Apeil 2, 1900.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 699 
The total intermediate loss to the producer 
would be about three cents per lb., but the nett 
ultimate gain — granting that tlie above conditions 
(1 to 4) hold good — would be live to ten cents 
per lb. at the end of the year. 
The above may or may not be practicable, but 
it is, I believe, an original theory and could be 
put to the test if the condition of the Tea 
Industry becomes desperate. — 1 am, yours truly, 
PLANTER. 
CEYLON TEA EXPORTS : 
CAN THEY BE REDUCED? 
A correspondent puts forward (see 
above) an original and, possibly, practical 
—though, we fear, not practicable— scheme 
for reducing the total export of tea. 
Theoretically, there is not a great deal^^ to 
be said against it ; it raises the " cess,"_ it 
is true, but the extra charge ^ will, 
according to "supply and demand", find 
its way back in to the pockets of the 
producer, in the shape of an extra 5 to 
6 cents a lb. at the end of the 
year I This would be a correct enough 
method of arguing, if only the details of 
the scheme had to be considered per se. But 
there are inevitable and, we feel certain, insu- 
perable objections :— 
(1. ) Small as the present tea-cess is, there 
are murmiirings beginning to be heard against 
its imposition at all. The work accom- 
IJlished by means of the Cess Fund, it is 
argiied, has gone so far. that it can go on 
now by itself without further commissions 
and commissioners. We do not shave this 
opinion, but it exists ; and the wholesale 
raising of the cess would meet with instant 
opposijdpn. , , 
(2.) It is not likely that the Ceylon 
planters will produce tea with the olf-chance 
Of its being destroyed or used as manure ! 
(3.) If Ceylon, by a united effort, agreed 
to any such monster— we will not say "mon- 
strous "—plan, is there any guarantee that 
India will not step in and increase supplies 
by an opposite kind of effort ; and the whole 
machiiJery of raising prices will be instantly 
upset? We believe there is none, and 
that the "putting to the test" of "Supply 
and Demand" 's scheme would be considered 
far too hazardous an experiment ever to 
receive a trial. 
Passing to the wider question ot tea- 
producing as affected by the rise in the 
tea-duty, we find it is the belief locally that 
the producer must suffer considerably, owing 
to the accumulation of stocks in the hands of 
big buyers, stocks accumulated in anti- 
cipation of the extra 2d. From arrivals from 
home today, however, we learn that several 
brokers in' London had been giving their 
opinion that the market would right itself 
very sbortlv after the new duty was 
fixed. The 'big buyers might play their 
o-ame for a few vpeeks ; but the balance 
would soon be regained and prices resume 
their equilibrium, on the higher plane created 
by the extra duty. For ourselves we do 
not foresee any long-standing danger to the 
tea-growing industry, following on the larger 
Customs levy. That there will come a period 
when the lowest of low prices will be 
reached and awhile maintained, we may well 
believe ; but the tea industry has passed 
through worse crises before" and should 
weather this as successfully as the rest. 
, 
INDIAN TEA ASSOCIATION: SCIENCE 
AND PLANTING. 
Calcutta, 27th Feb. 1900. 
Extracts of Proceedings of a Meeting of the 
General Committee held this day : — • 
Present ■.—Mr. H, C. Bpgg (Vice Chairnian), IvTr. 
G. G. Anderson, Mr. VV. Brown, Mr. G. Kingsley, 
Mr. G. A. Ormiston, Mr. M. II. Qnin, Mr. A. 
Tocher, Mr. K. K. Toynbee, aud Zvlr. T. Traill. 
Scientific Officer.— Enclo.sed with Mr. Tye's 
letter, dated 9rh February, was a copy of a letter 
dated oUi February from Dr. J. Augustus Voelcker, 
Consulliisg Chemist to tlie Koyal Agrieul'tural 
Society of England, regarding this aiipjintnient; 
In this letter it was stated that the gentleman 
selected by i 'r. Voelcker for the post was Mr. 
Harold B. Mann, B Sc. (Victoria University), 
F.I.C. Mr, Mann was formerly a student at the 
Yorkshire College, Leeds, and took his B.Sc. 
degree at Victoria University, (Owen's College, 
Manchester), with first class honours in 1S92. He 
became Le Blanc iViedallist in the same year. Mr. 
Maiui subsequently gained a Kesearch Scholarship 
of the Commissioners of the 1851 Exhibition and 
went to Pans, studying fermentation at the 
Pasteur Institute under Professor Duclaux. Ha 
had subsequently been employed by llie Koyal 
Agricultural Society of England. His aitpointment 
was strongly recommended by Dr. Voelcker. It 
was understood that the London Committee had 
appointed Mr. Mann to the po.'^t, and the arrange- 
ments to be made on his arrival were now con- 
sidered. 
Considered letter, dated 19th February, from 
Messrs. Duncan Brothers & Co., regarding the re- 
fusal of tiie Conference Liiiers to pay claims for 
loss or damage which occurs in their hands in the 
case of tea in metal packages. Messrs. Duncan 
Brothers & (Jo. considered that the Liners were not 
entitled to condemn all metal chests in this way, 
and they suggested that the point should be kept in 
view when the time arrived for any new Steamer 
Agreement. The Committee agreed with Messrs, 
Duncan Brothers & Co. that the Liners were not 
entitled to condemn metal chests in the manner 
indicated. They did not, however, .see their way to 
take action beyond drawing the attention of the 
Lomlon Committee to the point in view of any 
future new agreement with the Conferpnee. 
Considered note, dated 10th February, by the 
Cliairman regarding t'le piovision of samples of 
Indian Tea for exhibition in the Economic Court of 
the Indian Museum. This subject was last re- 
ferred to in the proceedings of the meeiing of the 
Commitiee held on 1st August. The arrange- 
ment then suggeste'.i, whereby a representative 
collection of sanii)les fioni tlie several Tea produc- 
ing districts should be exhibited, had been carried 
out by the Committee. It appeareil, however, iroai 
more recent correspondence with Dr. Watt, the 
Keporler on Economic Products to the Governriient 
of India, that this did not> meet his requirements. 
Hp had informed the Chairman that lie de.sired to 
have for the Court— (1) Samples from all, or as 
many as possible, of the gardens of the chief 
Agency Houses. (2) Tea chests of all descrii)tions— 
Country-made, Japanese, Swedish, iSro. (3) Models 
of machinery of all available type^. Dr. Watt 
