Sept,  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
163 
LIBERIAN  COFFEE  IN  SINGAPORE 
AND  JOHORE. 
When  I heard  that  circumstances  had  caused  the 
LooDcboo  coffee  estate  in  Johore  to  be  thrown  on 
the  market,  I thought  ‘‘for  sure”  that  some  one 
interested  in  planting  aQd  having  the  pen  of  a ready 
writer  would  have  come  forward,  either  with  a sort 
of  review  of  the  planting  enterprise  in  these  parts, 
or  to  try  to  prove  extenuating  circumstances  in  the 
case  of  Loonchoo.  “Condemn  it  all,  sir,  if  it  is  as 
fine  a place  as  you  make  out,  why  the  Hades  is  it 
thrown  on  the  market  like  this  ?”  Well,  just  now  1 
do  not  propose  to  discuss  the  Loonchoo  question,  but 
to  take  as  it  were,  a back  look  over  the  planting 
enterprise  in  these  parts  since  the  first  run  on  coffee 
took  place  in  Johore,  some  eleven  years  ago,  there  or 
thereby.  The  orignal  men  undoubtedly  went  into  the 
thing  with  too  sanguine  views  and  of  ail  things  in  the 
world  they  overlooked  the — in  planting  matters — al- 
mighty considerations  of  Labour.  Land,  Land,  Land. 
Once  the  Land  was  secured  where  lay  the  difficulty  ? 
Aye,  there  was  tha  crux.  They  were  too  cock-sure  of 
securing  there  all  supply  of  coolies  from  Ceylon  and 
South  India.  There  two  th'ngs  occurred.  First  Rama 
Swamy,  who  had  salaamed  to  master,  | and  promised 
to  follow  him  all  over  the  world,  did  not  see  it  in 
the  same  light  when  he  was  asked  to  redeem  his 
promise  and  follow.  Secondly  Madras  says  “ No,  no. 
We  expect  a famine.  We  must  keep  our  ryots  hero 
to  begin  with.  Though  I have  had  but  little  trouble 
with  labour  myself,  I must  say  that  I feel  very 
strongly  on  the  labour  question.  The  attitude  of  the 
Madras  Government  (which  has  beeD  described  by  a 
personge  in  Singapore  as  “the  most  effete  adminis- 
tration in  the  East,”)  is  to  me  incomprehensible.  I 
honestly  believe  that  a Madras  official  would  rathtr 
report  20,000  deaths  from  famine  in  India  than  20irom 
fever  in  Johore.  * Of  course  officials  would  deny  the 
soft  impeachment  with  a bland  and  smiling  face  ; but 
past  history  tells  a tale  “ which  nobody  can  deny.”  It 
is  not  strange  that  hitherto  no  signal  success  has 
been  scored  in  planting  at  this  end  of  the  Peninsula. 
With  new  land  and  new  labour  the  first  planters 
could  but  look  for  pionoer’s  luck.  They  got  it,  and 
we  Dow  are  wise  in  the  light  of  past  events.  With 
two  exceptions,  the  writer  knows  every  coffee  estate 
in  Singapore  and  Johore  ; at  the  present  t;me  oue 
and  all  are  looking  well.  Most  have  a first-class  crop 
ou  them  this  year ; and  all  have  had  splendid 
blossoms  for  1893.  All  the  plantations  have  improved 
of  late  ; and  three  which  he  has  recently  had 
occasion  to  visit  after  a considerable  lapse  of  time 
have  come  forward  in  a way  that  is  absolutely 
marvellous. 
The  future  of  this  part  of  the  world  is  an  agri- 
cultural one,  and  Coffee  is  the  cult. 
W.  T.  M’K. 
— S.  F.  Press. 
TEA  IN  CHINA. 
Foochow,  June  25th. 
We  have  it  on  the  best  authority  that  the  second 
crop  of  tea  will  be  astonishingly  small  this  season, 
and  the  information  is  confirmed  as  regards  sup- 
plies from  the  Paklum  and  Panyong  districts,  the 
heavy  rains  having  interfered  with  the  piclring. 
At  the  same  time  shortness,  from  a variety  of  causes, 
is  reported  all  round,  especially  of  tea  above  com- 
mon. Taken  altogether,  the  news  from  the  country 
seems  to  point  to  a small  and  poor  second  crop. 
