Chapter 6: Trade, economy and Transport in the Kingdom
Trade has always been and still continues to be the backbone on which Cochin stands
The trade that Cochin had could be classified in to two broad categories
Sea trade and inland trade
Cochin was a major trading state and a majority of its trade was routed through the Port at Mattancherry British Cochin the total value of import and export is as follows
Import
Export
Surplus
239.3,00,000
298.5,00,000
59.2,00,000
(Special note: the base data is that of 1908-1909)
A further breakdown of the Import export trade is also provided below
Note: pepper and tea where enter ported through Cochin and was wholly produced in the state of Travancore hence not included in this graph
The export intensive economy was supported by a vast array of industries
Cochin was a center of cotton based weaving it was a hereditary work of the Chadians kikolans and chetans caste in 1910 it was noted that the Industry supported a total of 31000 persons and type of loom used was the traditional pit loom the first major modern weaving factory was the Pushpagiri Spinning and Weaving Mill” which was established in Thrissur as a limited liability company but the supply was limited to a few in and around Cochin province it was established with a working capital of 1.2,00,000 Rest a further grant of Rs 20,000 was provided by the durbar for the companies’ expansion
The coconut processing industry was another important industry of the state
Both its fiber and oil remained a major export item for cochin major export items coconut fiber and its allied product was bought and sold mostly in cochin it expanded rapidly in the 1908-1910 period compared the doubling the states revenue related to the sector from 80.4 lacs to 175.4 lacs
Timber was another major Industry with an average of 66,000 candies of wood was felled along with 10,000 tons of fire wood and 3,00,000 bamboos The inception of the Timber Industry of Thrissur dates back to the year 1905.
That was the year when the first saw mill was founded. The main objective was to transform the logs of hard wood and teak into slabs of various sizes. The timber is brought from the Chalakudy and Trichur forests. These two places are the most important timber marts in Thrissur and the state as well. these were taken to the Thrissur taluk as it was the center of the timber trade as the bigger wooden mills were situated in Thrissur and there was also a smaller mill operated by the Aspin wall company in the fort area of cochin
In terms of transport Cochin was much akin to Venice in that the lion’s share of the travel was conduted though canals and rivers in Cochin the longest and main cannel was the one that linked the southern frontiers of the state with the city of Thrissur
Major development work was taken up during the time of Diwan T. Sankara Warrier and T. Sankunni Menon respectively it was during that time that the tiara to kundanur canal was built bringing the twon of Tripunnithura in to the system but with the laying of the railways in cochin and the advent of motorable roads the canals lost their significance today the canals are once again looked up on as cheap and easy way of transport the fares on the cochin canal system was maintained by the Durbar with 100 boat fleet on the frontiers the boat services were managed jointly by Cochin and the Malabar district and cochin and Travancore respectively the revenue generated was to the tune of 200,000 Rupees annually
In 1910 the total network in the state was 485 miles of which 435 miles were metaled the rest were UN metaled
Was placed under a special department with a bigotry outlay of Rs80, 000 by the durbar annually
The cochin state railway was a meter gauge line that stretched from Ernakulum till shornur was taken up by the madras government in 1899the line had a total of length of 56 miles of which 18 miles passed through Travancore the main terminus was located at the Ernakulum
Built by the Maharaja Rama Varma XV of Kochi. Great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Irwin Viceroy have visited Cochin through this old majestic railway station it was operated by the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway
. The bridge was the first to ford the river that obstructed passage between Malabar and the southern states of Cochin/Travancore. The first freight train passed over the bridge on 2nd June 1902 and a few days later on the 16th the line opened to passenger traffic
Perumanoor and Mattancherry were two halt stations on the Ernakulam-Cochin Harbour Terminus (CHT) railhead. CHT, located in Willingdon Island, was strategically important for its proximity to the Cochin Port. In fact, this station was built mainly to handle cargo from the Cochin harbour. As it is said, no port is complete without a railway line. The CHT, just a few yards away from the quays, was the starting point of many important passenger trains and was easily accessible for the residents of West Kochi.
