530 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Feb. 2, 1903. 
Fig 11 and 12 show a somewhat modified form o£ the 
grip arrangement. 
The large groove in the standard head pulleys has the 
advantage of altogether preventing Lhe rope from 
being jerked off, which is a common fault with the 
ordinary rope-carrying pulleys having a groove only 
half the diameter of the rope. 
The t p btaokeb A, of the gcip frame shown in Ficr 8 
carries a rail pulley U, already referred to. This 
cornea in contact with ihe shunt rail F, when the lo"»d 
reaches the end of its journey, and as the shunt rail is 
laid at a flatter down grade than the rope at this point 
the weight of the load is taken up by the rail, aiid the 
ppndant jaws open and release the rope automatically. 
This process is reversed at the loading aide, the shunt 
rail being almost level while the rope has an upward 
slope at this point, so that as the load travels along the 
shunt rail, the open pendant jaws close on the cope, 
and the load is automatically taken np by the rope 
from the shunt rail. 
The loads carried are limited to 5 cwt each, but 
necessarily most of them are less, as it is easier to 
handle lighter loads though the ropeway is capable of 
taking far more than the existing traffic. 
Assuming forty loads as about the average numher 
on the rope at one time, a delivery is ensured of 
fifteen loads at hoth ends per hour, when the rope 
is running at the raie of two miles tin hour, and 
working ten hours with 4 cwt loida. This gives an 
average of 30 tons a day each way, or more than 
double the ropeway has acLually to carry. The speeds 
arranged for are one, two, three, and four miles per 
hour, but at two miles the line handles more than 
has been required of it hitherto. The economy in 
working, as compared with the old methods of trans- 
portation, is close on £L per ton. The advantages 
of beicg able to erect an aerial rope of this class 
on steep grades are obviou?, as not only does it 
effect a considerable saving in regard to the original 
cost of the installation, but by the use of the giip 
carrier described, the life of the rope is greatly pro- 
longed, owing to the fact that they probably never 
grip exactly the same part of the rope twice, andthe 
wear and tear is thus equalised throughout its length. 
The prospects of success when the w rk was com- 
menced were small, but the resnl'.e obtained have been 
very satisfactory. — Traction and Transmission for 
Nov. 1902, 
«^ 
A NEW CEYLON PUBLICATION; 
"SPOLIA ZEYLANICA." 
" Spolia Zeylanica" is to be the title of 
.1 new publication issued by the Ceylon 
Government Museum, Colombo, iior taking 
the initiative in which credit is due to the 
new Director, Dr. A. VVilley, p.r.s. The 
publication will bo commenced shortly in 
the form of an Illustrated Quarterly Journal, 
containinp: Records ajid Contributions, to- 
gether with Motes, Abstracts and Reviews, 
relating to the Economic and Systematic 
Knowledge of the Natural Resources (Zoo- 
logy, Anthropology, rn.Iesontology) of the 
Island and of tiie sufroimding Seas. The 
subscriptiem will be Kn v)er annum, payable 
to the Director, Colombo Museum, We 
wish the new Quarterly nil -success. 
--S». 
BLENDING INDIAN AND CEYLON TEA; 
8AUCK FOR THK GOOSE MUST BE SO FOR 
THIi OANDEH. 
Lately our evening contemporary contended 
that it was an advantage to Indian tea planters 
th tt Ceylon tea should be admitted tree : — 
Indian lea in not so palatable as a blend of Indian 
and (Jeylon teas, and tiiat, as a matter of fact, 
the uae of such a bleud will be to the advantage 
of their conbumer aud to no real disadvantage o 
Indian producers. 
The "Indian Planter's Gazette" is not to be 
caught after this fashion : — 
If it was a fact that the indigenous article was 
undriiikable hy itself, and unsnitable to the palates 
of consumers without the admixture of au exotic 
brand such aa Ceylon, surely t&e largest firm of 
tea dealers, Messrs. Brooke, Bond & Co., Ltd., 
would have taken cognisance of it, and would 
not have confined themselves to selling blends of 
pure Indian tea. We have their assurance that 
the blends they are selling in this country 
are all blends of pure Indian teas. This state- 
ment cannot be gainsaid, so where does the con- 
tention of our contemporary come in ? Some 
time ago it was suggested that the Ceylon import 
duty should at least be abolished on Indian ten, 
so as to permit of blends of Ceylon and Indian 
teas being made in Colombo. But our Island 
contemporaries would not hear of it. Now, iiow- 
ever, in tlieir attempt to drive in the thin edge 
of the wedge, they put forward the cool proposi- 
tion that their product should be blended with 
ours in order to make it go down the throats of 
our Jioipolloi the jnore easily. Such a procednre, 
we are told, will make our teas demotic. But, 
needless to say, we are well able, with the great 
varieties of tea we produce in this country, to 
cater to the wants of our proletariat, without the 
assistance of any adventitious aids. With Ceylou, 
however, it is otherwise. 
Our Calcutta contemporary is inexcusably 
wrong in part of the above ; for he has had 
evidence before him more than once that the 
Ceylon Observer has consistently advocated the 
abolition of the Ceylon import duty on tea as 
an antiquated, unjust and altogether indefen- 
sibl'^ levy,— the proper substitute being expert 
inspection at our Customs to keep ,out any 
teas below .t certain standard. 
China Tea Exports— it will be seen from 
the latest reliab'e figures published elsewhere 
— are still far ahead of the preceding year. 
To the end of the year 1902 the increase 
was 13.725,567 lb, America has taken about 
10 million lb. more than on the previous 
year, Russia has taken some 4 millions lessj 
and England 2 millions less. 
" Coloured" Cb^ylon Green Tea Rk- 
.JECTED IN America.— We direct attention 
to the information conveyed to the Ceylon 
Planters' Association by Mr. William Mac- 
kenzie regarding the rejection of 38 packages 
of green tea in New York. From the state- 
ment "some colouring trick had been tried 
on it" it would appear that Mr. Mackenzie's 
friend is imder the impression that colouring 
Ceylon Tea is uiiusual in America. This is 
not so. After the above disquieting statenient 
we should like to be sure that of the green tea 
which leaves Ceylon for America none con- 
tinues to be similarly treated before shipment; 
though our Comniissioner does not actually 
state the present " trick " took place in Ceylon. 
.We have credible authority for saying that 
much of the Ceylon tea which leaves here as 
pure Ceylon green tea is treated in America 
before being placed on the market. Perhaps 
the American buyers prefer to do their own 
colouring, with colouring matter, before the 
green tea is sold ; for then they know exactly 
what they are offering to the public ? 
