Jan. 1, 1901.1 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTUEIST. 
THE.FL'TUKE OF TEA AND COFFEE : 
The Cey for Imperial Fiscal Fx'Dkration — 
" i'eotection." 
The circular letter from the United Plant- 
ers' Association of Southern India given 
in our ( Jorrespondence, appears at an in 
opportuiie moment ; for the news has 
only just been published that the "sugar 
bounties" of the Continent — the most noto- 
rious and obnoxious form of differential treat- 
ment—are about to be abolished and it 
is not likely, with that fact in view, 
that the British Government would enter 
on a policy so opposed to the principles 
of political economy which are now-a- 
days accepted by nearly all schools of 
statesmen. Not only so, but the Chancellor 
of ihe Exchequer, in a recent speech in Lanca- 
shire, specially denounced the suggestions he 
had seen made in certain quarters, respect- 
ing differential duties ; and it is, therefore, in 
our opinion, a mere waste of time to try to 
move the Government of which Sir Michael 
Hicks Beach is so prominent a member, to 
listen to the prayer of the circular before us. 
A united memorial on the part of all British 
tea producers against the "sixpenny duty" 
on tea is far more desirable and likely to bear 
fruit, though, we fear, not in the approach- 
ing budget. How then is "tea" to get 
relief from the accumulation of stocks and 
consequent low prices now threatening if not 
prevailing ? The first lesson surely to all pro- 
ducers both here and in India is to strive 
to the uttermost to pluck and manufacture 
better teas— no longer to sacrifice quality 
to quantity ; but to pluck finer and aim at 
a higher standard of outturn. Native grow- 
ers and makers of tea are not likely to take 
such a hint and we must, of course, recog- 
nise the fact that a certain quantity of 
cheap common tea is bound to be manu- 
factured both here and in India ; but we 
think there is encouragement to anticipate a 
new outlet for much of these cheaper teas in 
the movement now actively commenced by 
the Indian Association, Ccilcutta, to spread a 
taste and demand for tea among millions of 
the native community who can well afford 
to buy and use such teas. There can be no 
good reason why che vast population of 
India Burma, the Straits and Ceylon should 
not follow, to some extent, the example 
set them in China and Japan in regard to 
the drinking of tea, morning, noon and 
night, albeit in the form of a very weak 
infusion. The custom cannot, of course, bo 
expected to prevail generally for ;v good 
many years to come ; but we hope to see ■• 
each year make a difference in the local 
consumption of cheap teas. In this connec- 
tion we draw attention to the article from 
a Calcutta paper on another page entitled 
"the slump in tea." 
At the same time the manufacture of "green 
teas " must go on, and the fight to win over 
fresh consumers for our teas on the Conti- 
nent of Europe and America be strenu- 
ously maintained. Tliere is still another 
means of affording possible relief to the 
local market, of making Colombo more 
than ever the great tea port of the East, 
and certainly of increasing the trade and 
business of this port. That is to be found 
60 
in the abolition of the local import duty 
on tea. We are convinced that the sooner 
this is done,- the better for our tea interests all 
round. For one thing, it muse at once meet the 
convenience of our Russian friends and en- 
courage them more and more to concentrate 
their business at this port. If it further 
induced a local manufacture of "brick tea," 
there would be a distinct gain through the 
proportion used of our cheaper teas ; while 
as to " blending," as it is notorious that 
Ceylon teas are blended at every port to which 
they are exported, we cannot for the life of 
of us, see why the blending should not 
be carried out in Colombo, rather than, or 
just as much as, in Melbourne, Sydney. 
New York or London. As for the risk of 
China, Japanese or Java teas being re-shipped 
from Colombo as "pure Ceylon," we have fre- 
quently pointed out tlicab some of our ('eylon 
tea shipments iiave already done us as much 
discredit as any lots fioui oLlier countries 
under our name, could possibly effect , but 
as a matter of fact, experts in the different 
ports and countries could not be deceived 
by any "pure ce.vlon" label, while fraudulent 
attempts of the kind might be penalised at 
the same time that the import duty was 
abolished. 
BRITISH NEW GUINEA. 
INTERVIEW WITH MR. C. E. KENNEDY, 
MANAGER OF NEW GUINEA DEVELOP- 
MENT SYNDICATE. 
THK COUNTESS OP HOPI^TOtjn'S BROTHER— A 
COLONIST OF THE NEW COUNTRY. 
We had an interesting conversation last 
month with Mr. C. E. Kennedy of New 
Guinea, who was on his way honie and had 
spent nearly a month visiting Ceylon, up- 
country for the most part. Mr. Kennedy is 
a colonist of ten years' standing in the 
comparatively new tropical colony, part of 
which is the same latitude south of the 
equator as Ceylon is north of it, and part 
of which reaches even to the equator itself. 
When Mr. Kennedy first went to New Guinea 
(as a lay worker for the C. M. S.) he was 
warned that it was a dangerous fever- 
stricken country and that he would never 
come back. After ten years' residence, Mr. 
Kennedy is now taking his well-earned fur- 
lough, determined, like others who know 
New Guinea, to I'emove the iinpression, 
wherever possible, that tlie conditions of life 
in his adopted home are anything but un- 
favourable to white men who ai^e careful 
and temperate. 
LABOUR 
which we believed was one difficulty, is re- 
ally very plentiful and obtainable for 
the equivalent of Id a day ! Amongst 
the independent Colonists, however, there 
is a feeling that Government is spoiling 
the labour market by offering too high 
wages— in some cases as much as .3d per day. 
Thi-^ is no doubt so as to secure permanent 
workers, in a place where living is so cheap 
for natives that they are not likely to work 
except Vv^hen inclined. Skilled labour more- 
over is very difficult to get, but there are 
enough hands for the mining schemes on foot ; 