Cochin Harbour Terminus railway station was built mainly for handling the cargo from Cochin Harbour .A port is never complete without a railway line. Earlier the trains came only up till the Ernakulam Terminus. The station had a meter gauge line to Shornur. This had to be converted to broad gauge to connect it to rest of India. The new broad gauge line would pass through Ernakulam into Willingdon Island. Many different routes were studied and new stations were planned, and built along the way. These were Ernakulam Town, Ernakulam Jn, Perumanoor (non-existent), Mattancherry Halt and finally, Cochin Harbour Terminus. More than the passenger traffic, freight traffic was anticipated .The huge Venduruthy Bridge had to be built to connect Willingdon Island with the mainland. The road bridge across Vembanad Lake was sanctioned and the engineers submitted their plan for a rail bridge alongside the road bridge and it was approved in 1936. Construction work started almost immediately and was completed in 1938.Till the development of CHT trains came only up to the Ernakulam Terminus that operated a meter gauge line to Shornur. When this was converted to broad gauge the line passed through Ernakulam to Willingdon Island. Many routes were planned, studies undertaken, new stations — Ernakulam Town, Ernakulam Junction, Perumanoor, Mattancherry Halt and CHT — built along the route. Anticipating freight traffic the Venduruthy Bridge was constructed linking Willingdon Island to the mainland.
Passenger trains became operational on this route from 1943 with the introduction of the Cochin-Shornur passenger. The introduction of the Madras-Cochin Express in 1944 elevated the status of CHT. The Tea Garden Express and Island Express, named after Willingdon Island, enhanced the significance of this route. In the course of two decades many more trains chugged through this route, passing and stopping at Perumanoor. In fact, at its peak of operation 16 trains started from CHT and plied this line.
The traditional port was near Mattancherry (which still continues as Mattancherry Wharf).
The need of a modern port was first felt by Lord Willingdon during his governorship of Madras Province of British India. The opening of the Suez Canal made several ships pass near the west coast and he felt the necessity of modern port in the southern part. He selected the newly joined Sir Robert Bristow who was a leading British harbor engineer with extensive experience with maintenance of the Suez Canal. Bristow took the charge of chief engineer of Kochi Kingdom's Port Department in 1920. Ever since then, he and his team were actively involved in making a Greenfield port. After studying the sea currents, observing tidal conditions and conducting experiments, he was convinced about the feasibility of developing Kochi. He believed that Kochi could become the safest harbour if the ships entered the inner channel.
The challenge before the engineers was a rock-like sandbar that stood across the opening of the Kochi backwaters into the sea. It was a formidable ridge of heavy and densely packed sand that prevented the entry of all ships requiring more than eight or nine feet of water. It was thought that the removal of the sandbar was a technical impossibility. The potential consequence on the environment was beyond estimation. The harm could be anything like the destruction of the Vypin foreshore or the destruction of the Vembanad Lake.
Bristow, after a detailed study, concluded that such data was history. He addressed the immediate problem of erosion of the Vypin foreshore by building of rubble granite groins nearly parallel with the shores and overlapping each other. The groins first produced an automatic reclamation which naturally protected the shore from the monsoon seas. Confident at the initial success, Bristow planned out a detailed proposal of reclaiming part of the backwaters at a cost of ₹25 million (US$390,000). An ad-hoc committee appointed by the Madras government examined and approved the plans submitted by Bristow.
The construction of the dredger 'Lord Willingdon' was completed in 1925. It arrived at Kochi in May 1926. It was estimated that the dredger had to be put to use for at least 20 hours a day for the next two years. The dredged sand was used to create a new island to house Cochin Port and other trade-related establishments. Around 3.2 km² of land was reclaimed in the dredging. The strong determination of Sir Bristow and his team was successful when the large steamship SS Padma, sailed into the newly constructed inner harbour of Kochi. Speaking to the BBC on that day, Bristow proudly proclaimed his achievements with the following words: "I live on a large Island made from the bottom of the sea. It is called Willingdon Island, after the present Viceroy of India. From the upper floor of my house, I look down on the finest harbour in the East."[3] The Willingdon Island was artificially created with the mud sledged out for the harbour construction.
In 1932, the Maritime Board of British India declared the Port of Cochin as a major port. The port was opened to all vessels up to 30 feet draught. During the World War II, the port was taken over by the Royal Navy to accommodate military cruisers and war ships. It was returned to civil authorities on 19 May 1945. After Independence, the port was taken over by the government of India. In 1964, the administration of the port got vested in a Board of Trustees under the Major Port Trusts Act. The port was listed as one of the 12 major ports of India. The strategic importance of Cochin during the World Wars was an immediate reason for the construction of the harbour.