75* 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[May X, 1894J 
mcnt of all, namely the Chicaf^o Exhibition 
and to what Ceylon an 3 India have done 
there, we need not particularly refer beyond 
repeating that in this island, there is but one 
opinion of the admirable way in which the Hon, 
J. J. Grinlinton discharged to the full, the 
function and commission entrusted to 
him. He deserves every word of praise 
allotted, both ofiBcially and unofficially : for 
the latter he has won the high opinion of 
his fellow-colonists and of the intelligent 
natives and this he will deem a great reward, 
Officially, the acknowledgment of his meri- 
torious work has yet to come and we have 
said it ought to be " jrc. M.<7." to correspond 
with that of the New South Wales' Commis- 
sioner ; while others hold it will be " c.m.g," 
But be that as it may, what has now to be 
said is that Mr. Grinlinton's duty and 
function closed with the Exhibition, and that it 
ought not to be re-opened. We have all along 
felt that those who were pushing Mr. Grinlin- 
ton's name to the front, as the man to go back 
to America as the 6Mst«m agent of the planters 
were doing him no kindness, but a distinct 
disservice. For one thing, it would be a clear 
coming down for the Exhibition Commissioner ; 
he would have no official appointment or 
status ; he would be expected to work in a 
way which no Colonist of his years or stand- 
ing, let alone his training, should be expected 
to do ; he would have to convince wholesale 
dealers and American tea experts of the 
advantages of Ceylon (and Indian) teas over 
" China's" and " Japan s" as if he had been 
all his life in the trade ; and the work is one 
which should engage the close, unremitting at- 
tention of whomsoever is appointed for at least 
three, if not five, years to produce adequate 
results. We feel sure if these and other facts 
are taken into consideration, it will be under- 
stood that to call on our Commissioner to 
risk the high reputation he has secured, by 
a work, finished and complete in itself, would 
be the reverse of what is fitting and right, 
and opposed to the conditions under which 
the new Campaign must be undertaken. 
These conditions point to the engagement 
of a first-class London Tea Broker — an expert 
who can be thoroughly trusted to enter con 
amore on his work among American wholesale 
dealers and tea experts,— as the right man 
now to carry on the Campaign throughout 
North America against China and Japan, and 
in favour of Ceylon and Indian teas. Such a 
man can no doubt be selected (by advertise- 
ment or a Committee) from Mincing Lane. 
As a Broker, he will have been all his life 
trained to consider the interests of producers 
on the one side and of the wholesale dealers 
on the other. He will have his instructions 
and will be expected to follow them ; but 
his one great mission and object will be to 
demonstrate the inferiority of "China's" and 
" Japan's " and the good reasons for each 
dealer taking up with the better teas, lest 
his rivals in the trade cut in before him. 
The representative will have an " entertain- 
ment " allowance and will doubtless, know 
how to work this branch- Moreover, he must 
1^ 9t\\ bigU'QlOies, bigbly-paid agent be fully 
trusted, and will therefore be empowered to ad- 
vise and draw on the Committee in charge of 
the Indian-Ceylon Fund, in order to a</tc/-fi*e or 
to pay commission or bounty, as he may deem 
advisable after testing the market, sounding 
the wholesale dealers, and otherwise deciding 
on the best course to pursue. The Broker- 
Agent will know well that his mission will 
be judged by results and his training must 
lead him to prefer the building up of a 
good solid, rather than a fiasby boBincsa. 
As to his impartiahty between India 
and Ceylon, we cannot conceive of 
any Agent who could be more so. In London 
he has been accustomed to deal with both 
teas : he is intimately acquainted with their 
qualities : his province is not to think of 
where a tea grows, but of the kind of tea 
to suit his customer. He will spread before 
the wholesale dealer and his expert, a fairly 
representative assortment of Indian and 
Ceylon teas and will call on him to test and 
select what suits him best. But we may 
say that here Ceylon, while profiting by the 
larger " fund " which united action would 
ensure, is likely to score very decidedly in 
the selection of suitable teas, and for the 
same reason as brought Ceylon eo rapidly 
to the front in the United Kingdom and 
Australasia as the superseder of China toa, 
namely that it is milder and comes nearer 
the superseded tea, than average " Indian's." 
Indian planters would eventually benefit by 
" Ceylons " forming stepping-stones to their 
stronger teas, suitable for blends — and, at 
once, the benefit would be in the slackening 
of competition in Mincing Lane, by so much 
" Ceylons " as were added to the existing 
American consumption. It has been said that 
if Ceylon has a Broker or other Tea Expert 
or representative all to herself, to push her 
own tea only, and ignore India, there may 
come a special demand for " Ceylon's " in 
America with a distinct advantage in price, 
apart from the lessening competition in 
London. In other words, Ceylon would do 
better to act alone. But against this, is to 
be put the more limited fund available to the 
Agent, and the very real risk of rivalry and com- 
petition with two men pushing " Indians " and 
" Ceylons " and the dealers playing the one 
off against the other and in some cases, 
saying " Don't bother us — a plague 0' both 
your houses." This result, we say, is more 
likely to arise from India and Ceylon 
working separately through two independent 
Agents, each intent on making the better 
show for his principals. A middle 
course is for both countries to unite 
with one Fund and a Joint Committee to 
select two representatives— a tea selling ex- 
pert and a tea producer— to work together, 
so that the one could tell the dealers all 
about how the tea is grown and made, and 
the other how it compares in the cap, &c. 
with China's and Japan's. In oar opinion, 
Ceylon has everything to gain from joint 
action. We should be most foolish to refuse 
such an " ally " as the Indian Tea Fund for 
America, promises to be, and still more to 
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