334 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
fNov. I, r893 
Bhould be oompelled to contribute towatda it. He 
considered the • nlerprise to be 
ENTIKELY BEYOND THE FINANCIAL POWER OF THE 
CEYLON PL4NTEES 
BS private iiidividualB. He believed there must be a 
heavy lirst loaa, and that to meet it a very large 
cii/ital wou.d be required. Neither was it the Borl 
01 buainesB ihab could be conducted by the plunters 
thoiuBelves. Men of experience in the lea-trade 
would be required for this throughout. His sugged- 
tion to Mr. Wright was that the export cesE 
levied on tea to meet Mr. Grinlinton's expenditure 
should be continued after that had been fully 
met, lor the purpose of making the effort desired. 
The money eo obtained should be handed over to, 
and be administered by, your local Tea Fund Oom- 
miiteo. This body should seek the co-operalion 
of some prominent London firm connected with 
the tea trade to which a subsidy ol annuil amount 
should be paid as a guarantee for first expenses. 
The amount ol this subsidy would, in Mr. 
Kuiherford's opinion, probably be £1,200 or 
£1,500 a year. It should be the duty of that 
firm to open up and establish relations with 
the most influential retail traders tbioughoul 
America, and to offer them every reasonable in- 
ducement to give Ocylon teas a foremost place 
in their dealings. Those proprietors of newspipers 
who had a-lvertised Ceylon teas under Mr. El- 
wood May's regiyne, and who doubtlees were em- 
bittered by the fruitlessneea to themselves of the 
efforts made by them, might be oonoiliated eo as 
to withdraw opposition by further advertising to 
be placed with them. Mr. Rutherford was in- 
formed by Mr. Wright that the plan formed in 
his own mind had been identical with that formu- 
lated by him and detailed above. Mr. Wright 
could, he said, see no other way in which the 
sustained help desired by Mr. Grinlinton could 
be given. In further conversation with Mr. 
Rutherford he told me that, not knowing Mr. 
Liuton, he could not say how far he might be 
relied upon to introduce Ceylon tea into America. 
When it was mentioned to him that Mr. Shand 
bad said that we need not insist upon only pure 
Ceylon tea being sold, Mr. Rutherford remarked 
thit he took a different view entirely. " We have 
alwaye,'' he saiil, " worked in the past upon the 
intrinsic qualities ofour teas, and have insisted upon 
their beiny sold pure and unblended. I should think 
it would be a great mistake to depart from this 
practice and to placa our teas unreservedly at 
the discretion of a trader like Mr. Lipton, whose 
system of advertising it cannot be said I quite 
approve." Mr. Rutherford concluded by saying 
that he certainly thought some effort should ba 
made to continue Mr. Grinlinton's work when the 
Exhibition closes, but that it would be hopeless 
to make it on the limited basis propostd by 
Mr. Kelly with his £1 shares. 
The next gentleman seen by me was Mr. 
James Whittall. I found him to be wholly 
opposed to the spending of any more money, 
public or priva'e, in the endeavour to force 
Ceylon tea into consumption in America. " If, 
after all that has been done," he remarked, ' the 
intrinsic merits of Ceylon teas will not reoommecil 
them to the Americans, it is hopeless to expect 
ttiat any further exertions by Oeylon will compel 
it. Mr. Shand's estimate of £100,000 does not 
eeem to me to be at all an exaggerated one, 
and I should s&y it would be all lost. Where on 
earth is it to come from ? We are not philanthro- 
pists 1 We don't want to throw away our money with 
an illusory object 1 And the planters of Ceylon 
want (o see a certain return before them, and won't 
go throwing good money after bad on the ftdvioe 
of anybody. BsBideB, tuppose we could stimu'ints 
an American demand up to 18 million or 20 millir'us 
lb., bow could Oeylon poesibly Eupply it? I km 
trying to introduce the' thin end cf the «edge 
mjsfilf by manufacturing preen tras on one nf my 
cs'ate? with which I porpose trj ing the American 
market. That may poesibly buit the national ttetf. 
It is far more likely to do so than the more 
delicately flavoured Ctylon teas." 
My nrst call was upon Mr. John BobertB of 
Messrs. S. Ruoker & Co. Thst (fenilf-man at first 
showed Eorae indicposition lo rej ly to my question 
on the subject dealt with above. On my presFing 
him he said: — "The fact ie I do not wish to 
appear as in any way inclined to diEOcuraKe au 
endeavour such as you mention. It would undoubt- 
edly advertise Ceylon teas, and in a public Bense 
would probably be useful. But I cannot close my 
eyes to what I hold to be papt donbf. There is 
no chance, in my opinion, of those who mav invest 
in the scheme ever seeing their money back 
again. For I still hold strongly to the opinion 
before expressed to you that 
THE AMERICANS WILL NEVER TAKE TO CBILON TEA. 
Of course, I do not say that many individuals among 
them will not do bo, but that the great ntasB of 
the people will ever care for it I am more 
than doubtful, Ceylon tea is utterly oppoeed 
in its character to the palate of the people, formed 
as that has been by climBtic influences. Very 
recently I had a Ceylon gentleman in h're to fee 
me who discussed this very matter of further 
pushing of Ceylon less in America with me. He 
told me he was quite prepared to invest £500 in 
it. I told him that it be did be would loae every 
penny of it. "Nevo r mind if I do," was his reply, 
"the endeavour will benefit Ceylon, and by en dning 
will benefit myself." As he was prepared to view 
ihe matter in that light 1 had of ccurse, nothing 
more to say, and cou'd only udmire bis speculative 
disinterestedness. Still I should c«rtaioly not for 
myself care to follow his propoeed lead. 1 adhere 
to my text in this matter most completely, but 
perhaps Mr. Whittall's grem tea may take the 
public taste in America." 
BECENT I.SCREA3E IN EXPOBTB TO AilEBICA. 
On my referring to the recent increase in 
exports to America, Mr. Roberts said : — "Yes, 
there has undoutedly been a spurt, but not 
sufficient to affect the market to 'the extent 
fhown by the late rise in price of Ceylon tea. 
That has been due to several conditions. Belter 
qualities have oome forward ; the season is that at 
which more purchases are made ; and hundreds who 
have been hanging back are now buying freely. It is 
very probable that Mr. Grinlinton's own demands for 
his tea rooms at the Exposition are responsible 
for the extra demand for Americi, but it is not 
likely, in my opinion, that this will be maintained." 
Ceylon's capacity. 
On my referring to Mr. W^hittall's doubt if Ceylon 
eouli supply another 20 millions of pounds if 
wanted 'or America, Mr. Roberts replied: — "I should 
think that it might do so. I was terribly Inughed 
at when I prophesied that one day the CejI- n 
export would reach 80 millions. Of course" the 
area for tea growing in Oeylon may be somewhat 
circumscribed, but tea growing in the lowoountry 
is advancing, and low-grown teas from Ceylon have 
greatly improved in quality of late. I still expect 
to see that her export will one day reach the 
round 100 million." 
