m 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



for tho current season. This supply proved 

 insufficient for our requirements, as by the end 

 of March we had mailed 178,276 post cards and 

 there were still mailing lists aggregating several 

 thousand names to be dealt with. To make up 

 the deficiency we have used cards printed for 

 the India Separate Fund. They differ only in 

 respeft to the type matter, having been litho- 

 graphed at the same time and from the same 

 stones. 



12. The number of mailing lists received dur- 

 ing the last few weeks greatly exceeded esti- 

 mates, as Jobbers made special efforts to obtain 

 and send these, when they realised that it was 

 their last opportunity. The monthly average 

 number of cards sent out in the four months 

 November, December, January and February 

 was 6,298, while in the one month of March 

 11,639 cards were mailed. But for this final 

 rush the estimate made 12 months ago, in the 

 2Dth paragraph of my last report, would have 

 proved accurate. 



Show Cards. 



13. Show Cards for Grocers' stores to cor- 

 respond with the post cards were received from 

 the press in time for specimens to be sent with 

 last season's report Sixteen thousand three 

 hundred of these were printed and have all 

 bean distributed. 



Samples of Tea. 



14. The advertising system we have followed, 

 fully described before, includes sending through 

 the mails direct to consumers, a sample of tea 

 and a measuring spoon enclosed in a box carry- 

 ing printed instructions for making tea. The 

 address tag bears the name of the Grocer who 

 supplied the address and thus conforms to the 

 system followed with the post card. 



15. During the season 83,119 samples were 

 mailed and several thousands have yet to be 

 sent in accordance with our obligations to 

 Jobbers who are in turn committed to the 

 Grocers to whom they have sold tea. At present 

 our liabilities in this way are estimated to be 

 between 15 and 16 thousand samples, so that by 

 the time we close the account we will, on 

 account of this one season, have sent out some 



100, 000 samples as follows : — 



April, 1908 17,507 | July, 1908 7,936 



May, 1908 6,453 August, 1903 5,546 



June, 1908 10,186 | September, 1908 3,141 



October, 1908 4,414 I January, 1909 4,99,i 



November, 190S 3,253 | February, 190G 6.112 



December, 19uS 4,430 | March, 1909 9,165 



Total 83 119 



Estimated commitment 16,000 



Probable total 99,119 



16. It is convenient here to summarise the 

 figures for post cards and samples together and 

 show the number of pieces of advertising matter 

 sent through the mails direct from this office: — 



Post cards sent to 30th March . . 178,?76 

 Estimated requirement to close. . 12,659 



190,935 



Samples sent to end of March .. 83,119 

 Estimated requirement to close.. 16,000 



99,119 



290,054 



Against 257,000 pieces sent out last season' 

 Tea Measure. 



17. We have Continued to use these with the 

 samples sent out. There may be a few gross left 



in hand when the last lot of samplos yet to go, 

 have gone. The:-o will be handed over to our 

 friends the Jobbers who will be exceedingly 

 glad to get them, and they will be fully utilised 

 for the purpose for which they were designed. 

 Food Shows. 



18. There have been no Food Shows held in 

 this territory during the season as the Grocers 

 suffered greatly from the depression in business 

 and did not care to incur the expense. We have, 

 however, assisted a Jobber who "demonstrated" 

 tea in a department store, sharing the expense 

 with him. 4s all sales of tea were registered to 

 the credit of the Grocer patronised by the pur- 

 chaser, and the retailers' profits sent to the 

 various Grocers concerned, no antagonism was 

 aroused. 



19. Foe a part of the year we continued our co- 

 operation with the Jobber mentioned in para- 

 graph 30 of my last report, who had a special 

 man calling upon Grocers and showing them and 

 their clerks how tea should be made and indu- 

 cing as many of them as he could persuade, to 

 try a cup. This work is excellent where it can 

 be watched and followed up by the Jobber, but 

 is something we cannot usefully attempt our- 

 selves. It was discontinued only because tho 

 Jobber in question desired to utilise the services 

 of his special man in a more directly remuner- 

 ative way, and was unable to find a suitable man 

 to carry on this special work. 



Indian and Ceylon Post Cards. 



20. This is our novelty this season. It is also 

 so far as we know and as we believe it to be, an 

 entirely novel and original form of advertising 

 the products of one country in another country. 

 The idea behind it is that post cards bearing 

 foreign stamps and postmarks, carrying vie.vs of 

 attractive subjects, will attractimn^ediateatfcen- 

 tion, and the advertising matter these bear will 

 have greaterconsideration than if it camebefore 

 those weaim to reach, in a more ordinary way. 

 The appeal made to the Grocer by tho importance 

 given to him when his name is printed on a post 

 card mailed in a foreign country is a factor to be 

 considered. Tho fact that he is selling genuine 

 Indiaaud Ceylon teaisalsoin a measure vouched 

 for to his customers. To realise the advertising 

 value of the scheme one has only to consider 

 how a similar scheme worked for, say, Havana 

 or Pcrto Rico Cigars would influence a person 

 residing in a small town iu England, where he 

 and some of his friends to receive different post 

 cards from Cuba mentioning the name of a 

 local tobacconist. 



21. Tne detailed working of the plan has 

 thrown a great deal of work upon the executive 

 of the Indian Tea Cess Committee in Calcutta. 

 The use of post cards in such a manner was 

 not quite clearly covered by the rules of 

 the Postal Union, so, before we ventured 

 upon printing the large number required 

 the points raised were placed before the 

 proper authorities in India and then test 

 lots were sent through the post. Some of these 

 were surcharged owing to the rules not beiug 

 very clear, but finally the difficulties were 

 cleared away. Meantime through the kind 

 offices of Sir James Buckingham negotiations 

 had been opened with Messrs. Raphrel Tuck & 



