Northern Province. ( 139 ) The Northern Province has two lines of rail and road, the North line to Jaffna and the Talaimannar line from Mada. wachchi. As the greater part of this Province lies in the dry or comparatively dry zone, there is little cultivation and a small amount of traffic, the only main roads in the southern part of the Province being that from Mankulam to Mullaittivu, and a road west from Vavuniya. The peninsula of Jaffna is, however, highly cultivated, and is covered with a network of roads leading from Jaffna Town all over the peninsula. The distances from Colombo to other chief towns by road (given to nearest half mile) are shown in the following list :— Motor Cars. An increasingly popular means of passenger transport by road is the motor vehicle, there being about 3,500 motor cars in Ceylon in 1921. In 1921 about 1,410,921 gallons of petrol were imported, and the cost to the consumer varied from Re. 1.65 to Rs. 2.70 per gallon, according to length of contract and place of supply. The average cost of running a small private car may be put at about 30 to 40 cents per mile, inclusive of driver's salary, while larger cars may cost up to 60 cents per mile. The map shows the principal roads fit for motor car traffic, and it will be seen that practically every place of any importance is situated on one of them. Large numbers of generally reliable cars are available ( 140 ) for hiring, and may be engaged at 50 cents to Re. 1 per mile. Drivers and mechanics for privately-owned cars can be obtained without any great difficulty, but care should be taken to engage only drivers well recommended by the Automobile Club of Ceylon or by residents. All drivers must have the Government driving license, while many hold certificates from the Automobile Club of Ceylon, which form good recommendations. Numerous facilities for repairs exist in Colombo, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, and in most of the other towns, but some discrimination may be necessary. The Secretary of the Automobile Club in Ceylon will readily afford any information which may be desired. For the small expenditure of Rs. 15-the fee for membership of the Club-numerous advantages are to be obtained. The index marks for the location of the place of registration of motor cars are shown in the following list :— (141 The only street tramways in Ceylon are those in the town of Colombo, the total length of double track being 7 miles. There Tramways. are two nearly equal routes, one between the Fort and the Kelani river terminus, and one between the Fort and Borella, joined by a cross line between Maradana and Grandpass vid Skinner's road and Armour street. The total number of passengers carried annually is estimated at about 13 millions. From the following railway heads public conveyances ply regularly to the termini noted against them, halting at places of Coach Services. importance on the way. They usually run once on each way daily. Excepting the motor buses that run between Anuradhapura and Trincomalee, and Bandarawela and Badulla under the management of the Ceylon Government, the coach services are generally managed by Government contractors for the transmission of the Royal Mail. There is seating accommodation for 8 to 16 persons in a motor bus, 7 to 9 in a horse coach, and 8 to 13 in a bullock coach. Personal luggage of small dimensions and little weight will be carried free of charge. Extra luggage will be carried only if there is room in the conveyances on payment of the prescribed charges. A list of coach services, which carry mails, is given below. In addition, a few private services are run: Goods. ( 142 ) The chief means of transport of goods by road are the local bullock cart and the motor lorry. A double bullock cart is capable of taking 1 tons at a time, and travels at the average rate of about 2 miles an hour. The cost per ton per mile may be put at about 80 cents. There are about 39,000 single and double bullock carts in Ceylon, the majority of which are used in the transportation of village produce. Motor lorries are gradually replacing bullock carts in the movement of estates goods, and in other industries. These vary in load capacity from 1 to 3 tons and travel about 8 miles an hour, this being the legal speed limit for such vehicles. They run on petrol or kerosine. In 1921 there were about 300 motor lorries in Ceylon. Experience has shown that excluding profit the running costs can be kept as low as 50 cents per ton mile. Sub-section 3.-Canals. These works are confined to the Western, Northern, and NorthWestern Provinces. The total length of navigable canals is 153.02 miles, viz., 50.27 miles in the Western Province, 40 75 miles in the Northern, and 62 miles in the North-Western. A list of canals in Ceylon is given below: 1 |