March 1, 1900.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
595 
THE KETENTIOJN OF DUTY- PAID TEA 
IN BOND. 
The following circulars have been issued h\ 
Messrs, Densham and Sons, Limited, of 49 a!id 51, 
Eastcheap, E.G.:— 
"January 15, 1900. 
"DearSik, — You will probably notice in to- 
morrow's papers that we have today paid a record 
cheque for tea duty, aniountiiis' to £85,862 S-* 8d. 
This cheque represents a larger aruount of duty- 
paid tea than has ever been held by any wholesale 
house in the liisioiy of the tea trade. We have 
bought this tea, and paid duty on it, for two rea- 
sons. First, because we anticipate a very large 
demand for duty-paid teas during the next six 
weeks from all parts ot the kin<>doni, owing to 
the growing belief that an alteration will be made 
in the tea duty, and, secondly, because, as you are 
well aware, during the exceptionally dull months 
of November and December la^^t, gooil teas were of 
far better vaiue than has ever been known. Our 
purchases were made during these two n)onths, 
and we are now in a position to meet this demand 
from our customers, however big it may be. We 
need har Uy say how pleased we .should be to send 
you samples of any class of Indian or Ceylon tea 
that you may be tasting, and we would expressly 
ask you not to ))urcliase until yoa have seen a 
selection from our stock. 
" We have been informed by the Custoitifi 
authorities that in f uture no tea tvill beallowed 
to remain in the bonded tvarehouses, duty 
paid more than a reasonable time for clearance 
of same, and for this reison we are making 
arrangements for taking the whole of this stock 
into our new warehouse, which have a ca|)aeity 
of over two million cubic feet. You can there- 
fore leave any purchases you may make from us 
in the.se warehiases, properly insured by us, and 
rent free, until you require them." 
"January 20, 1900. 
"Dear Sir,— Ueterring to our letter of 15th 
inst., informing you of the payment of our record 
cheque for tea duty, you will probably have nociced 
a letter on page 134 of this week's Grocer, evi- 
dently intended to convey the idea that the state- 
ments made in our letter were not correct. The 
letter is as follows :— ' 10, Phil pot Lane, E. C , 
January 18.— SiR,— In a recent announcement of 
new premises, a remark occurs implying that a 
certain risk is incurred by owners of duty-paid 
tea, if the lea be permitted to remain in a bonded 
warehouse beyond a " reasonable" time, what- 
ever that reu.arkably vague period may mean. 
As a matter of fact, which may interest many 
of your readers, there is no time limit or lestric- 
tion of any kind placed by H. M. Customs as 
to the removal of teas upon which the duty has 
been paid— We are, &c., Burbkidge, Pritchard, 
and Bartlekt.' 
" We are uiuc'.i indfbted to Messrs. Burbidge, 
Pritchard, and Bartleet for givins.' us this op- 
portunity of stating the exact facts, of which 
they do not appear to be cognisant. Being most 
anxious in the interest of the tea trade in general, 
and of our customers in particular, to find out 
the true position, we applied to the secretary 
of Her Majesty's Customs for information on the 
subject, and to enable you to form your own 
judgment we subjoin an extract from his reply 
dealing with the question. — We are, yours faith- 
fully, DSNSHAM AND SONS, LIMITED." 
Extract of leter from the secretary to Her 
Majesty's Customs : — 
" I am directed to acquaint you that the 
Warehousing Law implies that wirehoused goods 
whicli have been cleared for home consumption, 
and on which duty has been paid, shall be taken 
from the warehouse immediately. Not only 
does the payment of duty imply that the owners 
of goods require them for use, and that they 
will 1)0 removed with the utmost expedition, 
but the pie-ence together of warehoused and 
unwarehouseil goods in lionded premises imperils 
the value of security by which the warehouse is 
covered. This being the position, the Board feels 
bound to withiiold assent to the retention of tea 
in bond after duty has been paid upon it. I am 
to add that you ai e not correct in your impression, 
that the rules of the department have allowed a 
period ot twenty-one d.iys, or any other defined 
time, for the removal of duty-paiil stock from 
bonded warehouses after payment of duty." 
After seeing Messrs. Densham and Sons' first, 
circular, sriven above, Mr. Prowse wrote : — 
"ManythanK«. The underscored part of this 
notice (given in italics) correctly expresses our 
attitude, and it is quite intended to exeicise all 
the powers we may find ourselves to be possessed 
of to prevent the wholesale retention of duty-paid 
stock in bonded warehouses, 
"(Signed) R. T. Prowse, Secretary. 
" Customs, January 2.3, 1900." 
— Home and Colonial Mail, Jan. 26. 
THE PROSPECTS OF CINCHONA. 
Mr. Bohvinger confii'ms our view of the 
great encouragement now offering to culti- 
vate cinchona— and especially hyhrid cin- 
chonas — in Ceylon. He points out that the 
bye-product, cinchonidia or cinchonia — at one 
time comparatively valueless — is now as 
much thought of as sulphate of quinine 
itself ; and further that it is in Ceylon, rather 
than in Java, bark such a bye-product is chiefly 
found. He would therefoi-e advise the 
planting up of a hardy hybrid variety and 
there is every prospect of prices im- 
proving rather than going back, although 
already they are double what they were 
some time ago. The United States alone 
with Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines 
on their hands, are bound to be very large 
customers ; but apart from this, quinine is 
now utilised in so many directions that a 
steady and growing consumption is assured. 
We would strongly urge Ceylon planters 
in the medium and higher and especially 
in tlie Uva districts, not to neglect the plant- 
ing of cinchona. 
SUGAR IN MAURITIUS. 
Port-Louis, Jan. 30. 
All the estates of the island have now finished 
the crop. In some factories there is still some sugar 
to be centrifugalled, as this work could not be 
done owing to the usual important operations in 
the fields at this time of the year. 
The total yield of the crop, which we had 
estimated ai 150,000 tons, will probably slightly 
exceed that figure. 
The prolonged drought is doing h.arm to the 
plantations. It is to be hoped tliat there will soon 
be a good downpr ur all over the island. — Mauritim 
Planters Gazette. 
