July 1, 1899.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 39 
be ready for occupatiou and iu full workini; order 
for the new season's trade. — U. and C. Mail, 
May 12. 
NO DIRECTORS RKSIGN. 
\.B official contradiction reached the Dai [f Mail 
oa Saturday May 6, to the elfect that there was 
no inipendin<; resignation from the boai-d of 
Liptons, Limited. At the same time, it was 
admitted that considerable friction had taken 
place while discussing the dividend, and that one 
of the directors went sc far as to threaten to 
resign if his views were not atlopted. His opinion, 
we believe, was that a bigger dividend should 
have been paid. However, the ultimate declara- 
tion was the result of unanimous concord, so that 
we shall nrobably hear no more of the matter. It 
is hoped that the meeting' will be held on Thurs- 
day, May 18th. 
PRODUCE AND PLANTING. 
The Position ov the Tea Industry.— After the dole- 
fnl rumours about the tea industry current six 
months since, the majority of the recently-issued 
reports of companies are not so depressing after all. 
There have, of course, been disappointments, but 
things might have b'jen much worse. On the whole, 
the season's working may be expected to show better 
results than was at first auticipHted. Messrs. Gow, 
Wilson, and Stanton, who give a list of the dividends 
announced in their circular, point out that the aver- 
age price of teas, notwithstanding some recent weak- 
ness, is wel' above what it was at this time last year. 
Here are some recent results : Alliance Tea Com- 
pany : Final of 4 per cent, makmg 7 per cent for 
year ; £300 depreciation ; £500 forward. Assam Com- 
pany ; 12i per cent for year. Borokai ; Accounts 
■how a debit of £223. British Assam : 8 per cent 
for year, and £128 forward. Cachar and Dooars : 3 
per cent, for year ; £386 forward. Ceylon Tea Plan- 
tations : 15 per cent, for year ; £5,000 reserve ; £5,000 
depreciation ; £3,908 forward. Ceylon Proprietary : 
4 per cent, for year; £121 forward. Carolina : An 
interim of 2 per cent. Darjeeling : 5 per cent ; £884 
from reserve Darjeeling Consolidated : 5 per cent, 
preference dividend to De ember, 1898. Doom Dooms, 
12i per cent, for year ; £4,986 forward. Eastern 
Assam : Five ehilliugs per share ; £2,098 forward. 
Galaha . 4 per cent for a period of eighteen months ; 
£1,000 to reserve; £173 to ward. Highland; 5J per 
cent ; £125 written off new clearings ; £70 forward 
Imperial Ceylon : 4 per cent. ; £42 forward. Indian 
Tea of Cachar : IJ per cent. ; £118 from reserve 
fund. Jhanzie : 5 per cent, for the year on the ordi- 
nary shares, and the proportion pnyable on the contri- 
butory shares : leaving £301 to carryforward. Lebong : 
10 per cent, for year ; £2,000 from reserve ; £297 for. 
ward. Mazdehee : Reports show a deficit of £681. 
New Sylhetr Preference dividend paid, and £18 for- 
ward, Nawara Eliya : 6 per cent. ; £300 sinking fund ; 
£2,000 estates purchase account; £1,609 forward* 
Poonagalla : 4 per cent. ; £164 forward. Ragalla : 
Preference dividend paid ; £64 forward. Scottish 
Ceylon : 10 per cent, for year ; £456 forward. Stan- 
dard Tea Company: 15 per cent, for year; £1,000 
depreciation; £644 forward. South Wanarajah: 5 
per cent, on ordinary ; £400 written off ; £56 to reserve. 
Sunnygama : 3 per cent, for year ; £95 forward. Sylhet 
Company : Nil. 
Gifts with Tea. — The gift system in connection 
with the sale of tea bis been carried to such lengths 
thi'.,t there is no room left for astonishment as to 
the nature of the devices employed. But pre- 
sumably these Fchemes pay or they would not be 
persisted in. "The Grocer " gives an extract from a 
circular issued ou the subject, which runs : — " On 
behalf of my motiier, the widow of the late , I am 
please.l to inform you, in reply to your note, that 
she regularly receives her pension of 168. weekly from 
as stated on the bills. My mother had been taking 
ilb. of tea weekly when my father died last , and 
immediately upon receiving evidence of the death 
aud regular purchase of the tea the first cheque was 
sent, and since that time a chtque for 10s. has 
arrived every Saturday morning. BIj mother is over 
seventy years of age, and we can never be snfhcientiy 
thankful that her remaining years are thus rendi^rrd 
independent. The family would never have allovvad 
her to v.f.nt; hn-, still, th's lOs. of her own >;ives her 
many little comforts, ann she often savs, 'Thank God 
for and Co. 1' ''—H. d; G. Mail, May 19. 
. ^ 
THE OUTLOOOK FOIi COCOA BUTTER. 
At the monthly auction sale of cocoa butter 
in London on Tuesday last the eighty-five tons 
of Cadbury's which -were brought forward realized 
an average price of fourteen pence and one half- 
penny per pound, which is a slight advance over 
the price paid at the April sale. On the same 
day at the Amsterdam sale, some seventy tons 
of Van Houtens and a few tons of miscellaneous 
brands were secured by puchasers at figures 
that averaged the equivalent of about twenty- 
six cents in American money, a trffie less than 
was paid at April Amsterdam sale. What caused 
the advance in London is not yet known, the 
cables simply giving the prices paid. 
For the first three months of this year bulk 
butter was in very strong shape, under the 
influence of a heavy consuming demand. Indeed, 
some holders confidently looked for a 40 cent 
market, and that their hopes were not realized 
was probably due to the large oflterings at the 
monthly sales abroad. About the beginning of 
last month the demand eased off, and this, in 
connection with continued heavy offerings of 
butter at the auctions, has tended to weaken the 
market to the extent that the majority of holders 
would sell at least one cent lower than they 
were willing to do thirty days ago. The quota- 
tion for bulk in the local market today is thirty- 
one to thirty-three cents, according to the brand 
and holder. No advance in these quotations can 
be expected until Autumn, unless the price of 
cocoa beans should violently increase or an 
abnormal demand for butter set in during the 
Summer months, neither of which is likely. On 
the other hand, a tagging market until August 
or September next is not improbable, in view 
of the fact that the consumption of chocolate is 
at its lowest ebb during the hot water. Stocks 
of both domestic and foreign in thi.s market are 
in strong hands, but are not small, and most 
confectioners seem to have already anticipated 
their limited wants for the next month or two- 
Cakes in twelve pound boxes, for druggists' use, 
are at present ruling firm at a slight advance 
oxer bulk, but may be expected to follow the 
latter in any price fluctuations which occur.— 
Oil Paint and Drug Reportcv. 
BOGAWANTALAWA AS A TEA DISTRICT.— 
Referring to our editorial of recent date, a 
Bogawantaliiwa planter writes: — "As a matter 
of fact I fancy this district is very much 
up-to-date with manufacture and manuring. 
We nearly all have good cool fermenting 
rooms and get good flavour ; but our teas are 
thin in the cup! We lack the body they 
get in the Agras, for instance. I fancy our 
soil is not so good, and when thin flavoury 
teas are not in demand, our prices all come 
down with a rush, as they have done just 
lately. And the finest have fallen far more 
lately than the medium, owing to the heavy 
fall in fine to finest broken orange pekoes,' ' 
