|WME T, t8S6.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



841 



TEA INVESTMENTS :— CEYLON VERSUS 

 ASSAM. 



A correspondent interested in Ceylon writes to U3 

 that he lately met at home a {gentleman who 

 has extensive interests in tei planting in Assam, 

 witli whom he discussed the relative position of the 

 Indian and our island districts in re~poct to the 

 prospect the former affords of successful competition 

 in the matter of tea-growing. As regards quality, 

 there appears to be no doubt but that Assam — at 

 least on certain gardens — is fully able to hold her 

 own ; but it was acknowledged by the authority 

 referred to that the good cjualities, and, in fact, 

 the present average of tea crops of Assam can 

 only be produced at such a cost that Ceylon teas 

 must ultimately oust a large proportion of them from 

 the London market. Indeed he seemed to tliiuk 

 that as a paj-ing industry, tea planting in Assam 

 must in a few years, begin to go down before the 

 increasing and more cheaply produced crops of 

 Ceylon, and he talked of investing in this colony 

 so as to be prepared for the evil days which he 

 foresees. It may be that this is a rather pessimist 

 view to hold ; but it is evidently shared by many 

 who are engaged in tea planting in the Nortiieru 

 districts of India. As we have often said, the 

 greatest praise of the tea districts of Ceylon and of 

 their probable future has come to us from the mouths 

 of visitors who are acquainted with "tea" in India. 



In support of the opinions so formed, our visitors 

 generally refer to the advantages possessed by 

 Ceylon. They assert that the more equable distribu- 

 tion of rainfall which this island enjoys is not 

 alone more favourable to the growth of the plant 

 and the development of its leaf, but must enable 

 more frequently pluckings to be made, and that 

 too at seasons when the leaf is in its most approved 

 condition. Secondly, they advert to the great 

 advantage available to Ceylon planters in its labour 

 supply. One authority declares Assam quite unable 

 to compete with Ceylon in this particular, and 

 he can see no hope of the adverse balance being 

 redressed in the future. Equally despondent was 

 the view expressed by tliis same Indian tea pro- 

 prietor as to the relative transport facilities possessed 

 by the two countries from the tea-growing gardens 

 to the port of shipment. Others again there are 

 who attach much importance to the special reput- 

 ation for activity, intelligence, shrewdness and care 

 which murk the nijiss of the Ceylon planters : the 

 way in which they rub against and emulate each 

 other— in striking contrast with the isolation and 

 somnolence of most of their Indian brethren. 

 Taking all these things into consideration, one 

 authority after another con see no hope (as they 

 maintain) of any escape by the districts thty are 

 interested in from the final consummation of the 

 fears above expressed. 



Now there can be no hesitation in accepting the 

 weight and force of several of the arguments put 

 forward by these tea authorities. Here in Ceylon 

 we are advancing in the matter of tea cultivation 

 with such rapid strides, and there is sucli a want 

 of limit to the future possibilities of further advance, 

 that the day must be within the reach of the 

 present generation, probably, when the production 

 of the two countries will be equal. What then it 

 may be as well to ask. will be Dv. position of 

 Ceylon when that parity is attained ? We have 

 plenty of land available for almost any extent of 

 development at least in the low and middle districts. 

 And sooner or later, when our home authorities 

 shall have had forced upon them the conviction 

 105 



they are now so sU,w to accept, that their duty 

 lies in fostering and promoting the credit of tlii; 

 colony by themselves showing their confidence in 

 its future and by permitting the incurrence of an 

 increase to our comparatively small public debt 

 for the execution of needed paving public works — 

 there will be a superabundance of capital flowing 

 in to permit of that development being reali:?ed to 

 the fullest extent. 



But what then? Behind this picture of fnture 

 prosperity based on a wide development of tho 

 tea industry there looms for us one ditticnlty, at 

 Icjist, which must be grappled with. If dealt with 

 in lime — if taken firmly in hand at once, — that 

 diiliculty may never receive accentuation, If, how- 

 ever, the matter should not be put on a sound 

 biais, the bright picture of the fnture here may 

 be over clouded to an extent which may hereafter 

 find Ceylon in a position as dark as what which 

 now confronts our competitor, Assam. We allude 

 of course, to the Tamil Labour Supply once- so 

 plentiful on our estates. Whatever the cause of 

 the falling-off may be, the lessening number of 

 coolies who make Ceylon their annu.al place of re- 

 sort is a fact apparent to all. Something must be 

 done to state this if we are to hope to realize our 

 fullest hopes in the future. The Planters' Asso- 

 ciation has already been moving in the matter ; 

 but we fear' the cure for the evil is not to be 

 fiiimd in Government measures, or in any more 

 reform of the present Cooly Immigrant Service, 

 unless at all events, these measures are concurrent 

 with personal eiJbrts among planters and receive 

 full support from that body. The credit of Ceylon 

 in this respect, which used to stand so high among the 

 Tamils of Southern India, has been sh.tken by many 

 regretable occurrences. That wages have been tem- 

 porarily lowered is a matter that cannot bo helped. 

 The reduction was forced upon all concerned by 

 circumstances over which they had no control. 

 But, if the implicit belief of the Indian coolies 

 in the certainty of their wage is to be restored,— 

 if thereupon they are to flock to these shores in 

 the numbers with which we have in past days 

 been familiar — the confidence they left during the 

 " days of old " in their European tUirair: must be 

 fully restored. Legislation in this direction to 

 some extent has been tried, and in spite Of the 

 support given to it by ourselves and others it (ailed 

 to secure that co-operation which could alone ensure 

 adequate result. I3ut the chief resource must al- 

 ways be found among planters themselves. Wages 

 will no doubt increase as demand for labour in- 

 creases, but this factor of temptation towards se- 

 curing a full supply of coolies will be of little 

 avail unless Bamasami can be once again inspired 

 with the confidence he felt in the palmy days bo- 

 fore leaf disease. If we are to see the bright picture 

 we have dravjn, realized to the full of our hopes 

 and expectations; it must be by the efforts of thoie 

 who are most concerned it its realization. 



There is another side to our Labour Supply Ques- 

 tion however, which must not be lost sight of, 

 and that is the large and increasing extent to 

 which, especially in the lowcountry, Sinhalese are 

 doing the work on tea plantations. It will be seen 

 that in the Kalutara district, on many gardens, 

 Sinhalese are almost the only employe-, and their 

 women and children are described a ' i' superior 

 as "pluckers" to the Tamils. We l.ast it will 

 be the object of every planter concerned to main- 

 tain and fof Ler the good relations which in the 

 low as well as in the middle (and as we have 

 heard in some of the high) districts will tend to 

 secure the assistance of the "sons of the soil." 

 the poor among " people of the country" in aid 



