252 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
Oct.  i,  1892 
BARK  AX D DRUG  REPORT. 
(From  Chemist  and  Druggist.) 
London,  Aug.  11. 
Cinchona.— The  auctions  on  Tuesday  were  again  very 
light,  the  total  quantity  included  in  the  nine  catalogues 
being 
Pkgs.  rkgs. 
Ceylon  cinchona  ...  768  of  which  760  were  sold 
East  Indian  cinchona... 
53 
do 
45 
do 
Java  cinchona 
117 
do 
117 
do 
African  cinchona 
70 
do 
70 
do 
South  American  cinchona 
414 
do 
267 
do 
Total 
1,152 
do 
1,259 
do 
The  tone  showed  some  improvement  upon  the  last  sales, 
and  at  times  competition  was  rather  strongly  accen- 
tuated. The  general  view  is  that  the  auctions  resulted 
in  a slight  but  general  advance  in  values,  the  average 
unit  being  now  1 3-UV.hs  cV  to  ljd  per  lb. 
The  following  are  the  approximate  quantities  purchased 
by  the  principal  buyers  : — 
Lbs. 
Agents  for  the  Mannheim  and  Amsterdam  works  1C4.129 
Agents  for  the  American  and  Italian  works  32,023 
Messrs.  Howards  & Sons  30,485 
Agents  for  the  Paris  factory  23,598 
Agents  for  the  Frankfort  o/M.  and  Stuttgart 
works  ....  21,546 
Agents  for  the  Auerbach  factory  ...  21,  20 
Agents  for  the  Brunswick  factory  ....  18,855 
Sundry  druggists  ’ ....  22  385 
Total  quantity  sold  . ...  274,141 
Bought  in  or  withdrawn  37,122 
Total  quantity  offered  ......  311,263 
INDIAN  TEA  DISTRICTS  ASSOCIATION. 
Cha'rman  : General  Henry  Hopkiuron,  c.s.l. 
(late  Chief  Commissioner  of  As-am).  Vice-Chair- 
man: George  Williamson,  E q.  Secretary:  Ernest 
Tye.  Office  : St.  Mary’s  Chambers,  St.  Alary  Axe, 
Loudon,  E.  0. 
The  following  is  tie  twelfth  annual  report  of  the 
association: — The  committee  of  the  Indian  Tea  Dis- 
tricts Association  have  the  pleasure  to  submit  to  the 
members  the  following  statement  on  the  conclusion 
of  the  twelfth  year  of  its  operations: — 
OCEAN  FREIGHTS. 
Overtures  we  e made  to  your  committee,  shortly 
after  the  last  annual  meeting,  on  the  part  of  the 
Calcutta  Steam  Oonferene  or  “ Association  of  Steam 
Ship  Owners  engaged  in  E’.stern  Trade, ” for  a renewal 
of  the  agreemint  for  the  exclusive  carriage  of  the 
Indian  tea  crop  for  a further  period  of  five  years 
in  consideration  of  certain  concessions.  A meet- 
ing of  your  committee  t;  ok  place  on  Aug.  11, 
1891,  at  which  the  following  reso'ution  was 
passed: — “ Re  olved  that  in  consideration  of  a 
reduction  of  5i  per  ton,  making  a net  difference  of  10s 
per  ton  between  the  average  or  mean  of  the  rates  for 
jute,  linseed,  rice  and  wheat  ai.d  tea — and  having  the 
rebate  calculated  and  paid  on  periods  of  thiee  months, 
viz  , July  1st,  Oct.  1st,  Jan.  1st,  and  April  1st — each 
quarterly  payment  to  be  made  in  the  following  month, 
it  is  agreed  to  enter  into  an  agreement  for  a period  of 
tivo  years  from  July  1st,  LS91,  and  at  the  termination 
of  such  agreement  the  rebate  account  shall  he  made 
up  to  June  30tb,  189G,  and  be  paid  to  the  respective 
parties.”  The  equity  of  hiving  no  penalty  attaching 
to  the  natural  ter/niua' ion  of  the  proposed  agreement 
by  the  simple  tffluxion  of  time  (a  point  on  which  the 
meitiDg  was  unanimous)  was  not,  however,  appreciated 
by  the  Calcutta  Steam  Conference,  and  the  negotia- 
tions fell  through.  On  Nov.  3rd  the  question  came 
before  another  meeting  of  your  committee,  when  the 
following  resolutions  were  unauiruou  ly  parsed  : — 
(1).  “That  as  the  negotiations  with  the  conference 
liners  for  a new  agreement  have  resulted  in  tail- 
ure,  due  notice  be  given  to  Mr,  Westray,  on 
or  before  Dec.  28th  next,  of  tiro  intention  of  the 
Jil  l ics  to  Ihe  agreement  of  April  23rd,  1SS8,  to  put 
on  end  to  the  same  on  February  23ih,  1892.’’  (2) 
“ That  the  secretary  be  requested  to  ask  the  signa- 
tories to  the  present  agreement  to  sign  the  requisite 
notice.”  Notice  of  the  termimticn  of  the  agreement 
was  accordingly  drawn  up,  signed  by  ail  the  parties 
to  the  original  agreement  ot  April  23;d,  1888,  and 
lodged  with  the  secretary  to  the  Calcutta  Steam 
Conference.  The  secession  of  one  of  the  lines  com- 
prising the  Calcutta  Steam  Conference  having  occurred, 
the  agreements  formerly  made  with  the  combination 
were  materially  affected.  Your  comnjittce  are  ttr  mgly 
of  ofiaiou  that  ihe  interests  of  ihe  tea  industry  will 
be  best  served  by  ab-  a.ning  from  entering  iu  o an 
agreement  likely  to  obstruct  free  c>  mpatitiou  ; they 
think  that  a fairer  scale  of  freights  will  bo  secured 
by  encouraging  a system  cf  free  trsds  among  ocean 
carrying  steamers,  and  they  are,  therefore,  of  opinion 
that  it  is  inadvisable  to  enter  into  a contract  with 
any  combination  of  shipowners. 
