March 1, liOO.i THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
623 
PASSARA PLANTERS' ASSOCIATION. 
SEVENTH ANNUAL REPOKT. 
CiWiRMAN.— J J Robinson. 
Secretary. — W S Taylor. 
Committee.— (Passara). J J Kobiuaou, VV S Taylor, 
GKDeaker, J C Tribe, R A Hope, J B Cotton, J 
Duncan. (Madalsimn). J M Mason, R Webster, \V 
M Kelly, F Hall, R Gitehoase. (Monaragala). .J H 
Betts, j H B Cockburn, S J Sparkea. ^Kandy). Chair- 
man, Secretary and G K Deaker. 
Hospital Visitors.— (B 1.3 u'la). G K Deaker, -James 
Duncan. (LunuKala). R Gatehouse, F Hall. 
Thirty Commhteb.— G K Deaker. 
Register.— The number of estates on the Register is 
42 ; compared with the last year there is a decrease of 
two. 
Meetings.— During the year under review, there have 
been four Committee Meetings and four General Bleet- 
ings ; these have been very well attended, which goes 
to show the interest taken by members in the affairs 
of this Association. 
Finance. — The Books of the Association are laid 
upon the table for the inspection of members, and 
your Committee have much pleasure in bringing to 
your notice that the amount standing to the credit of 
the Association with the Bank of Uva amounts to 
B413'56. Last year's accounts were duly audited by 
Mr. Cotton. 
Tea Crop. — The E=itiraate for the current year of 
190f> is 3,298,800 lb. off 8,395 acres in bearing and 1,852 
not iu bearing. This gives an average lor tea in 
bearing of 393 lb. per acre and speaks well for tho 
climate and general suitability of this part of Uva hs 
a tea producing country. Prices have been fairly 
maintained throughout the year and your Committee 
would impress upon you the many advantages to be 
derived from placing as much Tea as pjssibleon the 
local market- The weather during the year was most 
abnormal, and much against the growth of leaf ; we 
passed through two severe droughts and though the 
actual fall of rain for the twelve months was satis- 
factory, yet the distribution of this was calamitous. 
Cocoa. — Your Committee regrets that the outturn 
of Crop for this product for the year has been very 
disappointing and would attribute this serious decrease 
of crop to the ravages made by the canker and Pod 
disease which so virulently attacked the Caraccas. Mr. 
Carruthers treatment as laid down by him, as well as 
also various other experiments, have been tried, but 
with very indifferent results; and your Committee 
view with every satisfaction the late appointment 
made by His Excellency the Governor of Mr. Carru- 
thers as official Mycologist to the Island. Your Com- 
mittee take this opportunity of expressing their grati- 
tude to His Excellency for thu- moving in this matter 
and probably saving an industry which is now going 
thro igh such a precarious crisis. Your Connnittee 
view with pleasure the formation by the Parent body 
of a Cocoa Committe and hope ibis step will lead to 
much usefulness and that a fair proportion of the 
funds at the command of the Kandy Association will 
now be set apart for furthering the interests of cocoa 
growers, who, bo far, have not had the pecuniary 
assistance \Thioh they have every reasonable right to 
expect. 
Coffee. — Your Committee would congratulate the 
fortunate owners of Arabian coffee upon ihe fine crop 
gathered during the year; the weaiher foi- this pro- 
duct was everything that could be desired with the 
result that the returns for 1899 have bteu excellent. 
OtBer Products. — A lonHiderable acreage Las been 
planted uuder Rubber and Coconuts in Uie Mooara- 
ga' la district and the growth of the same gives great 
promise for its future success, which will probably 
lead to further extensions. 
Roads and Bridges, — Ttonr Committee have every 
reason to feel proud with the progress made iu the 
matter of roada and bridges during the year under 
ieviow. She WeUa^-aya-Mnpanc cart rbad has its 
78 
bridges now completed and the wheel tracks me- 
talled throughout. The last bridge completed, namely 
the Kirinde Oya, v.as a work of gi-eat magnitude 
and reflects the greatest credit upon the officers in 
charge. The Madulsima grsnt-iu-aid cart road is 
now opeu for traffic as fur as Dunediu Factory and is 
much appreciated by the estatts at that end of the 
district. It having been pointed out to the Govern- 
ment by your Association that the breadth of the 
Kumbalwella-Paesara cart road was insufficient for 
up and down traffic, room has been foun I iu this 
year's Supply Bill for widening the road at inter- 
vals every quarter ot a mile. Your Committee have 
been urging Government to construct a cut r.ad 
fi'om Passara to Aliput in the interests of the large 
native population residing iu that neighbourhood, 
who at the present moment have no profitable 
means for transporting their produce to the nearest 
market. Your Committee are given to understand 
that the present Government Agent as well 
as two former Uva Government Agents have 
already urged the necessity of a cart road 
being constructed to connect these two points. 
The Association is further to be congratulated upon 
the endeavours made by their worthy representative 
on the Provincial Road Committee for the great im- 
provements on our Minor Roads, especially in the 
obtaining of a grant whereby the Nakk'ila and 
Hulanda Oya rivers are to be bridged. Arrange- 
ments have been made with the Goveinnaeut which 
provides for the P. W. D.- Buugaiovv at Namunakula 
being now opened to the public as a resthouse. Your 
Committee are also pleased to state tiiat there is 
every prob.ibJity ot a new resthouse being erected 
close by the cart road at Buttale (Hospital). The 
endeavours made by your Committee urging tho 
Government to construct a hospital at Mupane, we 
regret to say, have so far failed, but they yet 
believe that the Government will realise that the 
health of the native community is of greater import- 
ance than the consideration of the extra outlay in- 
volved in erecting this very desirable and much 
required building. 
Unofficial Police M.i.oisTRATE. — Mr. J M Mason 
was made an U P M and J P for the Province of 
Uva on the representation of your Association to 
Government which doubtless will be much appreciated 
by our Madulsima members. A considerable amount 
of crime was unfortunately observable at the com- 
mencement of the year, especially round about the 
Lunugala district, but thaftks to the prompt measures 
taken by our worthy Government Agent, it was speedily 
stamped out. 
Labor. — Your Committee view with a certain degree 
of alarm the tightening of the labor market and tho 
consequent substantial increat^e iu the advances now 
being given out. This doubtless is greatl}' owiug to 
the heavy public works about to be commenced by 
Governmeiu,, who, so far, have stood aloof from import- 
ing their own labor, preferring to en;{agethe planters' 
cooly : it this ^ontiuuei-i, your Committee much fear 
that the results of this policy will be disastrous to 
our enterprise. 
Tramway. — Your Committee view with much satis- 
faction the sanction given by Government for the 
construction of the Kandapola Light Feeder line, as, 
in the event of this scheme proving profitable our 
Light Feeder Line from Bandarawela via Passara 
to BaduUa has been promised next attention by 
Government. 
Mr. Bamcer. -This gentleman officially visited the 
district twice during the your and your Committee 
look forward with great: interest to his forthcoming 
Rpport, which it was exp-crted, would have been in 
OU' hands ere this. 
The Relationship BET\fEEN the Par nt BoDV 
AND THE Thikty Committi.e. — Your ('omiLiittee are of 
the opinion that the time has now arrived for these 
two important bodies to be separated and each pos- 
sess their own Chairman, as they feel that the duties 
are too onerous to be discharged by the one officer. 
It seems unfair to expect one Chairman to devotQ 
