96 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST [Aug. 1, 1902. 
period of 1901. The Loadoa branch was responsible 
for about three-quarters of a million, and the tea and 
Coffee department in Lemau Street, E, for £13,000. 
So far aa the general policy of the Wholesale Society 
is concerned, the most significant recent development 
has been the purchase of two tea estates of 364 
acres iu Ceylon — ^the outcome of a deputation of iwo 
years ago, and also of the demands of Co-operators to 
go direct to the origin of things. 
Lyons & Co. — It is not alone the distributing com- 
panies which make large profits in connection with 
the sale of tea. The possibilities of profit to those 
who run tea shops and cater for the multitude are 
apparently illimitable. The directors of J. Lyons 
and Co. have, in accordance with expectation, issued 
another bonanza, report, in which the gross profits 
are ahowii to have expa,nded by over £50,000. The 
Det result to the shareholders is a final dividend on 
the increased ca,pital of 32^ per cent., as against 30 
per cent., whilst they have the satisfaction of seeing 
a larger balance carried forward »nd their reserve 
augmented to £400,000. 
The quarteklt sales of Cinnamon — held last week 
attracted more than ordinary attention. The total 
number of bales passing the hammer amounted to 
433, as against 1,311 bales in February last, and 
these consisted — with the exception of a few thirds — 
entirely of good and fine qualities, fair plantation 
being conspicuous by its absence. This fact illustrated 
more clearly than anything else the depression from 
which the trade had suffered for a considerable period 
and which had rendered forward business almost 
impossible. Even a certain few operators among 
shippers appear to have failed in their endeavour to 
find buyers of usual assortment at greatly reduced 
prices. Offers of 8Jd c.i.f., we are told, had to be 
returned to Colombo as being too dear for our market. 
Evidently some consumers have unwisely allowed 
their stocks to run dangerously low. The trade had 
to purchase and was forced to concede prices which 
were much in excess of those accepted privately. 
Fine sorts realised an adrauce of about 2d above last 
sales' rates, and good fetched about 3d more than 
was paid in the February auctions, whereas the few 
fair bales of thirds found buyers at an advance of |d 
per lb. The tone in the market has since been a 
firm one both here and in Ceylon. — H, and C. Mail 
June 6. 
CEYLON ASSOCIATION LONDON. 
(Report of the Executive Committee.) 
[For the year 1901-1902.— To be laid beiore the 
fourteenth annual general meeting on Monday, 
16tli June, 1902.] 
The number of members on the roll is 154. The 
chief buniuess of the Association during the year 
ha« been dealt with by the Tea and Produce 
Committee, and the Executive Committee has had 
no other important business before it. In last 
year's report it was stated thiat there was an 
unexpended balance — £39 Ss 3d — of the money 
raised in 1900 for providing comforts for the 
Ceylon Contingent serving in South Africa. Of 
this balance £19 17s was contributed to the cost 
of the dinner given to ohe contingent, and the re- 
mainder, £19 lis 3d has been remitted as a dona- 
tion to the Planters' Benevolent Fund. The 
Association is much indebted to Mr. W S Bennett 
for a present of lantern slides with views of Ceylon, 
forming a valuable addition to the collection pur- 
chased in Ceylon a few years back. The slides 
have been much used by members for the purpose 
of illustrated lectures. 
THE DEATH-ROLL FOR THE YEAR 
includes the names of the following members ; — 
Mr Daniel W Blyth, Mr George Smyttan DufF, 
w Donald Noble, Mr John Mackiutosh Smith 
and Mr George T White. The connection of the 
two first-named with Ceylon dates back to the 
middle of the last century. Mr Smith and Mr 
Noble were well-known in the Colony at a later 
date as Planter and Banker respectively, while 
Mr White, as a leading London Tea Broker, has 
been a Member of the Tea and Produce Com- 
mittee since its formation in 1889. — The report 
of the Tea and Produce Committee and the ac- 
counts for the year are, as usual, appended to 
this Keport. 
REPORT OP THE TEA AND PRODUCE 
COMMITTEE. 
(For the year 1901-1902.) 
The Committee has held nine meetings during the 
year.— The first business of the year was the appoint- 
ment of a Sub-Committee consisting of the President, 
Messrs R A Bosanqnet, A Brown and A Thomson, to 
consider and report upon the proposal for the forma- 
tion of a Joint Indian and Ceylon Tea Growers' 
Association, in accordance with the resolution passed 
at the annual meeting of the Association on 24th 
June, 1901. The Sub committee, acting in concert 
with a Sub-Committee of the Indian Tea Association, 
submitted in February last an interim report, after 
consideration of which by your Committee the matter 
was referred back for further inquiry. 
The question of the increase of the Tea Cess in 
Ceylon from 20 cents to 30 cents per 1001b has 
engaged much attention. In considering this important 
subject the Committee had the advantage of hearing 
addresses by Mr P C Larkin of Toronto, Canada, and 
by Mr J H Renton, Ceylon Tea Commissioner on the 
Continent of Europe. After hearing the former a reso- 
lution was passed and forwarded to the Thirty Com- 
mittee in favour of devoting to the bonus on the 
manufacture of Green Teas a larger proportion of the 
funds available. 
On the question of the proposed increase of the Ceaa 
much difference of opinion was at first manifested j but 
in response to a circular issued in December, 
together with a letter from Mr. E Rosling, Chairman 
of the Planters* Association, appealing for support for 
the increase, a large majority of the replies received 
from tea growers in this country were favourable. An 
ordinance to remain in force to June. 1906, has since 
been passed by the Legislative Council, enacting that 
the Cess may be at the rate of 30 cents per 100 lb of 
tea exported from Ceylon. 
It was mentioned in the Committee's report last 
year that it had been agreed to give a trial to private 
sales of tea, under conditions to be arranged by the 
various sections interested in the trade. For three 
months, July, August and September, private sales of 
Ceylon tea were held every Thursday, but sellers, find- 
ing no advantage in the system, reverted to the 
Tuesdays' public sales. 
At the beginning of the Indian tea season the Com- 
mittee for the regulation of sales resumed its 
operations. Your Committee was prepared to assist 
in these, both by supplying information as to the 
quantities of Ceylon tea being brought forward for 
sale and by a vote in aid of the expenses, but the 
Regulation Committee, unfortunately, failed to receive 
adequate support from Indian sellers and again its 
operations came to an end. 
Several suggestions hav'e been made to your Com- 
mittee during the year by the Tea Buyers' Association 
(1) For the niarking with the letter E of all packages 
containing tea which has been racked into fresh 
packages at the Custom House ; (2) For the nomin-i 
ation of three representatives to confer with repre< 
aentatives of the Indian Tea Association and of the 
Tea Buyers' Association on certain specified matters 
connected with the tea trade ; (3) For the re-weighing 
—of the ounce— of the selected average tared tea 
ackages by the Customs authorities. The Committee 
aa not been able to assent to any of these proposals. 
There have recently been many complaints pa 
the part of Importers pf damage to Tea, by frtiU 
