Oct. 1, 1899.] THE TROPICAL 
AiGRICULTURIST. 
25? 
THE RECENT TEA DISPUTE. 
Coniments, by some importers of Ceylon Teas, 
on proposed settlement of Tea Dispute, as sjiven 
in tlie Joint Committee's Circular, No. 17, dated 
2n'l August, announcing an "agreement with 
the Buyers' Association" as a settlement of the 
question of the abolition of the lib. draft on Tea, 
to come into force -ind October. 
No. 1 — 1 lb. Draft to be allowed as iieretofoi^ 
— the first stipulation ! 
No. 2 — Gross weights to be taken and re- 
corded as at present. 
That is, ounces above a number of pounds to 
be ignored ; e g., 77 lb. 14 oz. gross will still 
be recorded as 77 lb. only. 
ALTERATION IN WEIGHT OF TARES AS 
FOLLOWS: — 
Clause a— If the empty package weighs the 
even pound it is to be entered as such. 
Clause b— If it weighs the even half-pound 
or over, it is to be entered as the next 
pound above. 
Ulause c— If it weighs below the half-pound, 
it is to be entered as the pound below. 
This will be a gain to some growers to the 
extent of, perhaps, ^ lb., as hitherto 1 oz. extra 
has counted as an additional pound in tare 
weights. 
Claused. — No " overtakers." No explanation 
of this Clause. 
Clause e. — Doses to be weighed and tared as 
heretofore to the pound weight. 
Clause f. — Increase of number oi Tarers for 
Factory Bulked Teas as agreed upon. 
Any increase of number of tarers (at present 
it is 1 in 10, or 10%) means incieased cost of 
turning out additional packages and increased 
risk oi the tares taken varying more than the 
Customs' limit of 2 lb., necessitating the whole 
break being tared separately. 
Tiie Jr)int Committee might have said who 
called for the change, and in whose interests. It 
seeuis only in the interests of the warehouses. 
Clause g.— If parcels are bulked in London 
.sep.Trate Tare must be taken of each 
package. 
At present "average Tares" taken are allowed 
to stand, even though the teas be afterwards 
bulked. 
The change will put nn end to the advantage 
gained by liaving average tares taken of London 
bulked Teas, and will increase the charges con- 
siderably. 
Teas which are not Estate bulked or are in- 
sufficiently bulked on the Estate and require 
bulking here, will in future, under the new re- 
gulations, incur an extra charge of 5d for chests 
and 4d for half-che^^ts, for cost of separate taring, 
thus increasing warehouse charges 10 per cent., 
and costing the Garden extra about g per cent, 
on value of Tea. 
No reason or explanation is given for this new 
heavy charge, or any hint why tlie change is made. 
It seems made in mere wantonness or in crass 
ignorance of the trade. The Tea buyers will not 
gain ; the Tea producer certainly loses ; but it will 
put money into the pockets of the warehouse- 
keejiers. It is, at all events, difficult to see why 
"the Joint Committee," supposed to be actiner 
in the interests of Tea producers, should now 
insist on a separate tare being taken of each 
package (e.g., in a case of a Tea shipment in 
Venesta or other packages running even and 
weighing exactly the same), except to increase 
warehouse charges. The Estate proprietor, to 
avoid the increased charge, will have to bulk 
on his Estate, whetlier he considers that 
desirable or undesirable, and in many 
cases will have to increase his factory 
accommodation at some cost. It will fall heaviest 
on those who can least afibrd it ; and after the 
outlay has been incurred to enable factory bulk- 
ing to be carried out. Tea buyers who have 
paid too mucii may dispute the factory bulking ; 
and the cost of bulking and taring will still fall on 
the Tea producer. 
The questions arise— who is this Joint Com- 
mittee, and who appointed it to deal with the 
alteration in weight of Tares?— and as there is a 
Tea and Produce Committee of the Ceylon Asso- 
ciation, why was not that called together to 
discuss a matter so afTecting it, and, further, ia 
this agreement binding in any way or degree on 
Importers of Ceylon Teas ? 
If the Ceylon portion of the Joint Committee 
are now in some way authorised to bind Im- 
porters of Ceylon Produce, without consultation 
or asking their assent, cannot the Ceylon Asso- 
ciation be at once called together to withdraw 
the authority before the Committee perpetrate 
further mischief on the Ceylon Trade? 
10th August. 
ST. HELIER'S TEA COMPANY, LD. 
REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS. 
ACREAGE. 
250 acres in bearing 
29 do planted in 1896. 
34 do do 1898. 
313 acres 
114 do Jungle, &g. 
Total 427 acres. 
The Directors have now the pleasure to submit 
their Seventh Annual Report to the 30th June last 
which they trust will be considered fairly satisfactory 
by the Shareholders' sliewing as it does a nett profit 
of about 10 per cent on the year's working. 
The crop which was estimated at 95,000 lb. of made 
tea to 30th June, has turned out only 89,973 lb. and 
has realised an average price of 38-69 cents per lb. 
against 36'21 last year. 
The cost of the tea in Colombo, exclusive of the 
sum of R2,438-74 expended on Capital Account, worka 
out at 25-56 cents per lb. as against 25-24 cents per 
lb. last season. 
The balance at credit of Profit and Loss Account, 
after writing off the sum of Eg. 1,618--12 for depre- 
ciation of buildings and machinery, but including the 
sum of Rs. 1,203-11 brought forward from last year 
amounts to Rs 5,205 42 ; and out of this sum the directors 
recommend that a dividend of 9 per cent be declared 
absorbing Rs. 4,500-00, leaving the sum of Rs 7''5-42 
to be carried forward to next year. 
Mr. Percy Bois retires from the board by rotatinn 
b^'Sf ^'f^^l' '"^^'^ ^-e-elecUon ' 
The bhareholders will have to elect an Auditor 
for season 1899-1900. Auaupjf 
/ 
