^HE TKOPXCAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Dec. I, 1886, 



reason why it sboulil not thrive here. The dry climate 

 is suited to ios growtli, and as the plant is tough and 

 hardy it is able to withstaud the stroug wind that 

 swoips over the s.ind. The 500 nuts plaiitrid last 

 }-ear ac; all growing well, with healthy leaves, two 

 feet and a hah' above ground. The success attend- 

 ing this attempt iuduced me to apply for 4,O00 more, 

 and tlipse v/ere planted in October and November 

 last. Tliny hive all struck roof, and will no doubt 

 appear above grouml in another month or two. The 

 successful growth of these palms is a subject for con- 

 gratul.i'iou, as no one woulii have imagined in look- 

 ing over the large expanse of .sand that it was cap- 

 able of producing anything. I have now applied to 

 Government to as.sist me \n procuring a fourth supply 

 of 20,000 nuts. These will be planted out in thick 

 belts, 100 yards wide by 200 long. The spike grass 

 planted between the belts will be rooted out as more 

 nuts are put in every year. The topes of palms will 

 in time relieve the barren appearance of the place. 

 Other experiments have been tried with the screwpine 

 and ward, both of which are growing well, specially 

 the former, which will for a pretty fringe along the 

 base of the hills. 



JAVANESE FOB QUEENSLAND. 



The following rep )rt from the Bitish Consul at 

 Batavia has been received by the Chief Secretary, 

 under date 1st September : — 



Sir, — I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of 

 your despatch, No. 862,307, of the f)th Ju'y last, ask- 

 ing for iuformition regardintf the new class of Asiatic 

 labour which is being iutro luoed into your colony 

 fro'u Java, and in reply beg to inform you : 



The natives \rho have been engaged here lately f')r 

 employment on the sugar estates of Queensland belong 

 almost entirely to the Bmtam and Suada district? of 

 this islaud, and have the reputation of being hardy, 

 strong, and well adapted for agricultural and other 

 purposes: they are willing workmen at any trade, and 

 are always ready to learn and sat their hands to any- 

 thing they are taught, altho igh rather slow at picking 

 up anything new. Their hours of work here are from 

 6 in the morning till 6 at night, wi'h an interval in 

 thi middle of the day of about two to three luurs. 

 They cannot be said to be quick workers, but are 

 very steady, and have woaderful powers of endurance. 

 Their food is very plain, consistiii'^ chiefl/ of rice, 

 fresh or dried meat or fish, and salt. With very few 

 ixcep ions, hardly any of them have ever tasted al- 

 cohol, expressing a dislike for spirits of any kind. 



They are accustomed to work in gangs under the 

 direction of their native overseers, whom they look to 

 as their masters, and whose word they attou'l to 

 more than tothit of a Europexn ; what they would 

 c;)nsider »•■ bullying from a Europem an! res-^nt as 

 euch, they wou'd take witluut the slightest demur 

 from their native headmen. 



I am iiiforn.ed that the only provisions required by 

 tba NetlierUiads Indian G ivtrnraout to secure thy wel- 

 fare and return of the emigrants, ^fter their terms 

 of ungagfraent has expire!, is a bind, given by the 

 Srm h^Td engaging the n, certifying that tht^y shall 

 he well treated whilst in Queensland and guaranteeing 

 their passage back to Java, 



I am not at present in a position to venture an 

 opi lion regifding the probability of the natives re- 

 m lining abroad after the expiration of their term 

 of engagement, but I should think the difficulty ex- 

 perienced in obtaining women to accompany them 

 would be a strong reason for their returning here 

 when they can di so. 



I havereiS.m to believe that the Netherlands la- 

 diio Goveruraent is not in favour of this kind of 

 emigration, and siiould it assume larg;r prop irtion^, 

 will probably prohibit it altogetbtr, or place such 

 obst >clo in the way as to prevent it. 



