and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society, 



499 



TEA IN JAVA. 



We think it almost childish for any well- 

 informed people, in Ceylon or at homo, to have 

 any dread of revived competition between 

 China and Ceylon or Indian teas. Whenever 

 tea gets beyond a certain price, there will always 

 be an attempt to introduce a little more of 

 China tea for blending. But unless the im- 

 perial duty is lowered below 4d per lb., we have 

 not the slightest dread of China teas making 

 any mark on the consumption of the United 

 Kingdom, The case is, however, rather differ- 

 ent in respect of Java teas. Java is one of the 

 richest countries in the world in respect of soil 

 and is credited with a dociie cheap labouring 

 population ; and as a tea-growing country it 

 is in all its pristine vigour. Here then 

 we believe is the direction in which competi- 

 tion with certain classes of India and Ceylon 

 teas may be dreaded. The subject has been 

 brought before our notice again by the receipt 

 of an instructive letter from a gentleman whose 

 name is unknown to us, but who apparently 

 affords authentic particulars of the working of 

 Java's premier Tea plantation— the " Maria- 

 watte " of the great Dutch Colony — and to the 

 figures supplied, we now direct attention. A 

 plantation giving 1,082 lb. of made tea per acre 

 over an extent of 2,124J acres is, we should 

 say, absolutely unique in the history of tea 

 cultivation. In the 7th year (from seed) the 

 average was actually 1,559 lb. per acre. Every- 

 thing is on a great scale on this "Malabar" 

 property: there are two factories, each of which 

 can deal with 45,000 lb. of leaf per day, absolutely 

 necessary when the total crop exceeds 2\ mil- 

 lion lb. of tea. The tea being turned out at 

 so low a rate as 2'44d per lb. (is there not a 

 big Company in Sylhet that approaches this 

 rate ?) while it realizes 6'04d, it is no wonder 

 that last year's dividend was equal to 80£ p.c. 

 on a capital of under £17,000 ; while the Dir- 

 ectors got as bonus in place of fees £5,700 and 

 the Manager in commission £2,400 I Mr. Tom- 

 linson questions if ever rubber will do so well 

 on a large scale as tea has on "Malabar" 

 estate ; but we question if there are — or ever 

 likely to be — many "Malabars'' in Java. We 

 know of tea estates in Java of even longer 

 standing thaa "Malabar" which have never 

 paid beyond a modest 7 to 8 per cent, and if 

 this is more the rule than 80 per cent, prob- 

 ably there is not much Ceylon has to learn 

 from Java. But we at once confess Java's 

 immense superiority in one particular, and that 

 a most important one, namely in its very rich 

 volcanic soil — a soil unapproachable probably 

 anywhere in Ceylon. 



Bandoeng, Java, April 13th. 

 Sin, — The following figures culled from the 

 1907 annual report of Java's Premier Tea Estate, 

 Malabar, may prove of interest to some of your 

 readers. 



The Estate is 5,000 ft. above sea level. The 

 following statement shews the acreage under 

 tea — (planting originally began in 1896-7). 

 End 1904 .. 1,790} acres. 



„ 190S . .. 1,848 „ 



1906 ,. 2,0194 „ 



The 1907 crop was 2,299,741 lb. of made tea = 

 1,082 lb. per acre over 2,124^ acres. 



lb. 



In the 4tli year from seed the crop per acre averages 1,198 

 ii 5 th ,, ,, „ 1,278 



6th „ „ „ „ 1,602 



7th „ „ „ „ 1,559 



All clearings are planted with seed at stake. 

 Some gardens, of course, give a production 

 much above the average. The 1,198 lb. given 

 above in the 4th year is actually the average 

 obtained in 1907 from clearings planted in the 

 spring of 1903. 



The estate possesses two factories both 

 capable of dealing with 45,000 lb. leaf a day 

 driven by electric power, which stand in the 

 balance sheet at Gl, 031-20. The 1907 working 

 account was as follows ,- — 



Lines 



Transport and shipping port charges ... 



Manufacture 



Tea cultivation 



Management 



Materials and inventory 



Buildings 



Watercourse 



Rant and taxes (including tax on pro- 

 fits, etc) 

 Other general expenditure 

 Roads 

 Interest 

 Gross profit 



G. 



1,036-67 

 39.321-.H 

 136,004-60 

 26 061-99 

 32,451 66 

 5,7 < 7-60 

 2,933-77 

 2 4-70 



16,646-80 

 18,301-55 

 3,186-64 

 2,488-21 

 413,669-51 



0696,985-22 



Tea sales nett, after deduction of 



freight and London charges 

 Tea seed 



G694,956-81 

 2,028-41 



0696,985*22 



The Company's capital is G200,000. 



The tea costs thus 12*2 cents per lb. f.o.b* 

 exclusive of interest (equivalent to 2 - 44 pence* 

 and netted 30 '2 cents per lb. (equivalent to 

 6 - 04 pence, showing a profit per lb of 18 cents 

 or 3-40 pence.* 



The appropriation account of this Company 

 will probably astonish your readers (as Java 

 Directors are not paid a fee, but receive 

 a proportion of the profits), being as follows :— 



Depreciation account 

 Reserve (bringing same up to maxi- 

 mum G 50,(00) 

 Dividend SO and a half per cent on 



G 200,000 



Directors \\\ 



Commission to Manager 



Carried forward to new account .' '. 



G 145,266-75 



8,9C9-10 



161,00. *00 

 68,939-46 

 28,909-10 

 545-10 



G 413,569-51 



I fancy that Rubber will never show such 

 profits as these, and though I grant that the 

 above figures are exceptional, there are many 

 other estates run on Dutch lines (in contra* 

 distinction to the accepted Ceylon method of 

 cultivation and manufacture) which shew nearly 

 as wonderful results,— I am, dear Sir, your 

 obedient servant, 



HUGH TOMLINSON. 



1907 



2,1344 



* Should this not be 3-60c|, namely 6-04 i^se 

 2-44, — Ed. 



