356 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Nov. 1, 1899. 
INDIAN TEA ASSOCIATION. 
MEETING OF THE GENERAL COM- 
MITTEE. 
The following is an abstract of proceedings of a 
meeting of the General Committee of the India, 
Tea Association held on 3rd October, when there 
were present : Messrs. H. S. Ashton (Chairman), 
H. C. Begt; (Vice-Chairman), W. Brown, R. 
Magor, G. A. Ormiston, M. R. Quin, A. Tocher, 
K. K. Toynbee, and T. Traill :— 
1. Proceedings of the last meeting of the Com- 
mittee, held ou the 5th September, having been 
approved in circulation, were confirmed. 
2. Proceedings of a meeting of the Darjiling 
and Duars Sub-Committee, held o» the 19th Sep- 
tember, were laid on the table. 
3. Proceedings ol the Assam Branch for the 
month of August were to be recorded. 
4. Minutes of a meeting of the Cachar Branch, 
held on the 20 th August, were to be recorded. 
5. Letters ot 25th August, and 8th and 15th 
September from Mr. Ernest Tye, Secretary, Indian 
Tea Association, London, came up for considera- 
tion and disposal after previous circulation. The 
principalsubjectsdealtwith in these letters were:— 
(a) Ocean Freights.— Mr. Tye stated in his 
letter of 15th September that this question had 
been considered by tlie London Committee, and 
that it had been decided to send a copy of the 
General Committee's letter of 19th July to the 
Secretary to the Calcutta Steam Conference, with 
an intimation that the views expressed therein 
were strongly supported by the Association. It 
was also stated that a special Sub-Committee had 
been formed to take charge of the question. 
(b) Paris Exhibition.— In his letter of 15th 
September Mr. Tye stated that he had inter- 
viewed the Secretary of the Indian and Ceylon 
Committee of the Royal Commission with refer- 
ence to the question of tea exhibits. It was sug- 
gested at this interview that the samples should be 
arranged as a trophy and placed in the centre of 
the Court, or that they mit'ht be arranged in 
cases and exhibited in the tea room. It was 
considered that about one hundred samples, re- 
presentative of the various tea districts, would 
suffice to illustrate the different classes of tea 
grown. Mr. Tye also stated that he understood 
the Revenue and Agriculture Department of the 
Government of India were prepared to receive and 
forward all exhibits. Special labels numbered 
and marked for attaching to the exhibits in Cal- 
cutta would also be supplied by the Exhibition 
authorities through the India Office. 
Tlie Committee directed the Secretary to com- 
municate with the Secretary to the Government of 
India in the Revenue and Agricultuie Department 
asking for definite information in regard to the 
dates by which samples would be required : and also 
in reference to the special labels mentioned in the 
London Committee's letter. 
The Secretary was also instructed to write to Mr. 
J Buckingham, C.I.E., Chairman of the Assam 
Branch, asking his assistance in procuring a collec- 
tion of dried leaves of the various classes of tea. 
A collection of tliis descripHon had been previously 
asked for by the London Committee as being likely 
to prove an interesting exhibit. 
(c.) London Warehouse Charges.— Mr. | Tye 
stated in his letter of 15th September that the 
Committee in London had under consideration 
the General Committee's letter of 17th August 
upon this question. After a full discussion they 
had decided again to address the Tea Clearing 
House Committee urging a reconsideration of the 
request put forward for a reduction of the charges. 
As the General Committee's letter No. 561 -O of 
13th September in which the question was fully 
dealt [with was not before the London Conmiitte 
at the time Mr. Tye's letter was written, it was 
now agreed to await their views upon that letter 
of 11th September from the Acting Secretary, 
Planters' Association of Ceylon, in reply to hte 
General Committee's letter No. 463 0., of 17th 
August, on the question of the abolition of ihe 
English import duty; al.so letter of 14th Sept. 
from the Honorary Secretary, Dehra-Dun Plantres' 
Association, and letter No. 1,793 of 2nd Sept. 
from the Secretary, Darjiling Planters' Associa- 
tion, on the same subject. 
In the letter from tiie Ceylon Planter.s' Asso- 
ciation it was stated that the Committee of 
that Association were not convinced that the 
time was ripe for a movement in favour of the 
abolition or reduction of the duty ; or that 
abolition would be in the best interests of the 
producers. They were, however, continuing to 
collect information, and asked upon what figures 
the General Committee had based their state- 
ment: "that it is admitted that reduction of 
duty in the past has tended to increase con- 
sumption as a wlio'e, and that further reduction 
would have a similar effect." 
The Honorary Secretary of the Dehra Dun 
Planters' Association stated that he would be 
unable to submit the views of the members of that 
Association until November, when the next Gene- 
ral Meeting would be held. He considered, how- 
ever, that abolition would enormously stimulate 
consumption, but it was, he thought, a question 
whether the effect on production would uot mean 
a very large addition to the area under tea ; an 
addition probably out of all propor:;ion to the 
increased demand, and whicli might eventually 
l)lace the industry in a worse position than would 
otherwise h<T.\ e existed. 
It was stated in the letter from tiie Darjiling 
Planters' Association that that Association cordially 
supported theaction taken by theGeneral Committee. 
The Committee regretted the attitude taken 
up by the Ceylon Planters' Association and 
directed the Secretary to give when replying the 
figures upon which the statement referred to was 
based. fhefoUowing extract froma speech made by 
the Chairman of the Ceylon Planters' Associa- 
tion on the 17th February 1899 was also to be 
quoted viz., "They Knew, and they felt un- 
doubtedly, the reduction of duty in past years had 
tended to increase consumption. Fiugres that 
were before him were most encouraging. Going 
back to 1837, when the Queen came to the throne, 
only 30,000,000 lb. of tea were consumed in the 
United Kingdom, and the duty was 2s Id ; in 1897 
the duty was 6d, and the consumption was 
183,000,000 ; and in 1897, ten years later, the 
duty was 4d, and the consumption 232,000,000. He 
did not mean to say that was entirely due to the 
reditction of duty, because the increase in popula- 
tion had to be taken into account, but it was 
quite sufficient for his argument that the reduc- 
tion of duty tended to increase consumption." 
Theletters from the Dehra-Dun Darjiling Planters' 
Associations were to be recorded and the further con- 
sideration of the question was to stand over pending 
the receipt of the views of the London Com- 
mittee, and of the Assam Branch. — EnglishDvan, 
Oct. 12. 
