Nov. t, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
333 
PUSHING CEYLON TEA IN AMERICA. 
Our London Correspondent has now obtained 
and forwarded to us the opinions of some of the 
most prominent members of our home colony on 
the subject of Mr. Grinlinton's proposals. Messre. 
J. L. Sband, W. M.Leake, H. K. Rutherford, and 
Mr. Whittall, besides Mr. J. H. Roberts—compara- 
tively speaking, an outsider, — have all expressed 
their views upon the topic, and doubtless the ex- 
perience of all these gentlemen has well fitted 
them to form a judgment on a matter which 
must be of as great importance to their own as it 
is to our island interests. In addition to the 
contributions made severally by them to the 
discussion of this question, we are further in- 
formed that the Tea Committee of ihe Ceylon 
Association in London had sat to consider it 
But we find that ihere is no inconsiderable diver- 
gence of opinion expressed. Mr. Rutherford, 
seems to stand pretty well alone as an advocate 
for measures to be taken here. But even he deems 
the matter of too wide a scope to be dealt with by 
enterprise founded only on private capital of 
local subscription. Evidently, although he has not so 
explicitly expressed himself, he regards such a 
venture as being financially ritky. Therefore, 
as the endeavour suggested is to be m the interest 
of the whole of our tea-planting community, he 
holds that every member of it should share in 
the risk. This end, he believes, can only be 
attained by the continuance of the present ex- 
port cess, and the administration of the funds 
realized from it by our Tea Fund. He suggests 
that with the means to be so obtained the 
management of that Fund should seek the co- 
operation of one of the foremost of the London 
firms interested in the Ceylon tea trade, and that 
this should undertake communication with the 
leading retail houses o£ the States and make all 
required arrangements with them, receiving from 
our Tea Fund suoh an amount of annual subsidy 
as should minimize their possible losses until 
the trade to be done with America should develop 
to the self-supporting stage, Mr, Rutherford's 
suggestion contains much to recommend it, for 
he holds, as do all the other gentlemen consulted, 
that heavy financial failure must attend any 
private endeavour unsupported by public 
contributions. But while all the other old 
friends who have expressed their opinion share 
this latter view, they are opposed to any 
course whatever being taken in furtherance 
of Mr. Grinlinton's Echtme, Mr. Whittall is especi- 
ally strong in his denunciation of suoh a movement. 
He holds that unless effort previously made prove 
to be sufficient to secure the appreciation of our 
teas throughout the States, unless they may now 
safely be permitted to force themselves into con- 
sumption upon their own merits, nothing that 
we may further unrtertaka will induce the American 
people to abandon their long-established procli- 
vities in their choice ef tees. " We are not 
philanthropists," Mr. Whittall remarked, "and 
who is going to find capital for an endeavour 
which is certain to fail m the object for which 
it is proposed to expend it ?" He further stated 
that he was himself devoting a tcntioii to tlic 
manufacture of green teas for the purpose of 
trying to introduce the "thin end of the wedge." 
IMr. bband is, perhaps, more strongly opposed 
(o furth r public effort than uiiy ot'itr of the 
guuUtmuu oonsuUed. Ue holds ibat it would be 
wholly wasted unless a very laig. oupital — which 
he puts at £100,000— was available. He further 
thinks that if trade is to be done with America, 
private enterprise of the character of' that pursued 
by Mr. Liptcn will find the way to establish it. 
Mr. Shand, however, expresses a view with regard 
to restricting sales to pure Ceylon tea which we 
fancy will not receive general endorsement. We 
have hitherto relied upon puritij as the surest basis 
for securitig euccess. We should not feci disposed 
to counsel any departure in the case of America 
from that basis, and to place our interests for the 
future in Mr, Lipton's hands would, we fear, ensure 
the abandonment of that principle and the landing 
of ourselves we know not whither. Mr. Leake 
seems to share Mr. Shand's view as to the hope- 
lessness of any endeavour to regain the ground 
lost by the cessation of Mr. Elwood May's enter- 
prise, and the Tea Committee, in the absence of 
any directly propounded proposals, has been able 
to come to no resolution on the subject. Mr. John 
Robert?, of Messrs. S, Ruoker & Co., states that 
he would be glad, in the interests of Ceylon 
tea, to see further efforts made, but at the 
same time he holds to his previously expressed 
opinion that America is a hopeless field for our teas, 
for reasons to which our correapondent gives cur- 
rency. Any investments made for the object 
proposed would, he feels sure, be wholly lost, and 
he would counsel no friend of his to put money 
into any scheme hiving it in view. To sum up 
these opinions impartially is a difiBeult matter. 
We muBt leave final judgment upon them to those 
who have taken the matter in hand here, and can 
only express regret that the failure of the Ameri- 
can Ceylon Tea Planters' Company should have 
occurred at such an inopportune juncture as it did. 
Meantime, we must just wait to see what result 
will follow on the establishment of Tea Agencies 
by Commisbioner Grin'iinton, and how far these can 
be extended to other large American towns besides 
Chicago. 
CEYLON TEA IN AMERICA: FURTHER 
OPINIONS. 
LoNDov, Oct. 5. 
During the week it has been possible for me to 
obtain fuither opinions from Ceylon men in London 
sviih reierecca to the practicability of carrying 
out Mr. Grinlinton's views in rcspeot of Ceyion 
tea in America. Conversation has been had by 
me on this topic wuh Mr. H. K. Ku.herford, 
Mr. J, Whittall, and Mr. J. Roberts, Before pro- 
ceeding to report what those said, it may be as 
well to interpolate that the Tea CommiUee of 
the Ceylon Association met on Tuesday last to 
talk over this subject, but no real proposal was 
mbmitted to it, and the members deemed it to be 
fruitlesa to discuss the mere principle advoeatpd 
by your Commissioner at Chicago. The Com- 
mitiee therefore separated without arriving at 
any resolution, 01 venturing on the espressio . 
of combined opinion. 
Mr, RniHERFOED was the first among thd 
above-mentioned who was seen by me re- 
lative to this matter. He told me that the first 
intimation he received relative to it was by a letter 
from Mr. Wright of Maskeliya. This geudeman bad 
just returned from a visit to Ohicagu, where he 
had been greatly piuatevl with what Mr. Gnnlinton 
had accomplished on behalf of Ceylon. His 
letter reached Mr. Rutherford while in Scotland, 
who replied to it by another in which be stated 
hiy view that, as any effort to bo made must be 
in the interest of all your planters equally, all 
