Sept. 1, 1899.J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 185 
The tea itself is not weighed at all. The pack- 
age is weighed gross, no fraction of a pound 
avoirdupDis being used, and the turn of the scale 
being always given against the package. If the 
eross weight of a cljest of tea is 130,0011b or 
anything from that up to 130.9991b it is entered 
as ISOlbs only. Then the tea is turned out and 
put aside, and the box, the lead, etc, are put 
together on the scale. Again, no fractional weights 
are used, but instead of the turn of the scale 
being now given against the buyer, to counter- 
balance the effect of the turn on the gross weigh- 
ing, it is still given against the package. It is 
like hitting a man on the nose and then hitting 
him on the back of the head to make up for it 
(Laughter). If the tare is 30,001 lb it is reckoned 
as 31 lb. So that by neither of the processes does 
the grower gain anything ; he must on an average 
lose half-a-pound on each weighing, which means 
a loss of lib on each package of tea. Next he 
loses 1 lb on the draft. Both these imposts we 
have borne patiently, with just an occasional 
grumble, the reason being that up to a few years 
ago there was shown a fair profit, enabling 
us to bear a burden, that did not rightly belong to 
us. But still it was a burden and it was not a just 
one in either case. I know it is said that some pro- 
ducing companies still manage to pay a large 
dividend. But,, gentlemen, I would point out 
to the buyers and to you that these dividends 
which sound very large by percentages are, owing 
to a curious custom in the tea industry are, not 
reckoned upon the cost of the gardens, niachiii- 
ery, etc., but upon the capital. The capital is 
not watered, and the custom in the industry is 
to re-invest the profits in increasing tiie prolits, 
in increasing the output, and so on. If you take 
the dividends ard divide them over the gardens, 
with what they have cost in buildings, machinery, 
etc., they would work out at something nearer 
3 and 4 per cent than the 12 to 15 per cent that 
has been spoken of. There are a great number 
of gardens which cannot make both ends meet, 
far less earn dividends of 12 and 15 per cent 
(hear, hear.) The facts are there, and can be 
ascertained by reference to the newspapers of 
London and Calcutta and Colombo. We are accused 
of trying to take the buyers' prolits and per- 
quisites. That is not so. Long before this move- 
ment was started the growers of India and 
Ceylon set themselves the task of reducing ex- 
penditure in every possible item and that not only 
in Assam and Ceylon, but in London, as far 
as their own people were concerned (hear, hear). 
Commissions have been reduced all round, and 
every other kind of expense has been reduced 
(hear, hear). In London I know of many direc- 
tors of tea concerns returning tiieir fees in the 
hope of better times, if better times should ever 
come. Establishments on the other side have been 
reduced, and in the last cold weather over 200 
planters were in Calcutta seeking work without 
avail. Witli all this befoie us, can it be truly said 
that as soon as our profits are reduced we seek to 
take the profits and perquisites of the buyers ? 
No, we made all the reductions we possibly could 
in our own countries of production first, and now 
we find it necessary to come to London to see if 
we cannot reduce charges and imports which are 
far too heavy (hear, hear). Foremost among 
these imposts are the present system of weighing 
and the 1 lb. draft. You might say it doesn't 
matter which of the two we amend. But if we 
amended the system of weighing, either we should 
have to incur an extra charge for wsighiug;, or we 
should have to get the Government to amend its 
weighing system, and if the latter then the Gov- 
ernment tax upon this article of necessity would 
be increased. Whether you be all Liberals— and I 
hope you all are (laughter and " No ")— well, some 
of you may be Conservatives (laughter)— but 
whatever you are I am quite sure none of you love 
our Government to the extent of wishing to 
increase the duty which, by an " ancient custom," 
is levied upon this necessary of life as if it were a 
luxury like wine or spirits, or tobacco (laughter.) 
I therefore come to the 1 lb. draft. Let the 
buyers leave us tbat and be satisfied with the 1 lb. 
extra per package that they already get in the 
weighing (hear, hear.) That has been felt to be 
the right course by all the growers and their re- 
presentatives, and such is the resolution I have 
just read out to you. There are one or two mis- 
conceptions that 1 should very much like to re- 
move, for the benefit of tliose "outside. There are 
two misconcei)tions, and we have thioughout had 
two charges brought against us. The first is a 
want of courtesy to the buyers, and the want of 
good faith. As to want of courtesy, I am sure, I 
carry you all with me when I say that nothing 
would distress me more than to deserve such an 
imputation. What are the facts of the case ? The 
Chairman of the Committee has given you the 
history of this 1 lb. draft movement, anil I would 
only add that the Committee was appointed not 
with the case prejudged, but appointed to look into 
the matter and report to us. They have re- 
ported to us tod.ay, but what have they done in 
tlie meantime? They met the buyei sand consulted 
tiiem, hearing all they had got to say ; tliey did 
not even draft their report till they had heard 
the buyers' side of the question. It is now for us to 
say wliat we will do. The Committees of both 
Associations have been called bad names and 
neither of them lias even gone so far as to say 
"You're another" (laughter). The charge of dis- 
courtesy is certainly not proved. There are two 
parties to every agreement or contract, and for one 
party to alter tlie terms without the previous 
consent of the other party is certainly evidence 
of a want of good faith. That is a truism to 
which I assent. But there is this fallacy in our 
case— there is no contract at all (liear, hear.) In 
our case there is no contract till the fall of the 
auctioneer's hammer. The Committee proposes 
that we should do as we please with teas which 
are at the present moment our absolute property, 
to do what we like with. If we like we may 
ship theru to America; we may burn them if we 
like ; we may drink them (laughter). None of 
these courses could lay us open to a charge of 
bad faith. And how can the carrying out of 
our piesent proposal lay us open to the 
charge? Our teas have an intrinsic vlaue, and 
if we offer them at public auction, offer them to 
the world at large, and one man won't buy them 
— well, other men will (applause). Not the most 
timid grower need be afraid because one set of 
buyers abstains from attending one sale (laughter 
and hear, hear). If these buyers who have made 
their fortunes out of our teas abstain from buying 
any more— (laughter)— another set of buyers, of 
other new companies, will come forward to buy 
them (hear, hear). I hope the buyers will try 
to look at the matter from the growers' point of 
view as well as from their own. (Applause.) 
THE SECONDER'S SPEECH. 
Mr. Arthur Bryans (Messrs. P R Buchanan 
& Co.): — I rise to second the resolution. As a 
meuibei of the Connuittee I should like to aay that 
