Feb. I, 1887.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



525 



today by Americans for mixing purpases, but 

 that in no way assists in the introduction of your 

 produce into America. It merely aids in placing 

 the rubbishy Japan teas o« a higher level. Is 

 this the end for which you work? Be assured of 

 this, proprietor, (and you can jjlace this letter 

 in a safe place for reference about three years 

 hence) that should you find prices go down in 

 England, you will have considerable difficulty in 

 disposing of your produce profitably when you find 

 that you are obliged to sell your tea, unintroduced 

 to the consumer, in the open American market or 

 sell as best you can in Mincing Lane. 



Unless Ceylon tea is very soon placed before 

 the American people as a spccialtg ; unless the 

 taste of the American people is educated to it, and 

 thereby a demand for it created, it will yet have 

 to play second fiddle to Indian tea as a medium 

 for mixing, and share with it the honour of rais- 

 ing Japan tea to a higher standard and securing 

 for it the monopoly in the country. We have 

 considered the fate of Indian tea, as also the 

 probable fate of our Ceylon teas in this country. 

 If I am right in what I say, it behoves us to 

 consider how best to avoid such a fate for the 

 produce in which we are all so deeply interested. 

 My ideas and opinions have already appeared in 

 your columns, and I fear I must repeat myself 

 to a certain extent ; — 



First. — Interested agents must be appointed in 

 America, whose business will be to sell pure Ceylon 

 tea in registered packets only. 



Why interested agents? Because no tea-dealer 

 in America would undertake to push a tea which 

 affords him less profit than the tea he deals in. 

 The profits on Japan teas are larger than can 

 be made on Ceylons. Why should the jobber 

 disorganize his usual trade to please the Ceylon 

 producer ? It would entail talk, trouble and energy 

 to no profitable end. His trade would be less, his 

 profits would not and could not be increased one 

 whit. On the contrary, they would be diminished. 



Second. — The Syndicate, if formed at all, must 

 provide itself with a certain amount of capital like 

 any other business ; and, moreover, it must be so 

 organized that tea can be collected when called 

 for, bulked, sifted, packed and dispatched at regular 

 intervals, and in such quantities as may be de- 

 manded by the consignees. Any Syndicate formed 

 on a basis of a less business-like nature will, to 

 my mind, prove a failure if indeed anyone xould 

 be found on this side to take it up at alH It 

 remains for the planting community to decide what 

 they are to do in the matter. Personally, I have 

 no pecuniary interest in the result as Mr. Pineo 

 and myself have arranged to work on an independ- 

 ent basis. I do not mean to infer that we would 

 not be willing to farther the, scheme. Nay, even 

 devote our entire energies to further the ends of 

 the Ceylon Tea Syndicate, but we could only do 

 so on such terms as would prove remunerative to 

 us as well as a reliable business to undertake, 



That we could serve the interests of our own 

 brand simultaneously with those of the Syndicate 

 teas is impossible. 



On the other hand we would be willing to lend, so 

 to speak, the entire privilege of using our brand 

 free of any charge, we ourselves looking for remu- 

 neration which will accrue from the advertisement of 

 the same, and the benefit we derive therefrom when 

 the Syndicate shall have ceased to exist. 



Our brand I may say has been got up at consider- 

 able expense. The trade mark is a representation of 

 the ubiquitous " Kootco " plucking a tea bush. 



Let me here say that this subject was selected by 

 Mr. Pineo some eighteen months ago and acted upon 

 liQme s'u months back, so thut there has been uo 



piratical actio 1 in the matter. Neither party can be 

 effected in any way by the coincidence, so there is 

 no call for regret. As a guarantee that no loss will 

 be sustained by the members of the Syndicate, we 

 are willing to pay 10 per cent over the London 

 valuation of tea consigned to us provided : — 



First. — That the valuators be nominated with the 

 common consent of both parties. 



Second. — That the charges on such valuation be 

 paid by the Syndicate. 



Third. — That freight and all shipping charges to 

 Philadelphia be pre-paid. 



Fourth. — -That the members of the Syndicate agree 

 to wait for returns for each consignment until such 

 consignment be sold out. 



Fifth. — That we have the Sole Agency in America, 

 with power to appoint sub-Agents wherever we may 

 deem it advisable. 



Sixth. — That the Syndicate guarantee to provide 

 us with tea at regular intervals in such qualities as 

 may be required by us, and that the quality of the 

 same be kept up to their original standard. 



We on the other hand agree to protect in 

 every way the tea consigned to us. To push the 

 sales of the same in our registered packets 

 through our own retail trade, and that 

 of all respectable grocers in the United States 

 and Canada. To expedite in every way the sale 

 of your tea, and pay in full the value of the 

 same with the addition of 10 per cent on the 

 valuation, on each consignment being disposed of 



In conclusi on let me add, that we know our. 

 selves to be in a position, by the foregoing means, 

 to dispose of almost an unlimited amount of 

 Ceylon tea, and that the extent of business done will 

 only be limited by the members of the Syndicate them- 

 selves. At the same time the aforesaid provisions 

 would have to be rigorously enforced, especially 

 Prov. No. 6, as any shortcoming on the part of 

 the Syndicate would be a deathblow to the success 

 of the undertaking. 



I have already given you reasons why, with the ex- 

 ception of ourselves, no one will take in hand to 

 push your interests. In corroboration of the asser- 

 tion let me quote the expression of the principals 

 of the well-known firm of Acker, Merril & Condit, 

 when conversing with Mr. Pineo : — " We would not 

 be bothered, or try to introduce Ceylon tea ; nor 

 would we even look at it unless a demand was created. 

 Then, and then only would we handle it." In 

 making the foregoing proposal to the members of the 

 Syndicate, we are influenced not so much by the 

 expectation of great pecuniary remuneration at 

 first, but by a strong desire that Ceylon tea should 

 be properly introduced into America ; that it 

 should be placed in the position of standing 

 on its own merits and cventuallij, prove as it 

 must if properly treated, remunerative to all who 

 handle it and ultimately take its place as the 

 nonpareil tea of the world ! The teas required 

 here would be of three grades (1) a Pekoe about 

 Is 5d to Is. 6d, (2) a Pekoe Souchong about Is. Id* 

 to Is. 2d. and (3) a Souchong about lOd. to lid. 

 London valuation. All teas would have to be shipped 

 to Philadelphia until further notice. It may 

 not be generally known that our fine jjlantation 

 coffee has yet to be introduced into America. 

 Grocery are very much struck with the very regular 

 and handsome appearance of the same when a 

 sample is shewn them. We would like to have the 

 assistance of the Syndicate in this line also, aa 

 we are sure we could do good business in it. 



The matter may now be left in the hands of 

 the Syndicate for consideration.— Yours faithfully, 

 J. McCOMBIE MUBRAY. 



P. iS'.— I enclose a table shewing how every mem- 

 ber ol tho 3yadic»t@ Qm get bis due according to 



