June t, 1881.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
3 
(From April 1 to April 9. ) 
THE MADRAS GOVERNMENT AND THE 
CINCHONA BARK MARKET. 
The Managing Director of the Scottish Trust and 
Loan Company of Ceylon deserves the thanks of our 
cinchona planters for coming forward in so timely and 
practical a manner to endeavour "to stop what has be- 
come a serious and undoubtedly an improper inter- 
ference on the part of the British Government with 
private enterprise :— 
Cinchona Bark from India. 
Scottish Trust Loan Company of Ceylon, Limited, 
123 Bishopsgate St. Within, 
London, March 2, 1881. 
Si K) — As a matter of great interest to the planters 
of India and Ceylon, I beg to draw your attention 
to the following remarks: 
The circumstances under which the Government 
of India commenced the cultivation of the cinchona 
plant are well known to all, and their - success in 
obtaining a febrifuge for their army as well as for 
the population of India, is in the highest degree 
commendable. 
They are now, however, far beyond this point, and 
whilst the plasters of Ceylon, struggling against 
adverse seasons and a dire pest, which has seized 
their plantations, added to the competition of over- 
whelming slave-grown crops from Brazil, and adul- 
terated concoctions here, are looking to the future 
of their cinchona plantations to aid them in their 
troubles, they find the Government of India, un- 
fettered by want of capital, and the wide difference 
that lies between private parties and a mighty Go- 
vernment, sending such ever-increasing quantities of 
cinchona bark into the London market as fill them 
with anxiety for the future. 
Tbe steamer "Eldorado" just arrived has 196,000 
lb. of Government bark on board as one shipment 
or 20,000 lb. in excess of the aggregate shipments 
from Ceylon for the current season. 
If the Government of India is to compete in the 
English market with private enterprise, an unpleasant 
outlook for the Englishmen whose welfare depends 
upon their labour in the torrid zone— let both side3 
be equal— the Government of India paying a high 
price for their lands and labour, eight to ten per cent 
for their money, no assistance from Government 
Chemists and collectors and the multitudes of ad- 
vantages which they can indirectly obtain from being 
the paramount power, and we shall then not feel 
otfrselves over-matched.— Yours truly, 
Thomas Dickson, 
Managing Director. 
Mr. Dickson intends to send a copy of the letter to 
the London papers, and he is anxious to follow up this 
protest by a memorial and deputation to the Secretary 
of State for India and the Colonies, provided the Ceylon 
planting and mercantile community take the necessary 
action. There can be no doubt that the case against 
the Madras Government— by far the worst offenders- 
is a very strong one, and we may expect in any move- 
ment of this time to find allies in unexpected quarters. 
It is not generally known that the Madras authorities, 
in shipping their bark to London, have entirely departed 
from the understanding which prevailed at the time 
the cinchona enterprise was commenced in I lie Nilgiris. 
The full intention of the Home Government was to 
produce bark in order to munufacture on the spot a 
febrifuge which would be available for the mass of 
the population. So soon ae Mr. Mclvor proved the 
cultivation to be a success, an analytical and manu- 
facturing chemist, Mr. Broughton, was sent to Madras, 
just as Mr. Wood was detached on a similar mission 
to Sikhim. Mr. Wood was encouraged in every possible 
way by the Bengal authorities, and the consequence 
was that he established a successful local manufacture, 
which continues under his successors, to absorb all 
but an insignificant proportion of the bark cut ; while, 
in consequence of the bad treatment received by 
Mr. Broughton and his consequent disappearence, the 
Nilgiri bark has been regularly shipped to the London 
market to compete with the produce of private 
enterprise. At Sikhim they now manufacture 200 lb. 
of febrifuge weekly, absorbing nearly 300,000 lb. of 
bark per annum, while the Nilgiri crop of bark may 
be said to be all exported. Mr. Clements Markham 
has moit consistently and urgently protested against 
the mistaken policy of the Madras Government, and 
Ceylon memorialists would find in him a strong 
supporter of their petition. From Mr. Markham's 
"Chinchona" book lately published we quote sufficiently 
to shew how strong a case he makes out against the 
practice which Mr. Dickson attacks : — 
" No correct judgment could be formed of the financial 
result of the Nilgiris enterprise until the factory [Mr. 
Brougbton's] was in full work, and turning out 800 
pounds annually, or more. The ingredients, except acid 
and caustic soda, were obtained in the country, and their 
cost was small in comparison to the work done. But the 
outlay, as regards labor and many other items, isi the 
same whether the out-turn is large or small, so that no 
reliable calculation could be made as to the real cost, 
until the factory was working up to its full power. 
Moreover, experience would have suggested improve- 
ments in the arrangements for pressing the bark, for 
preventing loss of alkaloids, and other details. Un- 
fortunately this hopeful experiment, so fraught with 
benefit to the people of the Madras Presidency, 
was cut short prematurely, and before a fair trial 
had been made. 
"A Committee wai appointed by the Madras Govern- 
ment to report upon the financial result of the manu- 
facture before any correct conclusion could be formed. 
In their report, dated November 28th, 1874, they 
submitted a calculation by which it was made to 
appear that the ' amorphous quinine ' was produced 
at a loss. In the years 1872 and 1873, the quantity 
produced was 445 pounds. By arbitrarily charging 
the factory with £2,500 for the bark, and £583 for 
the cost of working, and interest on plant and build- 
ings, they made out that the 445 lb. cost £3,083, 
and they placed its value at £1,500. By these figures 
they made out a loss of £1,583. Their calculations 
are misleading. It wai quite premature to attempt 
any calculations at so early a stage. Tbe legitimate 
profit from the sale of bark to pay off the capital 
charge would, in a few years, have secured a net 
result obviating all pretext for charging anything for 
the value of the bark against the factory, while the 
actual charges would Lave been lowered by improved 
arrangements, the results of experience. The 
capital charge, with interest, has now actually been 
paid off, and the only legitimate charge against a. 
factory, is, therefore, the cost of cultivating the 
bark. The cost to the Government of producing one 
pound of bark, as proved by experience in Sikkim, 
ought not to be more than 5d ; and the factory would 
as soon as it was in full work, have turned out one 
pound of the febrifuge at a cost of six shillings, as in 
Sikkim. So that the febrifuge could lmve been sold, 
at a profit, for less than 1 rupee per ounoe. But the 
whole system of manufacture would eventually have 
