Native  Agricultural and Manufacturing  Interests. 49



 diture in   this  north-central  region—an  expenditure.

 continued  by Governor Longden,  and to  a  still  more

 marked degree by Governor Gordon, who entered on very

 large and important works  in restoring the Kalawewa and

 Yodi-ella^ Irrigation tanks and  channels.  The formation

 of a permanent Irrigation Board  for the colony, with a

 settled income in a proportion of the land  revenue, was

 another step of the present governor in the interests of

 rice  culture, commendable so long as the Paddy tax was

 continued ;  but utterly indefensible  in the form adopted

 by Governor Havelock, who having no land revenue,  takes

 his Irrigation  votes out of the Customs duty paid chiefly

 by  townspeople  and   plantation coolies.   The  amount

 expended on  Irrigation  Works  during the twenty-three

 years, 1867 to  1890, the. end of Sir Arthur Gordon's  term

 of government, is as follows:—



         Spent on Irrigation Works by Governors.

          Sir H. Bobinson   1867-71     R630,921.

          Sir W. Gregory    1872-77    Rl,650,944.

          Sir J. Longden    1878-83     Rl,379,947.

          Sir A. Gordon     1884-90     R3,200,000.

             Total in 23 years           R6,861,812



 Latterly, Governor Gordon expended all the net proceeds

 of the Paddy rent  or tax on Irrigation Works.   Special

 encouragement to other branches of agriculture in certain

 districts would do much good; but as yet Government

 and its revenue officers have not even established district

 Agricultural Shows  for produce and stock, with suitable

 prizes.

  The  effect of the liberal policy  above described,  of

 successive  governors,  from Sir  Henry Ward  on  to Sir

Arthur Gordon, has undoubtedly been to bring a far larger

area  under   grain  cultivation  now  than was  the  case

at  the beginning  of  the century but  it is impossible,

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