680 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. ' [Apuir, 1, 1903. 
deducted from the invoice. Tlie buyer, he 
proceeded, invariably got more than the 
nominal amount of the invoice. Beside that 
lie got his proportion of the samples drawn 
amounting; on an average to a fortieth part of 
lOO.OOO lb. a year, so that it was perfectly reason- 
able the buyer should allow tiiem 1 lb. against 
the 3 lb. they were willin<< to allow. He would 
ask them to allow him, to add the following words 
as a rider to the motion :— 
And that the value to be deducted from the 
sale proceeds shall not exceed the present charge." 
That was the view taken by the Planters' Associa- 
tion and as one of their representatives there 
he was bound to bring it forward. But it was 
also his own opinion. With these few words he 
begged to move that rider which he had just 
read and he asked them in all fairness to the 
producer and seller, who was not so largely re- 
presented there as the buyer to give that their 
earnest consideration. 
Mr E Webb— supported Mr Campbell's rider. 
With regard to e.ttra sampling allowance he 
thought there was no doubt that more was re- 
quired by the trade. He had been a couple of 
years in Mincing Lane himself and knew what 
was required for a sampling allowance. He 
thonght the brokers should have something lo 
hold over for show. He did not see why the 
buyer should not bear some of the charge of the 
sample. As a rule the buyer did not get more than 
the actual amount of the invoice. He thought 
that everyone, in order to prevent loss in weight, 
put in a little more than the actual amount and 
counting what the buyer annually drew from other 
samples, he did not think, it would be any un- 
reasonable charge on buyers to let them be 
respon.'^ible for the extra samples, 
Mr A K A Heath — (Messrs Rodewald & Heath) 
siaid he would 1 ke to point out the fact that 
in London they had a pound draft given to them 
on all teas sold whereas in Colombo they got 
nothing whatever, but the sample given by the 
broker and the small sample they got after 
buying tea. Planters were very anxious to en- 
courage that market, and, therefore, he did not think 
it was at all an unreasonable suggestion that 
they should get this sample given them to judge 
by and also to send s imples away to customers. 
At present in Loudon the buyers got a pound, 
but here there was nothing at all, and he had 
many claims for short weights from Australia 
&c. He was sure there were many buyers there 
who could bear him out in that. He did not 
think the present resolution was at all an un- 
reasonable one, 
Mr Jeffery :— I should like very strongly to 
endorse the point about the draft on teas given in 
London. 
The Chairman -.—I am afraid you cannot 
apeak a second time on the same subject except 
by way of explanation, 
Mr Jeffery :— I was not going to speak except 
to endorse Mr Heath's remarks, 
Mr G H Alston — said that it appeared to him 
aa in the way of every ot,her business, the sellers 
gave samples of his produce to tlie buyer. For 
the trade it was the same. Of course, it was 
brought forward as regards the London lra,de that 
they had to put back a return, but that was not 
really a return for, in addition to that, 1 lb. was 
allowed. After the lucid explanation given by 
Mr Drary of th^ amount required to give a 
fair sample by which buyers could judge tea he 
did not think sellers should grudge them that 
sample. 
Tlie Chairman— said with regard to the weight 
of teas offered in the local sale he had there a let- 
ter before him which arrived at the last CoTnmittee 
Meeting, but not in time for any resolution to be 
brought forward in connection with it. The letter 
was from Messrs. Tarrant Henderson & Company 
who stated :— 
The Chairman, Tea Traders' Assosiation, Colombo. 
Dear Sir, — For some time past we have noticed that 
the packages of tea offered for local sale, particularly 
under initial marks, are very often of very inferior 
wood and the tea on examination proves to be badly 
fired and is frequently short in weight. 
We shall be glad if you will circulate this letter 
with the object of eliciting from other bnyera if their 
experience is the same as onr own, and if this is so 
would ask the Association to endeavour to take such 
steps by making this known publicly, as will improve 
matters. — Yours faithfully, 
Tarrant, Henderson & Co, 
Colombo, 13th February, 1903. 
Proceeding the Chairman said it was an advan- 
tage to have that before them, so that if such a 
state of things existed they might do something 
hereafter to remedy it. He would al>o like to 
state — though it might not be absolutely in order 
it appeared in an interesting manner on that 
subject that a letter had been received from Mr 
Edgar Turner, wiio was a member of that Asso- 
ciation, He says with regard to this particular 
question : — 
In your rules and regulations corrected to March 
1896, I find 39 members, corrected to April, 1902. 
43 members (including 3 up-country members who 
do not draw samples', so that we do not see the 
necessity of increasing the sample allowance. You 
may remember that the sampling allowance when 
initialed was not liked by the sellers, on the 
ground that in a few years the trade would be 
asking for more and more. 
Our fears were justified, and unless the movers 
of resolution No. 4 can show strongreasons for the 
increase it will cause dissatisfacti(m. 
Should, however, it be the general wish of the 
trade, and they show the necessity of the increase 
in the seller's interest I trust it will be on a 
sliding scale. Say all breaks of 3001b. and under 
lib. samples be drawn, and samples seen at selling 
broker's office. 
2 1b. allowance up to ... 800 1b, 
3 „ „ ,.. 1,200 lb. 
5 „ „ over .. 1.200 lb. 
This sampling allowance he thought— he was 
su'oject to correction by the mover of the reso- 
lution— was intended only to apply to breaks of 
1,0001b and over, 
Mr, Adams— signified that that was so. 
The Chairman proceeding said the amendment 
suggested i)y Mr Campbell and seconded by Mr 
Wecb would read : — 
"That in view of the increased number of buyers 
and the demand tor extra samples for foreign 
markets, it is desirable that the sampling allowance 
for big breaks be increased from 31b, as at present, 
to 5 lb. and that the value to be deducted from 
the sale proceeds shall not exceed the present 
charge," 
Tlie amendment was first put to the meeting 
when there voted for it only the mover and 
seconder. 
The original motion was then put and declared 
carried. 