INLAND  RIVER  FREIGHT. 
This  subject  continues  to  occupy  the  ottent'on  of  the 
special  committee  to  whom  the  question  was  referred, 
but  so  tar  no  final  satisfactory  agreement  lias  been 
arrived  at.  Negotiations,  however,  are  still  pending. 
LABOUR  SANITATION  IN  THE  TEA  DISTRICTS. 
An  International  Congress  of  Hygiene  and  Demo- 
graphy vas  held  in  Londou  in  August  last,  when 
S urges n- General  A.  C.  C.  De  Rei  zy,  C.  B.,  who  kindly 
cousented  to  prepare  a paper  shewing  the  great  pro- 
gress which  has  been  made  iu  samiaiion  in  the  tea 
districts  of  India,  was  nominated  as  the  delegate  of 
the  association. 
PROPOSED  LABOUR  SUPPLY  ASSOCIATION. 
The  prospectus  of  this  proposed  association,  which 
originated  iu  Calcutta,  was  considered  by  a large 
ami  representative  meeting,  held  ou  Feb.  9th  last, 
when  a resoluti  >n  was  unanimons'y  passed  oordialiy 
approving  of  the  proposal  to  foroi  ruch  an  associa- 
tion and  agreeing  to  support  the  scheme.  Ou  May 
5th  another  meeting  took  place,  when  Mr.  Cruiok- 
Bhank,  of  Calcutta,  explained  in  detail  the  objects 
aimed  at  and  the  proposed  method  of  working.  The 
members  present  affirmed  their  adherei  ce  to  the 
scheme,  promised  their  snpport,  and  strougly  recom- 
mended all  employers  ot  imported  labour  tc  join 
the  association.  Unfortunately,  the  project  does  not 
seem  to  have  secured  that  unanimous  support  in 
Calcutta  which  the  importance  of  the  subject  de- 
mauds. This  is  much  to  be  regretted  lor  many 
reasons,  and  especially  so  in  view  of  the  probability 
that  Government  may  take  early  action  to  deal 
directly  with  the  malpractices  that  are  said  to  exi.-t 
in  the  recruiting  districts.  The  formation  of  such  an 
association  with  the  avowed  object  of  placing  the  system 
of  recruiting  on  a more  satisfactory  basis  would  be  of 
material  assistance  to  the  Government,  and  representa- 
tions from  such  a body  would  carry  considerable  weight 
in  dealing  with  all  questions  affecting  the  importation 
of  labour  generally  which  are  likely  to  arise  when 
the  revision  ol  the  existing  Act  comes  under  discussion. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  unanimous  snpport  on  this 
side  may  encourage  the  Oaleulta  Association  to  reopen 
this  important  matter  and  carry  through  the  proposed 
scheme  to  a successful  issue.  The  following  resume 
of  the  correspondence  latolv  publi-bed  by  the  Gov- 
ernment of  India  aud  sent  officially  to  your  com- 
mittee, is  submitted  for  your  information : — The 
Government  of  India  has  lately  published  a long 
correspondence  on  the  question  tiaing  out  of  the 
conditions  of  coolie  labour  in  Assam  aud  Ihe 
mo  ie  of  recruiting  labour  in  Bengal  for  the 
Assam  tea  plantat  on?.  The  correspondence  is  sum- 
marised iu  a despatch  from  Lord  Cross,  in  the 
course  of  which  he  expresses  his  satisfaction  that 
the  result  or  a very  complete  enquiry  into  the 
matter  is  that  the  present  system  works  satisfac- 
torily, and  that  the  emigrant  isgererully  well  cared  for 
and  prosperous  He  concurs  in  the  view  that  emigra- 
tion lrom  the  congested  districts  of  Norttern  India  to 
a province  where  there  is  an  energetic  demand,  both 
on  tea  gardens  and  on  virgin  soil,  for  additional  labour, 
