Aug. 1, 1902. J 
THE TEOPICAL 
AGRICULTUSIRT. 
107 
A CALCUTTA INTERVIEW WITH IvIR. 
DRUMMOND DEANE. 
HIS OPINION ON CEYLON TEA 
AFFAIRS. 
While Mr Druminond Deatip, the well-known 
Ceylon and Tiavancore planter, was in Calcutta 
last week, a representative of this journal took the 
opportunity of elicitinc; his views on tea subjects 
generally. Mr Deane in reply to questions said :— 
" Joming to Ceylon affairs," he said, "do you think 
it is practicable to amalgamate Indian and Ceylon 
interests in a joinf. campaign as has been sug- 
gested ? " 
" Well, I think in the present state of tea they 
are practically identical. The present sluggishness 
of Indian tea on the markets is a distinct clog 
upon Ceylon. The weight of Indian tea on London 
adversely affects Ceylon prices in the market to 
wiiicli the greatest part of liercropis still sold. 
So, considering that Indian progress is evidently 
fated to be slow for some time yet to com?, I think 
it would be wise of Ceylon to come forward and 
lielp what some people call her rival out of the 
ditch, if possible. It is a, question from which 
sentiment should be excluded; the question Ceylon 
planters have to ask themselves is whether India 
will not do them more harm by wallowing in that 
ditch and bringing down tea prices generally than 
by getting on her legs by drawing off a certain pro- 
portion of the good of Ceylon efforts. I am not 
sure that it would not be sound policy to include 
Java in a general scheme of mutual help, I cer- 
tainly advocatea combineil movement for India and 
Ceylon. Of course, in tlie pre.?ent state of Indian 
finances the Ceylon people would be bound to 
think that we rn India were trying to get too 
much out of them, but if left to herself, so far as 
I can see, India will cause a greater loss to Ceylon 
by overloading London, and so bringing down tea 
prices. And in this last contingency no one at all 
will profit." 
" How are Ceylon men likely to view this?" 
" Well, perhaps they are hardly educated up to 
it, though some of their leaders believe in it. In 
the Green Tea develoiiment alone there have been 
some very utii-ouiid views put forward with regard 
to India and Ceylon. It was considered as a sort 
of injury that India should take up this industry 
which Ceylon had started. Now tiiis is ca)iable 
of being turned to the real benefit of Ceylon poin- 
ters. Every pound of Green Tea made in India 
leaves a chance for another pound of black tea 
made in Ceylon. The island cannot develop the 
whole of the Green Tea market in America. Taking 
it at that alone, there is enough room and to spare 
for both countries. But Ceylon has not enough of 
tea lands suitable for the Green I'ea development. 
After producing about 10 million pounds Ceylon 
would have to stop, while India at a moderate 
computation has land on which Green lea culti- 
vation is advisable sufficient to produce lour 
times as much. The qualities of Green Tea in 
favour have little strength. In Jap&n the flushes 
come on so rapidly during the short season that 
they are only tit to produce a washy sort of tea, 
the Indiaa bheel gardens of CacUav and Sylhet 
H 
especially are, I am sure, just fitted to pro- 
duce these qualities, and have the additional 
advantage that they can be worked at a very 
cheap rate, and also a practical inducement that, 
however Lea may recover, these gardens with their 
heavy flushes of waiery leaf will never attain high 
prices for their black leas. Now in Ceylon with 
any recovery in tea prices brought on, say by 
increased Green Tea production lij.'htening the 
black tea market, it will pay Green Tea producer 
except in a fairly small proportion of acreage to 
return to black tea. Theref'^re I consider it 
would be to the real benefit to Ceylon proprietors 
to'actually induce India to go in for Green Teas 
as she is more likely to stick to the manufacture 
and thus make a permanent withdrawal of a 
percentage of tea from the black tea market." 
"Youadvocate, then, a jointpropaganda between 
India and Ceylon in America in gi een tea as well 
as black ? ' 
"Certainly, though India has not much money 
at present to help, it would be well for Ceylon to 
let her do as much as she can in the joint 
effort and to supply the deficiency, including 
Indian tea in Ceylon advertisements for a 
contribution as great as circumstances will admit. 
Even if India gets her Cess she will still be behind 
Ceylon in the matter of money. This might seem 
too unselfish a course to follow to most, for selfish- 
ness and exclusiveness are rather prevalent; but I 
believe it is unselfishness that would pay Ceyloa 
in the end." 
" Well, Mr Deane, it may come off, but certain 
people in Ceylon will need a deal of persuasion. 
What, for instance, do you think of Mr Kosling's 
remarks on the subject of the Indian Cess, con- 
tributed last year to the Colombo press, where he 
wrote that it was not to Ceylon's interest that 
India should get her Cess?" 
" I think he was so obviously wrong and short- 
sighted that it is quite sufficient to leave it to the 
intelligent reader to pick out the fallacy for him- 
self." ' 
"To sum up the present situation, what do you 
consider we immediately need ?" 
"At present we can only hope for the Cess to 
give us a chance to work tff our surplus ; 
another thing which would relieve us we are, it 
seems, not likely to get— reduction in exchange. 
The present artificially inflated rupee presses 
hard on those who sell produce trom India. 
With regard to the Cess, we ought to have the 
sympathy of the Viceroy, because, if I remember 
right, it was he who, when addressing the Assam 
planters, impressed upon them the necessity of 
helping themselves by getting off their tea on 
new markets, and the Cess movement is nothing 
but the practical embodiment of the policy he 
advocated and recommended. The Cess, however, 
will be a serious responsibility upon those who 
administer it, and I trust tliac London will nob 
get a preponderating influence, or there is no say- 
ing what things we shall see. Every district in 
India should be fully represented on the model of 
the Ceylon Thirty Committee and by men whose 
chief interest does cot lie in tea trading to Lon- 
don particularly but who are devoted to tiie 
growing of tea and its disposal in the most judi- 
cious manner possible, no matter on w hat market; 
a body in fact who can be trusted to take care of 
the general interests of tea growers without any 
leaning to any particular trade." — Indian 
doling and Planting, June 26, 
