61^ THE TROPICAL 
THE CLAREMONT ESTATE CO., LTD. 
THE ANNUAL REPORT, 
ACRSAaE. 
Acres. 
Tea in bearing . . . . 200 
Tea in partial bearing . . 46 
Forest, Kavinee, &c., . . 90 
336 
The Directors submit herewith the Balance Sheet 
and profit and loss account duly audited for the year 
•nding Slst Dficember, 1899, 
The yield for the year was 81,281 lb. against estimate 
of 85,000 lb. eostiug 24-54 ots , laid down in Colombo, 
inclusive of up-keep on the 46 acres New Clearing 
from which only some 4,000 lb., were secured. 
B-timate for 1,900 is 90,000 lb,, to cost in Colombo, 
28-83 ctB. 
The Tea was all sold locally realising 34'97 cts. per 
lb., nett. 
flir. A Orchard retires by rotation and offers him- 
gelf for re-election. 
The election of an Auditor rests with meeting and 
Mr. Guthrie again offers his services. 
Ill view of the present position of affairs and the 
near approach of the due date of the Mortgage for 
£3,500, the directors hope that as m;!ny of the share- 
holders as can attend will come to the meeting. 
NEBODA TEA COMPANY, LIMITED 
THE ANNUAL REPORT. 
ACREAGE : 
Tea in full bearing . . . . 157 acres. 
„ in partial bearing . . . . 226 „ 
„ 2 and rising 2 years old . . 112 „ 
Total Tea .. 495 acres. 
Forest and Waste Land . . . . 240 „ 
Total - . 735 acres. 
The directors submit their report and accounts for 
the year ending 31st December, 1899. 
The total extent of the Compay's property is now 
735 acres, the previous total of 666 acres having been 
added to by the purchase of 69 acres of forest and 
chena near Nartliupana. 
The crop secured, namely 184,322 lb tea was sold in 
Colombo at an average of 35-09 cents per lb,, as 
against 33-33 cents the price abtaiued for crop of 1898 
of 126,8401b. 
The tea in full bearing yielded as follows : — 
On Narthnpana . . 755 lb. per acre average. 
OaNeboda .. 522 „ „ 
and the cost of production was 22-67 cents per lb. or 
without manuring, 19'88 cent?. 
Profit in the year's working amounts to B22,651-62. 
Of this amount R7,830 was disbursed in Novembtt 
1899 in payment of an interim dividend at three per 
cent in the Company's Capital, and the Directors 
recommend that the available balance, namely 
B14,821'62 be disposed of as follows: — 
In payment of a Final Dividend of two per cent 
R5,220-00. And the balance to Beserve Account 
B9,'60r62. 
In terms of the Articles of Association Mr. Robert 
Morison retires fiom the Board of Directors, but, 
being eligible, oSers himself for re-election. 
The appointment of an Auditor resists with the 
Meeting. ^ 
HORREKELLY ESTATE COMPANY, 
LIMITED. 
THE ANNUAL REPORT. 
The Directors have pleasure in submitting tha 
ftccountB of the Company for the year ending 31st 
December, 1899, shewing, after writing off R5,901-95 
for depreciation on Buildings, Plant and Machinery, 
a profit of B19,714-89, which, with the balance of 
Ii8'l8-l'l brought forward from 1898, gives a total of 
56.'rO'3 available for diatribntion. 
AGRICULTUEIST. [March 1, 1900. 
The Directors recommend that a dividend at the 
rate of 5 per cent on the Capital of the Company 
be declared. This will absorb B20,000, and leave a 
balance of R,S63-U3 to be carried forward to 1900. 
The working of the estate for the years 1897, 1898 
and 1899 compares as follows : — 
1897. 1896. 1899. 
Expenditure oa Estate R B R 
& in Colombo office... 32,066-69 37,014'85 36,754-67 
Number of Coconuts 
produced ... 1,400,835 1,437,885 1,305,429 
Quantity of Coir Fibre 
made ... Ballots 28.553 35,474 28,324 
Two Directors — Messrs. F. J da Saram and Stanley 
Bois retire by rotation, and are eligible for re-election. 
The Shareholders have to appoint an Auditor lor 
1900. 
^ 
INDIARUBBER IN QUEENSLAND. 
The following from the Brisbane Courier will be of 
interest to those who may contemplate taking up 
an industry that if carefully attended to may lead 
to an increase in the articles of production from 
this colony (New South Wales):— " The news from 
Cairns that a number of local men are arranging 
to begin operations in the manufacture of india- 
rubber is important. The raw article can fce ob- 
tained from indigenous trees in the shrub, and ia 
said to be of first-class quality. What is perhaps, 
more important, the supply is inexhaustible. One of 
the chief values attaching to the recent New Guinea 
concession was the practically unlimited quantity 
of rubber there obtainable. To find, therefore, that 
a similar condition of affairs exist within easy dis- 
tance of a port like Cairns, is to say the least, en- 
couraging. Then, as regards the industry itself, iti 
outlook is as bright as it possibly could be. The mar- 
vellous demand for bicycles of late years has given 
an immense impetus to the rubber trade. India- 
rubber being also a highly perishable article ia 
another important factor in the question of supply 
and demand. The demand will always exist, so the 
supply must be kept going. There is one considera- 
tion, however which these Cairns men will find 
obtruding on their notice sooner or later. That is 
the question of cheap labour in collecting the 
article. This must be considered when it oomes to 
competing with others. In New Guinea, for instance, 
labour is cheap and on the spot. Here in Australia 
we have practically none of this native labour. The 
nearness to a {.ort for shipment may counterbalance 
this advantage which New Guinea rubber traders 
would derive from a handy labour supply. Our De- 
partment of Agriculture has during the year been 
tryini? by a series of articles to direct attention to 
this industry. It will also place another string on 
the Cairns bow in raising that town into a place 
of much importance in the future." 
Rice-Crop in Southern India.— Here is the 
latest ofi&cial sumuiing-up : — 
The result is that the estimated outturn amounts 
to nearly 1,940,000 tons of cleaned rice, which is, 
on the basis adopted, about 30 per cent, less than 
what may be regarded as a normal crop and is 29 
per cent, less than the estimated yield last year. 
The bearing of these figures on the question whether 
there is likely to any exportable surplus avilable may 
be judged by the fact that on the balance of imports 
of paddly and exports of rice during the ten years 
ending in 1897-98, the Presidency showed a surplus 
of 23,976 tons of cleaned rice, and during 1898-99 
one oi 49,251 tons ; but this result was only rendered 
possible by importing on the average 88,365 tons of 
other food-grains for the ten years, and 74,933 tons 
during 1898-99. This year there has already been a 
very large excess of grains exported over that im- 
ported, and the yield of the "dry" grains has over 
very wide areas been comparatively poor. They 
are, in regard to the food supply of the BieaiitUtJi 
of graater importance than the paddy crop. 
