HANDBOOK

OF

COMMERCIAL AND GENERAL

INFORMATION

FOR

CEYLON

COMPILED BY

L.. J. B. TURNER, M.A. ;

Of the Ceylon Civil Service;

Superintendent of Census, and Director of Statistics, Ceylon;
Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society.

COLOMBO :

H. R. COTTLE, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, CEYLON.

To be purchased at the GOVERNMENT RECORD OFFICE, Colombo, price Rs. 10.

9416-44

PREFACE.

HIS Handbook has been compiled on the instructions of the Secretary of State for the Colonies according to the recommendations made by the Committee on Colonial Blue Books and Blue Book Reports. Its intention is to supply such information regarding the local economic and trade conditions as is likely to be useful to persons both in and beyond Ceylon who are interested in the present state and the future possibilities of the country. The Handbook is also to be regarded as presenting an official statement of the resources and development of the Island.

I am indebted to so many official and unofficial authorities for assistance in the compilation that it is difficult to thank them personally, but I should like to take this opportunity of expressing my appreciation of the valuable advice and kindly assistance given by them.

All the sections have either been supplied, or carefully revised, by the Government Departments concerned. Every effort has been made to render the information as up to date and correct as possible, and it is hoped that the anachronisms and inaccuracies are reasonably few. I should be glad to be advised of any which may come to the notice of readers. The figures have in general been brought up to date to the end of 1921.

Throughout the compilation I had the advantage of the collaboration and advice of the Hon. Mr. F. A. Stockdale, Director of Agriculture, and of Mr. C. H. Collins of the Ceylon Civil Service, the value of whose assistance I can only inadequately acknowledge in this place, and I am indebted to my assistant, Mr. R. Jones-Bateman, of the Ceylon Civil Service, for final revision of the proofs, and for seeing the volume through the press.

Mr. P.. Amirthalingam, the Clerk in charge of the office work in connection with the Handbook, was of great assistance in the collection and revision of the material.

My thanks are due to the Surveyor-General for the careful attention given to the maps, diagrams, and blocks, and to the Government Printer for the excellent printing and for much latitude allowed me in keeping up the type.

The photographs were supplied by Messrs. Plâté, Ltd., Colombo.

Colombo, June, 1922.

L. J. B. TURNER, Director of Statistics and Superintendent of Census.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Page

SECTION 1.-Introduction

SUB-SECTION 1.-Geography, Geology, Trade Centres, &c.

SUB-SECTION 2.-Climate

SUB-SECTION 3.-History

1

1

5

7

SUB-SECTION 4.-Population

SUB-SECTION 5.-Labour

12

19

SECTION 7.-Short Summary of the Chief Tariff Regulations

111