May i, 1895.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
755 
to 30th June 1894, a distribution at the rate of Eight 
per cent for the year. 
The acreage of the Company's properties on 31st 
December last was 
Tea in fuil bearing .. 443 
Tea in bearing 2J years old 07 
New clearings and nurseries 67J 
Jungle . . . . 480 
1,057£ Acres 
The balance in the hands of the Company's 
Manager in Ceylon is taken at Is per rupee. 
The Ceylon Manager reports the Estates in good 
order. Some of the machinery requires renewal, and 
orders have been sent to him to carry out the 
necessary alterations, <Vc, without delay. 
With a favourable season, the crop for 1895 is 
estimated at 256,000 lb. 
The Directors offered amongst the Shareholders in 
September last 50 seven per cent. Cumulative Pre- 
fere.nce Shares at £1 per share premium, which 
issue was considerably over-subscribed. The Directors 
ultimately decided to issue only 30 of such shares. 
They recommend that the premium obtained on 
these shares be placed to credit, of Reserve Fund. 
The Directors have also credited the Reserve Fund 
with t"200 to meet the depreciation of machinery. 
Mr. John Holgate Batten, the Director retiring by 
rotation, being eligible, offers himself for re-election. 
The Directors ask that their remuneration may in 
future be fixed at t'110 per annum, divisible amongst 
them in such proportions as they may agree 
amongst themselves, and be paid to them free of 
Income Tax. 
THE KELANI VALLEY TEA ASSOCIATION, 
LIMITED. 
The Directors have pleasure in submitting to the 
Shareholders the Report and Accounts of the Company 
for the past season. 
The premiums on the 184 shares tendered for by the 
Shareholders, the allotment of which was announced in 
the last Report, amounted to £434 5s., and this sum 
has been carried to Reserve Account, which now stands 
at £2.273 7s. Od. 
During the past year no additions have been made 
to the Company's total acreage, which remains at 
l',S36f acres, but about 7 acres of jungle have been 
felled on Parusella, and were burnt off satisfactorily 
in January last. 
Owing to drought in the early part of the year, 
and to continued rain, and bad flushing weather, 
towards its close, the crop gathered fell short of the 
estimate by 00,353 lb., but the total crop secured 
amounted to 416,647 Hi., as agaiust 370,951 lb. for 1$93. 
The prices obtained for the Company's Teas con- 
tinue to compare most favorably with those realized 
for the produce of other Estates in the same district, 
unci f,'reat credit is flue to Mr. Mitchell, the Com- 
pany's manager, for the high values obtained for the 
Degalessa Tea. 
.The Factories and Machinery :ire inefficient order, 
but the Directors continue the olicy of writing down 
their cost, and 10 per cent, amounting to £700 0s, 8d. 
has accordingly been written off for depreciation. 
The Company's net profits for the year, after debiting 
the above, amount to £3,227 (is. lid., which with 
89(8 ^s. 5d. brought forward from last account, leaves 
£3,745 15s. 43. to be now dealt with, and this it is 
proposed to appropriate as follows : — 
£. s. d. 
Amount as above .. .. 3,715 15 4 
Interim dividend of 5 per cent paid 
in Sept., absorbed . . . . 813 5 0 
It is now proposed to pay a final divi- 
dend of 10 per cent (free of In- 
come Tax) making 15 per cent 
for the year .. .. 1,6211 10 0 
And to place to Reserve, bringing 
th it Account up to £3,000 .. 726 12 3 
3,166 7 3 
Leaving a balance to carry forward of 5T9 ti 1 
do 
THE INDIAN TEA SEASON. 
We direct special attention to the following 
extracts from the Calcutta Circular of Messrs. 
W. Moran & Co. under date 10th inst. It will 
be seen that the total export of Indian (like 
Ceylon) tea for the past twelve months shews 
very little advance over that for the previous 
year. The slight increase to America is cheering ; 
but not so the great talling-oft' in the export to 
Australasia. We quote as follows : — 
Advices from Assam report good rain in most 
parts, occasionally accompanied by hail from which 
some gardens have suffered severely. In parts of 
Cachar also there have been hail-storms doing con- 
siderable damage, but these storms appear to have 
been very local, the greater part of the district 
being still hot and dry. We hear that there have 
been some slight showers in Sylhet, but here and 
also in Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars more rain is 
badly wanted, the ground being very hard and dry, 
and such leaf as is out, turning " banghy." 
Below will be found particulars of the total ex- 
ports of the past season compared with those of the 
two previous }'ears. The shipments to Great Britain 
of 110,000.000 millions are rather more than was 
anticipated by the last published estimate, but this 
is accounted for by the falling off in the quantity 
sent to Australia, caused by the high prices ruling 
here throughout the season. It is satisfactory to 
note that the export to Persian Gulf, &c, shows 
some increase ; this demand does not appear likely 
to fall off, and if a slightly lower scale of prices 
were to be established, the exports would probably 
be largely increased. 
Total Exports for Season. From 1st April to 
31st March. 
1894-95. 
1893-94. 
1892-93. 
Great Britain 
116,105,868 
113,722,733 
106,447,S88 
Australia and New 
Zealand 
4,885,799 
6,246,806 
3,586,432 
America 
593,064 
348,977 
138,235 
Bombay and Persian 
Gulf 
2,930,159 
2,734,063 
987,228 
Sundry Ports 
1,162,650 
720,451 
547,657 
lb. 
125,677,846 
123,773,120 
111,707,440 
LABOUR SUPPLY FOR CEYLON 
PLANTATIONS. 
We can do no more today than direct atten- 
tion to the two very important letters in our 
Correspondence column. Both are from planters 
having a full realization of the responsibility at- 
taching to their utterances, and the letters come 
from different parts of the planting eotintry 
Before discussing the remedies proposed, wo 
should like, with Mr. Wright, to have some 
further opinions expressed. Mr. ( lurries Young 
will chuckle and fairly say, — " Did I not 
foretell what would happen if high ad- 
vances continued to be paid " ; but as 
"North of Kandy " fairly points out, increasing 
advances can only mean an increasing scarcity 
of labour. No planter would be so foolish as to 
pay R2,500 for 4.5 coolies, unless lie was very 
hard up indeed for hands to overtake "flush" 
or other necessary work on estates. Something 
must be done therefore to supplement the 
Labour Supply. We are very loath to count en. 
ance a Labour Syndicate or General Agency, 
looking at disastrous experiences in the past. 
To exploit the districts mentioned by 
Mr. E. .1. Young would seem a very sensible 
step 011 the part id' an agent of the Planters 
Association, unless one or other of our lar«er 
Plantation Companies step into the breach and 
do so on its own account on a strictly business 
