five or six companies, who
have associated themselves together to send out a fully qualified
medical officer, who will be thoroughly conversant with every form of
tropical ailment, to take charge of the employes of the companies so
associated. This Board also proposes to build and maintain a central
hospital and convalescent home, and in other ways to promote the
welfare of the combined staffs ; and it is hoped that the results will
be satisfactory to all concerned.
We
are as yet in the very infancy of this new and promising industry,
which, if at all successful, will assuredly be to India one of the
greatest benefits it is possible to imagine. But the country will owe
its enrichment to private enterprise alone. Years ago, the attention of
Government was directed to the circumstance that the Wynaad was full of
gold-bearing reefs, but nothing was done. Beports were sent in, duly
filed, and put away. Even now, when so much English capital has been
subscribed to work these reefs, the Indian Government manifests but
little interest in what is going on. The utmost that the pressure
brought to bear on the authorities has been able to effect, has been
the establishment of a post-office at Pundalur, and a few trifling
repairs to some of the bridges in the Malabar district.
It
is a true saying that nothing succeeds like success; and we must wait
and fight against the numerous drawbacks inseparable from such a wild
