Sept,  r,  1892.J  THE  TROPICAL 
MILD  UR  A IRRIGATION  COMPANY. 
We  learn  from  the  Argus  that  the  half-yearly 
meeting  of  the  irrigation  Company  was  held  at  Mil- 
dura  last  week,  Mr.  W.  M.  Paterson  presiding.  The 
new  large  institute  hall  was  packed  with  shareholders, 
and  a good  deal  of  excitement  was  shown.  A long 
progress  report  was  read  from  the  lately-appointed 
committee,  in  which  some  surprising  statements  ap- 
peared as  to  the  company’s  position  and  the  ad- 
ministration of  its  affairs.  It  was  stated  that  if  the 
outstanding  rates  were  collected,  there  would  be 
sufficient  to  pay  all  the  arrears  of  wages  accounts 
and  to  meet  the  working  expenses  to  the  30th  June. 
The  report  recommended  the  shareholders  to  pay  up 
the  rates,  which  must  be  done  in  any  case,  and 
that  the  wages  be  the  first  charge  ; also,  that,  in 
view  of  the  extreme  confusion  in  which  all  the  ar- 
rangements in  connection  with  the  Company  appear 
to  be,  and  the  desirability  of  having  authoritatively 
defined  the  rights  and  duties  of  Chaffey  Brothers, 
Limited,  under  the  Crown  grant,  and  the  rights  and 
duties  of  the  settlers,  Chaffey  Brothers,  Limited, 
be  asked  to  join  the  settlers  in  approaching  Parlia- 
ment to  have  defined  and  effectually  secured  the 
rights  of  all  parties,  and  that,  failing  Chaffey  Brothers, 
consent  within  14  days,  the  committee  immediately 
prepare  a petition  asking  Parliament  to  appoint  a 
select  committee,  or  otherwise  to  make  a full  inquiry 
to  secure  the  foregoing  object.  It  also  recommended 
the  removal  of  the  registered  office  of  the  company 
to  Mildura,  and  that  pending  the  decision  of  the 
shareholders  on  the  points  raised  the  directors  be 
requested  to  abstain  from  doing  anything  but  routine 
business.  All  the  business  of  the  meeting  including 
the  consideration  of  the  balance  sheet  and  the  elec- 
tion of  directors,  was  deferred.  The  committee’s 
report  is,  in  the  meantime,  to  be  printed  and  circulated 
amongst  the  shareholders.  Before  the  close  of  the 
meeting  Mr.  W.  B.  Chaffey  read  a letter  from  Mr. 
George  Chaffey,  regretting  that  important  business 
would  prevent  his  attending  the  meeting,  and  stat- 
ing that  he  would  be  only  too  delighted  to  accede 
to  any  reasonable  suggestions  made  by  the  meeting. 
The  Earl  of  Ranfurly  afterwards  presided  at  a 
settlers'  meeting,  at  which  the  committee  was 
enthusiastically  supported,  and  he  opened  a sub- 
Bcription-list  to  defray  the  expenses  wish  £20,  £100 
being  promised  in  the  room. 
THE  DISPUTE  AT  MILDURA. 
For  some  time  considerable  friction  has  existed 
between  the  shareholders  in  the  Mildura  Irrigation 
Company  Limited  and  Chaffey  Bros.  Limited.  Each 
purchaser  of  land  from  Chaffey  Bros.,  Limited,  be- 
comes a shareholder  in  the  Irrigation  Company, 
and  acquires  thereby  rights  to  sufficient  water  as 
a perpetual  easement  to  his  property  as  well  as  a 
liability  to  be  rated  for  their  maintenance.  The 
members  of  Chaffey  Bros.,  Limited,  are  also  members 
of  the  Irrigation  Company,  and  have  a controlling  in- 
fluence in  the  management  of  its  business.  A meeting 
of  shareholders  of  the  Irrigation  Company  appointed 
a committee  to  confer  with  the  directors,  with  power 
to  inquire  into  the  constitution,  finance,  general 
management,  and  affairs  of  the  company.  The  com- 
mittee reported  at  a recent  meeting,  and  brought 
forward  a number  of  allegations  tending  to  show 
that  the  control  of  the  two  companies  being  in  the 
same  hands,  and  the  interests  being  at  times  anta- 
gonistic, the  interests  of  the  shareholders  in  the 
Irrigation  Company  had  suffered.  It  was  suggested 
that  Chaffey  Bros.,  Limited,  be  requested  to  join  the 
Irrigation  Company  in  carrying  an  appeal  to  Par- 
liament to  have  the  rights  and  duties  of  the  settlers 
on  the  one  hand  and  of  Chaffey  Bros!,  Limited,  on 
the  other  authoritatively  defined.  Failing  the  consent 
of  the  Chaffey  Bros,  the  appeal  to  be  made  by  the 
settlers  alone.  It  was  also  suggested  that  the  re- 
gistered office  of  the  company  be  removed  to  Mildura. 
The  meeting  was  adjourned  to  give  time  to  consider 
the  report.  Messrs.  Chaffey  Bros,  allege  that  a 
number  of  the  irregularities  complained  of  took 
place  before  there  were  any  settlers,  when  it  was 
necessary  to  keep  the  Irrigation  Company  alive. 
