March 2, 1903.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 607 
in charge for having kept the road open at all times. 
MiNoii Roads.— Generally are in good qrder. 
Postal. — It is to be hoped that Government will 
give the District a Post and Telegraph office at 
Ragalla when the railway reaches this point. 
Light Railway. — Beyond a certain amount of earth 
cutting little has been done durinfr the past year, 
and this Association hope to see more rapid progre.ss 
in the near future. A connecting road from Maturatta 
to Brookside is a necessity, if the railway is 
to receive Maturatta Produce. 
Tatapahai Schejie. — So far as it has been tried 
appears to work satisfactorily. 
Labour. — Is none too plentiful though in a fairly 
settled condition, advances are normal. 
Rifle Corps. — Has now being formed and consists 
of 17 members. Range has also been settled upon at 
Dickson's corner and is now being made. 
Conclusion. — Although the prices for the first six 
moLths were not so good as last year a very decided 
improvement has now set in, and it is to be hoped 
we have heard the last of depression in the tea in- 
dustry as a decided better tone appears generally 
both at home and in Ceylon, 
NUWARA ELTYA PLANTERS' 
ASSOCIATION. 
KEPORT FOR 1902. 
The past year has not been an eventful one as far 
as this Association is concerned, and consequently it 
has not been necessary to call many meetings. 
The number of members who have paid subscriptions 
individually or on account of estates is 19, as against 
18 last year. * 
The annual official estimate of tea crop for 1903, is 
as follows : — 
Nuwara Eliya 'J Estates Total Bearing E'mated 
Bamboda f Acreage Acreage Crop 
New Galway ( lb. 
Kandapola J 20 6,720 6,G15 3,118,.50O 
— the estimate yield being at the rate of 471 lb. per 
acre, as against 466 lb. for 1902. 
The past season has not been altogether a satis- 
factory one as regards yield, the main factor in 
bringing about this result has been the abnormally 
wet sunless weather during the latter part of the 
year, coupled with a considerable amount of damage 
done in certain properties, by frost in the first quarter 
of the year. The price for high-grown tea has con- 
tinced to be disappointing 
Laboue. — During the first half of the year was 
fairly plentiful, but few estates are as fully supplied as 
oonld be wished to meet the demand, which may be 
expected in the ordinary course during the second 
quarter of the year. 
Increased Advances. — i'our Committee regret that 
owing to the scarcity of labour coming in from the 
coast, advances are increasing and at the moment stand 
at rather a higher figure tha,n they did at the samo 
time last year. 
The Tin Ticket System and Registration ok 
Estates — has worked satisfactorily duriug the year, 
and will prove, we trust, a great boon to planters 
generally. 
Pests and Blights. — Your Committee is glad to 
report that the district has been free of them during 
the year. 
Health. — The general health of the coolies in this 
district has been quite satisfactory and there has been 
complete immunity from any serious epidemic. 
Rici: — during the year was rather cheaper, but the 
price is still rather high. 
Railway E.\tension inoM Xuwaba Eliya to Kan- 
dapola. — The resolution passed at the last meeting of 
the Association having been forwarded to Government, 
Mr. Oliver, the Chief Resident Engineer of the North- 
ern and Udapussellawa Railway extension, was dis- 
patched to meet a deputatiou of this Assogiatiou com- 
posed of Messrs. W A Mooyart-Denison, C J Bayley 
and S P Blackmore, with whom were associated the 
Pioviucial and District Engineers (Public Works De- 
partment) who kindly attended to the invitation of 
your Committee. The deputation pointed out to Mr 
Oliver some of the most dangerous places where the 
railway enoroLiched on the cart-road, ^hese, he pro- 
posed himself to have fenced of with wire, and in 
a few instances to limit projecting comers. In the 
opinion of your Committee these minor protections 
are quite inadequate to make the road (the only road of 
any merit as a drive for residents at the Sanatarium) 
safe for horse traffic, which it must be made, for local 
purposes. 
Finances. — The finances are in a satisfactory condi- 
tion, The credit balance i3R97'51, as against a balance 
last year of R85'70. 
(Signed) S. P, BlaCkmoke. 
PRICE OF RUiJBEK. 
A very determined effort is being made to raise 
tlie price of india-rubber. We are favoured daily 
with all sorts of reports about it, and if we had 
taken it seriously every time we were told it was 
" a penny up," we should now be in despair. We 
hope in the interests of the Trade to have no higher 
price ; inanufacturers do not want '1897-1898 to 
be repeated. 
A meeting is supposed to be held annually wliich 
is kept strictly secret of various rubber dealers. The 
chairman produces a lot of tickets which have got 
quite faded and black from age and long usage, 
and taking one at a time, the meeting discusses its 
chances. The first is headed "flood," and describes 
how that the rains have been so heavy that 
the floods have not yet subsided. The rubber 
gatherers are waiting, but as yet the water covers 
the earth, and nothing can be done. So much 
time has been lost that it will be quite impossible 
to gather snflicient rubber before the rainy season 
begins again, and a short crop and high prices are 
inevitable. The ne.xt card is quite topsy-turvey. 
Here the rains have been so slight that the rivers 
are quite unnavigable. The rubber is there, but 
getting it down to the ports is the difficulty. The 
rivers are not likely to rise before the season ends 
so a short crop, etcetera. The next card is a teiri- 
ble picture. We would turn from it in horror. 
It depicts fever-stricken men left to die in misery 
and solitude, while others are escaping by any 
possible means from the pestilential land. It would 
be simply inhuman to e.xpect rubber to be gathered 
under such conditions. The crop w^ill not simply 
be short ; it will be a mercy if there be any crop 
at all. These are the three chief trunip cards. 
There are others of lesser importance, but which 
have at times come in handy. The shortness of 
silver does duty occasionally, though that might 
reasonably be expected to work the other way. 
If a gatherer has to bring two pounds to get his 
silver dollar instead of one, there should be all 
the more rubber. But the card is used all the 
same. Then the native is getting .so well olf that 
he will not woi k. They have all done duty many 
times before ; one or other of them has turned up 
every year, when the crop was .5,000 tons, and 
when it has got to iS, 000 tons. The only one we 
have any sympathy with is the shortness of silver. 
We often feel that way ourselves. The meeting 
drags them all out, considers carefully which is 
the most likely to be swallowed this year and 
adopts it. Tlien, through the whole of the india 
