Rural Cyprus, 1920-1940 Two Factories, Two Stories to Tell
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Abstract
During the first three decades of the 20th century, the British made a substantial effort to upgrade Cyprus agriculture for export purposes. In the above context, silk and flax were of great value to Cypriots and were blooming during the period under study, yet only in the form of home industry. The present paper investigates two agricultural factories operating during the same period of time but very different in every aspect. The Flax Factory in Zodia was the creation of the Department of Agriculture and the present paper gives an overview of the course of the establishment through time and actions from 1923 to 1945. The second factory, the Cyprus Silk Filature in Yeroskipou, Paphos, was a factory established by a British company with the full support of the Cyprus colonial government. Two important aspects of the filature are under study, the working conditions and the company’s – cocoon merchant’s dispute.
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Flax, Silk, Factory, Yeroskipos Filature, Zodia mill, scutching machine
Appios V., “Memories from occupied Zodia”, Nicosia, 1999, p. 45
Aristidou Ch. and E., “ Yeroskipou, The city of sacred garden”, Yeroskipou Cultural Movement, Nicosia, 2010, p. 114
Ch. Charalambous “The law for the Co-operative Societies, 1923” Giorgos Georgis – Charalambos Charalambous (ed), The History of the Cyprus Cooperative Movement vol. B Nicosia 2017, p. 116
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Iakovides K. “The request for the establishment of the Agricultural Bank, 1878-1900”, Giorgos Georgis, The History of the Cyprus Cooperative Movement vol. A, Nicosia 2015, p. 145-174.
Kyriakides Ch. “The development of the Agricultural Bank in 1925 and the first years of Operation” Giorgos Georgis – Charalambos Charalambous (ed), The History of the Cyprus Cooperative Movement vol. B Nicosia 2017, p. 161-190
Surridge B. J., “A survey of rural life in Cyprus: based on reports of investigators who visited villages throughout the colony during 1927 and 1928 and amplified by statistical and other information from the records of the government”, Nicosia 1930, Government Printing Office, p. 42.
Tantas S., “Zodia during the old times”, Nicosia 1995, p. 53
Papers
Kyriakides Ch. “The establishment of the Agricultural Bank in Cyprus in 1906:A long term request that failed” E. Antoniou (ed), Proceedings of the 4th International Conference “Kyprologico” , Nicosia 29 April- 2 May 2008, volume C1, Nicosia 2012 p. 353-364
Persianis P., “The British Colonial Education “Lending Policy” in Cyprus (1878-1960) an Intriguing Example of an Elusive “Adapted Education” Policy”. Comparative Education, Vol 32, No. 1, March 1996 p. 55
Cyprus State Archives
SA1:887/1927
SA1:1614/1926
SA1: 724/1922
SA1:1181/1922
SA1:914/1937
SA1:1254/1922/1
SA1:1254/1922/2
SA1:1648/1930
SA1:1113/1921
SA1:1398/1928/1
SA1:671/1928
SA1:890/1923
Cyprus Research Center, Oral Tradition Archive
CRC/OTA, Registration No. 840, Nicosia, (K. Zodia 2). Testimony M. Koudouna (16-17.6.1991)
CRC/ATA, Registration No. 4427, Nicosia (K. Zodia 48). Testimony Ch. Elenides (13.3.1995)
CRC/OTA, Registration No. 2821 , Nicosia (K. Zodia 13), Testimony E. Hatziyianni (26.2.92)
Newspapers
«Cyprus Flax Society», Eleftheria, Nicosia, 15 August 1923, p.2
“Confiscation Order against the Flax Company” Neos Kypriakos Phylax, Limassol, 18.8.1926, p.4
“Specialist in Linen”, Proini, Nicosia, 14.7.1936, p. 2
“Erga ke imere tou neou kivernitou”, Neos Kypriakos Fylax, Limassol, 15.12.1926, p. 3
«From other towns, From Larnaca», Eleftheria, Limassol, 14.11.1928, p.3
3
«The cocoon issue. Do we benefit from the monopoly;», Paphos, Paphos, 29 May 1931, p. 2
«Filature», Proini, Nicosia, 17.8.1934, p.3
Other
Annual Reports of the Department of Agriculture, Colonial Annual Reports and Cyprus Gazette issues of the period 1922-1945
Interviews
Personal Interviews (Kattirzies 2019, Christodoulou 2018)
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