We  have  often  referred  to  the  abuse  practised  by 
the  likin  runners  in  collecting  this  tax  on  tea  up- 
country.  There  appears  to  be  no  limit  to  their 
extortion.  From  an  extra  impost,  or  squeeze,  of 
fifty  per  cent,  levied  last  year  over  the  tariff,  we  know  of 
* It  is  such  wild,  inconsiderate,  utterly  incorrect 
statements  which  are  calculated  to  prejudice  officials 
against  planters.  It  is  the  sacred  duty  of  the  Madras 
Government  and  officials  to  secure  just  and  kind 
treatment  for  their  people  ; and  that  assured  they 
favour  emigration.— Ed.  T.A. 
sixty  per  cent,  extra  having  been  demanded  this  year. 
We  have  the  fact  from  one  of  the  sufferers,  whose 
name  we  would  mention  but  for  the  certainty  that 
he  and  his  family  would  suffer  from  the  consequences. 
There  is  apparently  no  redress. 
If  the  squeeze  is  objected  to,  the  boats  are  simply 
detained  at  the  likin  barrier,  and,  as  all  the  teamen 
are  anxious  to  get  their  first  crop  teas  down  to 
market  as  quickly  as  possible,  there  is  no  other  course 
open  to  them  than  to  submit.  Some  day,  however, 
it  will  be  resisted  just  as  the  squeeze  on  salt  duty 
at  Tek  Hwa  was  resisted  last  year,  and  there  will  be 
a repetition  of  the  rioting  which  took  place  there,  if 
these  illegal  imposts  are  peristed  in. 
Particular  enquiries  are  being  made,  we  understand, 
by  unknown  men  as  to  the  results  of  the  teamen’s 
ventures  this  season.  It  is  generally  supposed  that 
those  enquiries  are  being  made  for  the  information  of 
the  authorities,  who  it  is  known  have  to  furnish 
Peking  with  the  local  reasons  if  any,  of  the  decline 
of  the  trade. 
The  steamer  “ Taiyuan  ” leaves  tomorrow  morning 
(3rd  July)  for  Melbourne  and  the  “ Menmuir”  on 
Tuesday  morning  for  Sydney  with  the  first  of  the  new 
season’s  tea.  We  had  heard  casually  that  tea  was 
cheap  and  we  were  wondering  how  this  came  about 
in  the  face  of  a lessened  supply  and  a larger  demand. 
Native  teamen  of  our  acquaintance  have  explained  it 
to  us  in  the  following  words : — “ Too  muchee  talkee 
talkee  sellum  that  tea  that  Australian  man  just  now ; 
too  muchee  talkee  talkee.”  It  is  all  very  well,  they 
added,  for  them  to  be  cautious  and  buy  carefully, 
but  the  pressure  all  buyers  have  brought  to  bear  this 
season,  and  especially  the  Australian  buyers,  to  keep 
prices  down  is  remarkable  and  contrary  to  all  pre- 
cedent ; the  consequence  is  we  have  not  done  nearly 
so  well  as  we  might  have  done.  This  charge  of 
illiberality  on  the  part  of  buyers  leads  us  to  hope 
that  what  we  heard  about  the  cheapness  of  tea  is 
really  true,  and  that  shippers  will  reap  the  full  ad- 
vantage of  it . — Echo. 
Hankow. — The  Hupao  says : — The  tea  business  at 
Hankow  has  been  very  discouraging  this  year  and 
merchants  dealing  in  this  article  have  all  suffered 
losses.  Formerly  a dozen  or  more  large  steamers 
called  at  that  port  for  tea,  but  there  have  only  been 
five  or  six  this  season  that  were  loaded  with  this 
cargo.  The  falling  off  of  this  trade  is  attributed  to 
the  strong  competition  of  Ceylon  tea. 
The  following  ere  the  Hankow  Tea  Statistics  at 
dale,  compared  with  the  corresponding  number  of 
days  from  the  opening  of  last  eeason,  viz.,  46 
days  ; 20th  June,  1892  : — 
1892. 
1891. 
Hankow  Tea 
J-Cbests. 
J-Ohests. 
Settlements.. 
Shipments  to  Shanghai  on 
444,070 
477,060 
Native  account 
— 
139 
Stock 
46,500 
53,780 
Arrivals 
490,570 
530,979 
1892. 
1821. 
Kiukiang  Tea 
J-Obestp. 
i-Chests. 
Settlements... 
Shipments  to  Shanghai  on 
202,250 
308,296 
Native  account 
— 
— 
Stock 
28,800 
18,960 
Arrivals 
232,110 
327,258 
The  entire  business  to 
date  as  compared  with 
the  same  number  of  days  last  year  is 
aB  under : — 
1892. 
1891. 
^-Chests. 
^-Chests. 
For  London  and  America... 
278,000 
254.000 
For  Russia  . . 
360  320 
531,356 
. 
m 
647,320 
785,356 
— Overland  China  Mail.  June  29, 
