named Harrison has started a tobacco estate in Palem- 
bang at a place called Tanjong Buali. He relies on 
Chinese coolies imported from Singapore, who come 
under engagement to work in the plantation at a 
wage of 20 guilders a mouth each. Within the last 
two months or so, twenty of these coolies have 
absconded. Most of them, thinking better of it, 
returned, and underwent punit-hmeut for their per- 
verseness. The remaindertried their luck in marauding. 
They turned to and started in business as robbers by 
forming themselves into a regular band. These fel- 
lows have made the whole neighbourhood unsafe. 
Quite recently, they murdered a native forest ranger. 
After the murder, the whole gang seems to have 
become panic stricken, and hastily took to flight, leaving 
sundry articles behind them, " iucluding a portrait 
found ue ir the corpse. This discovery is expected to 
facilitate their detection. 
To alleviate the poverty and distress now rife among 
European descendants in Java, an agricultural company 
has been started there for the purpose of affording 
them facilities for earning a livelihood by planting or 
cultivation. Planting prospects are now so looking up 
in that Island, that a newspaper has just been started 
in the interest of plantation enterprise. The pract- 
ical nature of the views predominent among the 
planting class of the community, comes out from the 
readiness with which tobacco growing is taken up in 
Java now, owing to the high price it fetches. By 
last advices from Batavia to the 11th June, unseason- 
able rains have fallen. However beneficial they may 
be to the public health, the standing crops are the 
worse for them. Tobacco suffers therefrom. On several 
sugar estates in East Java, crushing operations have 
had to be stopped in consequence. The ripe cane 
in the fields will not be the better for remaining longer 
uncut. These estates are in no condition to stand 
further blows from adverse fate. The Cinchona 
planters are at a loss how to meet Ceylon compet- 
ition which they foresee will affect their ventures 
detrimentally, but a heavy output of bark which 
threatens erelong to make the price of that product 
unremunerative, unless the consumption of quinine 
increases. 
DELI NEWS. 
(Translated for the Straits Times.) 
It is said that by consigning tobacco to Europe by 
the North German Lloyd steamers, instead of by 
those of Holt's line, the Deli planters have benefitted 
by the difference in freight charges to the extent of 
an additional 2% in dividends. 
♦ 
TEA AND ITS PEOSPECTS. 
" A. B.," writing to the Indian Financial Review, 
says : — The estimated crop for 1887 is not yet 
authentically issued by the Indian Tea Association,, 
but sufficient has leaked out to show that the crop 
will probably exceed 1886 in even a greater ratio 
than that year did the previous. This of necess- 
ity points to an enormous supply of common 
broken teas, and, as prices in London are as 
low as 5d per lb. for that quality, it is not a 
matter of much difficulty to decide what can be 
expended iu the cost of manufacture to produce 
tea that can sell at such a figure, and show a 
profit. It stands to reason the entire crop is not 
low class tea, but it may safely be estimated that 
b0 per cent, of this year's crop will be j and 
Jaking the other half of the crop at an all round 
pfice of 8d, which is certainly a handsome 
allowance, this gives an average of 6§d, which, 
turned into rupees, about equals 6£ annas. Carrying 
the calculation still further, to work at a profit, 
tea on the garden must be made for 4 annas per 
lb., and allowing one anna per lb. for Calcutta 
charges, including brokerage, &a., this would still 
allow of a return of 1£ annas per lb. orE7-8per 
maund. 
The annual statement of a private concern situ- 
*ttd in tUe Dooari supplies the following facte ; — 
350 acres under plant gave 2,900 maunds of tea, 
the average price realised at auction was very nearly 
7 annas per lb. ; granting it was worked on the 
basis given above, this shows E20 per maund, or a 
profit of E58,000. Now to make this garden, in- 
cluding machinery, and interest whilst coming into 
bearing, the actual cost was R120,000 — therefore in 
what was considered an indifferent } T ear, 1886, a re- 
turn of nearly 50 per cent, was realised. This is 
not a solitary instance. It is the result of economical 
working, and the result of a large outturn reducing 
the cost of production. There is, however, a large 
margin between working at a profit or a loss on the 
basis of such figures, and surely admits of some 
method being found of so reducing the cost of pro- 
duction in gardens that can only turn out their 
five maunds per acre, that a profit will ensue. An 
expert will tell you, and with some force, 
that the same labour is required for both 
gardens, whether growing eight or five maunds 
per acre. Allowing for the sake of argument this 
contention, yet it seems monstrous if eight maunds 
can give at seven annas such a large return, a 
garden that only yields five maunds cannot be 
worked to a small profit. The investor fixes the 
value of the five maunds garden, if a limited 
company, and all the late auction shares were sold 
at one quarter of their actual value, companies 
paying three per cent yielding at that figure twelve 
per cent on the price paid. Allowing that your 
native establishment cannot be much less on the 
five maund garden that on the eight maund garden, 
surely the work of the European establishment 
cannot be compared on the one to the other, and 
there arises again the question of amalgamation 
of small estates and the cost of European supervision. 
The annual reports are conclusive on this point. Yv'ith- 
out giving namss, one lately issued shows that the 
Company's establishment, and bonus to Manager 
and Commission to agents on a garden in Assam, 
amounted to within 30 per cent of the sum paid 
in daily wages to the coolies, the ave'ge just 
over 300 and the outturn 1,900 maunds. With- 
in less than a mile of this same estate is a 
garden of 400 acres, with a European establish- 
ment, equally large for a similar outturn ; add- 
ed together they return 4 per cent on the present 
capital, and both at the time of being converted 
into limited Companies were sweatened to the 
extent of 200 per cent. Will any one contend 
if these gardens had remained private property, 
and been worked for the benefit of the original 
proprietors, such an enormous sum would have 
been spent on the European establishment of 
either ? How often have efforts been made to 
amalgamate tea properties for the very purpose 
of making a saving in this respect, and utiliz- 
ing the labour in a more general way, and in- 
variably failed what with petty jealousy in 
the district, as to the planter likely to be 
sacrificed by the amalgamation, aud the same un- 
fortunately in Calcutta with regard to agents sup- 
posing as is often the ease, they ar6 under dif- 
ferent agents in Calcutta. Are these obstacles to 
stand in the way because they exist and continue 
until perforce the gardens are abandoned ? 
The apathy shewn by shareholders in the pre- 
sent state of affairs generally has much to answer 
for. I£ they Would only rouse themselves and insist 
on both ends being made to meet, and not accept 
estimates based on prices being realized for tea 
that are fallacious, there Would now be less of the 
terrible future, that can only end in lakhs of rupees 
being sunk and lost for ever. Too much is taken 
for granted by the complacent shareholders, as long 
as a return for his money comes in annually, but, 
oven with (ho more fortunate concerns, any care- 
