VISITORS FROM CEYLON.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XLII, Issue 6064, 19 January 1914, Page 5

VISITORS FROM CEYLON.

A WORD TOR TAUKANGLV

Mr and Mrs K. J. MacKenzie, of Colombo, Ccylon, accompanied by l)r Keith, (Ali*s MacKenzie 's brother), of Auckland, arc at present visiting Tauranga and are staying at the Stai . Hotel. Mr MacKenzie is associated j with the firm of Messrs Darloy, But- | ler and Co. ; the largest firm of merchants in Ceylon, which has been established in that country l'oi about eighty years. The firm is closely associated with the development of Ceylon and owns numerous tea, cocoa and rubber plantations. Their export trade is on a very extensive scale, Mr MacKenzie being in charge of the shipping and produce departments. He is paying a health trip, combined with business, to the dominion. Mr Mackenzie informed a Times representative that Messrs Darley, Butler and Co. do a large trade with Australia and New Zealand and were actually the first exporters of cea to Australasia. The shipping trade of Colombo has increased enormously of recent years, and now amounts to about 10,000,----000 tons of through shipping per annum, the average daily arrival I being about twenty steamers. Ceylon, as well as being a great tourist resort, is wonderfully rich in products, and is singular in the fact that it has no national debt. As a result taxation and customs duties are exceedingly low in comparison with Australasia. The principal exports are tea, cocoa, rubber, eocoamit oil, copra, and other cocoanut product*, precious stones, and spices. The estimated output of tea for 11)14 is about '300,000,0001b and of rubber about 30,000 tons. Rubber at present is worth about 2s 4-d per Ib. The shipping trade of Colombo has developed considerably owing to the fact that the seaport is the most central in the East, being the port of call for steamers tr&ding from Europe to Australasia, the Straits Settlements, China, Japan, Siberia, Burma, and India, and for all steamers from India for the United States and South and East Africa. Although there are no coal mines in the island the imports of coal from Great Britain, India, South Africa, and Japan are enormous, Colombo having become one of the largest coaling stations in the world. The harbour is not a natural one. Three breakwaters have been built at heavy ex pense, and the harbo:ir can now accommodate forty to forty-five liners iti addition to numerous trading schooners. .Mr MaeKon/.ic only arrived in New Zealand <ui the 11th inst, and is paving his first visit to th<; 1 >tM!iiiii(Ui. Jle was i-harniiMl willi I In*, beautiful of the (<>wu «»l: Tanning;', and <aid H j reminded iiinj greatly of 'he. growth - jin I hi- higher si a! ions and uvnc J temperate juris of. Ceylon '{lie 1 foliage h< j.re is particularly not-i'.xa-ble and refreshing after the "brown and arid apuea.ranoo of. Australian cdu;*. " \ am of opinion," said Mr Mao Ken/.ie. "that the beauties oi: Taitran ga would be considerably enhanced if the authorities could see their way to promote tree planting along the dilVs and on some of the liUlc u^'d ;-tivHs. Tu manga is a bi;-tuiilVi! iput and Ha* '.liiii'itt; btfcins all that can be desired,