342 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Nov. 1, 1899. 
covered by the "management rate," excepting 
that each package has to be handled a second 
time. For this second handling a charge of Is 
per package is thus demanded, whicli is absurd 
when the small amount of labour and time in- 
volved is taken into account. Then " bulking 
and taring," if done together, are charged at Is 
5d per package, but if done separately the two 
operations cost 2s per package. Now the sole diff- 
erence produced by dividing the operations into 
two is that each package of lea has to be opened 
and closed twice instead of once, and for 
this additional opening and closing of a chest 
of tea the charge of 7d is made. Just im- 
agine what wages workmen with all the skill 
produced by handling thousands of these 
chests in a year would earn if they were enabled 
to charge the warehouse-keepers anything like 
this price for their time and labour ! 
THE WAEEHOUSING OF TEA, PfiOFITABLE. 
Secondly, we assume that the warehouse 
charges are exorbitant, from this external or 
public reason — there is the keenest comjietition 
amongst those engaged in the wai'ehousing busi- 
ness to secure the handling of tea. However, 
much %varehouse charges in other trades may be 
cut it is admitted on all sides that the warehousing 
of tea is the most profitable. Hence it affords a 
fine broad margin, and in spite of the most string- 
ent regulations against the " cutting ' ot rates, or 
the granting of special privileges to individuals 
or companies, we believe that a great deal is 
done by warehouse-keepers in both directions in 
order to obtain new business. We know lor 
a fact that discounts greatly in excess of the 
official 10 per cent have been allowed to certain 
companies, and this has sometimes been done in a 
fashion that verges on the dishonourable. How- 
ever that may be, the questionable habit certainly 
flings the door open to fraud on the part of 
managing directors and other officials of tea com- 
panies. One case in particular is in our recollec- 
tion. We have carefully altered the figures, but 
the actual results were proportionately as we 
state. Let us assume that the company in question 
handled 20,000 chests of tea in the year, the dock 
charges would have been nominally £4,392, upon 
which the fixed 10 per cent discount would have 
come to £439. As a matter of fact, £1,098 in 
discount was allowed, and the £661, or rather 
the proportionate actual figure, was paid over in 
sovereigns so as to avoid unpleasant documents 
in the nature of evidence that the bond of the 
"ring" had been ignored. The officials of the 
company that received this extra money were 
practically told, " We don't care what you do 
with this money ; but do not let the fact that 
this extra discount has been granted leak out." 
Subsequently, complaint was made that the com- 
pany's officials, acting in perfect honesty, had 
put down the true amount paid by the company 
for dock and warehouse charges, and not the 
amount allowed by the rules, in its accounts. 
This led to awkward questions being put to the 
warehouse-keeper by his hret'.u'en as to why the 
rates worked out so low. What his answer was 
we do not profess to know. 
THE IRON BOUND "RING." 
It follows that abuses of the most serious kind 
are fostered by this combination to enforce high 
charges on tea, and an iron-bound " ring " and 
the practices known to be adopted to dodge its 
exactions are calculated to cast a slur upon the 
whole body of gentlemen connected with the 
trade. So grievous have the complaints become 
that many of the warehouse-keepers would wel- 
come a reducticn in rates, or rather an increase 
in the discount allowed. We believe that a 
motion to this effect was proposed to the mem- 
bers of the Tea Clearing House not long age, 
but the suifgestion was rejected mainly owiuf 
to the energetic opposition of the representativa 
of an important warehouse-keeping firm. Vec 
we are infornied on very good authoiity that this 
very firm has granted a discount considerably 
higher than tlie official 10 per cent in order to 
obtain new business or retain some of its old. We, 
therefore, think that importers are fully justifiei 
in asking for a liberal revision of, or an in- 
crease in the discount upon, these charges to 
at least 25 per cent. The business would even 
then pay very well, and there would not be the 
sore and angry feeling prevalent that one tea 
company may be paying the official rate, while 
another is obtaining a secret and dishonest re- 
duction, or, worse still, that some official may be 
personally benefitting by corrupt and corrupting 
discounts to the detriment of the company he 
represents. Energetic action on the part of the tea 
trade as a whole in regard to this matter is 
rendered difficult by the very nature of the 
ownership of tea warehouses ; but this is a large 
matter in itself, and we will deal with that 
branch of the subject next week. — Home and 
Colonial Mail. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
CoLONiAX, Government Geologi9T8 : Cey- 
lon Next ?— "We read in the London Times 
of Oct. 6, that Mr. W. H. Twelvetrees, 
P.G.S., has recently been appointed to the 
position of Geologist to the Government of 
Tasmania. During recent years Mr. Twelve- 
trees has devoted considerable attention to 
the Geological formation of Tasmania, with 
special reference to mining operations. Can 
Ceylon boast no scientist who has been per- 
forming similar work here and one who may 
become a valuable member of the coming 
Geological Survey Department? Mr. Oldham's 
advice, that no special work with a view to 
mining operations should be undertaken by 
the servants of Government, will scarcely, ifc 
appears to us, be that followed in Tas- 
mania. 
Cinchona Flantkes will \q interested to 
learn that a new species of cinchona has been 
discovered. Mr. Standen, the Director of the 
Government Cinchona Plantations in Madras, is 
declared to be the discoverer ; but he will, no doubt 
at once deny the bold impeachment. However, 
we have the authority of the Bombay Gazette for 
the statement, in a leading article in its issue of 
the 17th instant, that Mr. Standen has reported 
that " further attempts should be made to culti- 
vate sedgers from seeds obtained from Java," that 
" sedgers" should be grafted on succirubra, etc. ; 
the " original sedgers" give the " phenomenal 
return of 741 pounds pfT a' re per annum. ' Verily, 
the wiles of the " printers' d^;viU" and the troubles 
caused by illegible writing are legion. It is 
perhaps hardly necessary to state that our 
contemporary is really alluding to ledger seed 
through out its lengthy leader.—il/adra* Maih 
Oct. 19. 