AGRICULTURIST.  173 
They  further  state  that  up  to  July,  1890,  the  irriga- 
tion had  not  cost  the  Irrigation  Company  one  penny. 
One  of  the  most  serious  charges,  as  to  the  Chaffey 
Bros.,  as  directors  of  the  Irrigation  Company,  having 
charged  the  settlers  jointly  and  severally  with  a 
contingent  liability  of  £50,000  to  the  Crown,  has  been 
publicly  withdrawn  as  being  quite  misleading.  Since 
the  adjourned  meeting  informal  demands  of  a modified 
character  have  been  submitted  to  Chaffey  Bros., 
Limited,  which  they  state  they  are  quite  prepared 
to  agree  to.  These  include  the  election  of  two 
local  directors  of  the  Irrigation  Company,  the  sub- 
sequent increase  of  the  board  from  five  to  nine 
members  whereby  the  settlers  may  obtain  full  re- 
presentation, and  an  inquiry  by  the  reconstituted 
board  into  the  alleged  grievances  of  the  settlers, 
with  a view  to  redress.  These  modified  proposals 
have  been  submitted  through  the  mediation  of  Lord 
Ranfurley.  Mr.  George  Chaffe}"-  will  go  to  Mildura 
this  week.  He  expresses  the  belief  that  the  dispute 
will  be  amioably  settled  with  very  little  trouble,  for 
both  Chaffey  Bros.,  Limited,  and  the  settlers  are 
equally  bound-  up  in  the  success  of  the  settlements, 
and  their  interests  are  not  antagonistic,  but  identical. 
— A ustralasian. 
THE  ANNUAL  REPORT  OP  THE  ROYAL 
BOTANIC  GARDENS,  CALCUTTA,  FOR 
THE  YEAR  1891-92. 
The  Resolution  of  the  Goveroment  of  India  on 
Dr.  King's  report  is  as  follows  • — 
The  report  shows  that  the  year  has  been  one  of 
great  activity  as  regards  outdoor  operations,  and 
that  much  has  been  done  to  improve  the  condition 
of  the  driving  roads  in  the  garden,  which  were  referred 
to  in  last  year’s  report  as  requiring  attention.  The 
season  was  abnormally  dry  ; and  though  in  the 
conservatories  but  little  damage  was  done,  it  is  to 
be  regretted  that  out  of  doors,  despite  the  exertions 
of  the  garden  staff,  many  casualties  occurred  especially 
among  the  finer  and  rarer  palms.  Valuable  addi- 
tions were  made  to  the  Herbarium,  among  which 
may  be  mentioned  a rich  collection  of  plants  from 
Kew,  a beautiful  collection  of  Australian  plants  from 
Baron  Von  Miiller,  and  collections  from  the  north- 
west Himalayas,  Jaunsar-Bihar,  Dehra  Dun,  the 
Malay  Peninsula,  North  Canara,  Sindh,  Chota 
Nagpur,  Khasia  Hills  and  Manipur,  Upper  Burmah 
and  Assam,  the  Duars,  Independent  Sikkim  and 
Laccadive  Archipelago.  To  the  contributors  of  these 
specimens,  Messrs.  Lace,  Gamble,  Ridley,  Peal, 
Heawood,  Talbot,  General  Sir  H.  Collett,  Captain 
Fulton,  and  Drs.  Waddell,  Cooke,  Wood  and  Alcock, 
the  thanks  of  Government  are  due.  Dr.  Prain  visited 
the  Andaman  Islands,  Parasnath,  and  the  Khasia- 
Jaintia  Hills;  and  his  botanical  explorations,  as  well 
as  those  of  Collectors  employed  by  the  Calcutta 
garden,  have  added  some  valuable  collections.  During 
the  year  the  third  volume  of  the  garden  annals  was 
issued,  and  the  bulk  of  the  material  for  the  fourth 
volume,  containing  a monograph  by  Dr.  King  on 
the  important  family  of  Anonacece  was  prepared. 
Both  Dr.  King  and  Dr.  Prain  continued  to  contri- 
bute valuable  papers  on  botanical  subjects  to  the 
Journal  of  the  Asiatic  Society  of  Bengal.  The  Lloyd 
Botanic  Garden  in  Darjeeling  was  visited  in  July 
last  by  flights  of  locusts,  which  caused  at  the  time 
considerable  damage  to  the  plants.  The  mischief 
was,  however,  speedily  repaired  and  the  garden  is 
now  reported  to  be  in  excellent  order. 
From  the  detailed  report  we  quote  as  follows  : 
Botanical  Collection. — During  the  year  full  ad- 
vantage was  taken  of  the  various  opportunities  offered 
for  the  botanical  exploration  of  the  provinces  allotted 
to  the  Superintendent  of  the  Royal  Botanic  Garden, 
Colonel  T.  Cadell,  v.c.,  Chief  Commissioner  of  the 
Andamans,  whose  assistance  has  already  had  so  often 
to  be  acknowledged,  having  invited  Dr.  Prain  to  revisit 
Port  Blair  in  connection  with  the  botanical  exploration 
of  his  province,  and  Dr.  King  having  per- 
mitted the  visit,  Dr.  Prain  proceeded  to  Port  Blair  in 
March  1891.  The  station  steamer,  Her  Majesty's 
Indian  Marine  steamer  “Nancowry,"  having  beeq 