Encloseil 1 beg to hand you cr>py of a contract made 

 between a Hrm here and sme natives, who proceeded 

 i. itely to your colony, which will doubtless be of iu- 

 t-imi ti'.-»i aca, BJr, ^c, 



The contract referred to provides that the labourers 

 shall "hold themselves in readiness to embark for 

 Queensland, there to work for three years after arrival, 

 certain of them as mandoors, the others as field La- 

 bourers for and in accord mce with the instructions of 

 the other pirties to the contract, on one or mire of 

 th".ir sugar etja'-es in Qaoenslaul.'' They are obliged 

 to work ten hours a day, Sundays and other general 

 holidays e.'ccepted, A salary of twenty-five guilders 

 for every mandoor and seventeen guilders fifty cents 

 to every field labourer will be paid per mensem from 

 the date of their arrival in Q leensland. Besides, they 

 will be entitled to free board and lodging and free 

 medical attendance. The food is to consist of rice, 

 fresh or dried meat or fish, and salt. Their right to 

 wages and food is immediately forfeited in case of 

 their refusal to do the work assigned to them, only the 

 case of sickness excepted. Aid an advance on his wages 

 every appearer on the other part at the date of his 



going on board sliip at is pai I an amount equal to 



three months' wages, to be paid b ick by monthly in- 

 stalments to be retained on the said wages at the rate 

 of four guilders for every mandoor a id two guilders 

 ftftycents for every field labourer. Tiio passige from 



to Queensland, and at the expiraS in of the 



present covenant the passage home to if the ap 



pearera on the other part is to be piid for by the 

 appearer on the one part. The appearers on the 

 other part, in so far as they have not appeared at- 

 tended by their wives, may be accompanied by their 

 wives. Only free passage out and home and free 

 board will be allowed to these wives. On their per- 

 forming any work wages are to be paid them, the 

 amount of which is to be settled hereafter. Im- 

 mediately after their arrival in Q leensland the ap- 

 pearers on the other pirt are considered as having 

 submitted to the ordinance enacted m 1861, regulating 

 the connection between masters and workmen, the 

 contents of which they declare to have well under- 

 stood. — Queenslander 



THE PUEE PRODUCE COMPANY, LIMITED. 



TnK Future of Ceylon Tea, 

 From "Stocks and Shares,'' October Kith, 1886. 



" As an illustration of the position which Ceylon Tea 

 is occupying in the London market, it may be intereSu- 

 ing to note that only so far back as 1880, when atten- 

 tion was being practically drawn to this new industry 

 of Tea cultivation in Ceyloa, the production that year 

 was about llo,0001b, and this has goue on rapidly 

 increasing to 7,000,000 of lb. in 1885-6 ; and the estim- 

 ates for the next twelve months promise to reach 

 I'J.OOa.OOO of lb., and so on till in 1839 90 the pros- 

 pects indicate some 33,030,000. 



'' The imports of China Tea into London during the 

 past fiv.i years have uniformly averaged about 

 HO,O0O,OJ0 of lb , md from India there have been about 

 (30 to 70,0jO,O00, thu-! showing that while these two 

 s lurces of supp'y exhibit no fui'ther development, that 

 of Ceyloa stan i.s onspic lously forward as the channel 

 whence wa niiy derive the extra supplies to provide for 

 the incfeasod con.^jniption goiu? on in this country, 

 and which at preaent averages 5 lb. per head. 



" From all accounts, too, Ceylon Teas seeiu to possess 

 qualities specially attractive, and if they could be 

 pUced before consumers at prices free from the heavy 

 burden of excessive retail profits, which, from what we 

 road an 1 hfir, amount to something like 8d. and la. 

 per lb., they will no doubt enter largely into consump- 

 tion, uum x^d with Chinese and Indian. 



" Profits like these of about £300,000 on 7,00(^,0)0 lb, 



of Tei., the value of which duty paid at, say 2s 6d. per lb. 



is £8,0,000, seems a large percentage. There can be no 



I question, therefore^ that any commercial enterprise hav 



j ing for its object the systematic development of the 



I Ceylon trade cannot fail to prove highly remunerative. 



We commend this idea to Minciig Lane." 



The above article, which appears in " Stocks an I 

 Shares," contains in its remarks so clearly the nature 

 of the bu-iuess which the " Ceylou Pure Produce 

 Com^avj" iatyufj ti? cayr^' v'ut, t!jat Ibej- take Ibv 



