126 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [August 1, 1898. 
THE AMERICAN DUTY ON TEA. 
Under the lead of Senator Tillman, of South 
Carolina, the United States Senate, by vote of 3b 
to 32, agreed to an amendment to the war revenue 
bill placing a duty of 10 cents per pound on tea 
atter July Ist, 1898. This means an addition of 
$9,000,000 to $10,000,000 to the revenue without im- 
posing any appreciable tax upon the consumer. If 
coffee is taxed 3 cents per pound, as it ought 
to be, another |18,000,0C0 would be added to the 
revenue. Unfortunately, legislators who privately 
have conceded the equity of a duty on tea and 
coffee, have lacked the courage of their convictions, 
simply because they are imbued witli the idea — as 
several senators have expressed it — " that it would 
be bad politics." And yet these astute politicaus, 
gray with experience, have witnessed successive revo- 
lutions, completely changing tlie political character 
of the Administration and Congress ; while today 
there is not in either branch of Congress one who 
can predict with certainty the result of next fall's 
elections, It seems as if Senators and Representa- 
tives can not or will not learn the force of the 
political axioms enunciated by the late President 
B. B. Hayes, that " He serves his party best who 
serves his country best," and ex-President Cleve- 
land's, that " Puolic office is a public trust." A 
duty on tea and coffee is partly, and sometimes 
wholly, boine by the producer. The cost of both 
articles is unusually low and much below the average 
of previous year's. Tea is selling today at whole- 
sale at one-lifth the price it commanded during the 
civil war period. Three cent duly on coffee added 
to the cost at wholesale, would still leave its price 
far below the average cost of coffee from 188 1 to 
1896. Every pound of tea makes at least 150 cups 
of beverage, so that a duty of 10 cents, amounts to 
1 cent or less for every fifteen cups. Three cents 
per pound on coffee is equivalent to a tax of half 
a mill per cup. Next to the duty on sugar, no tax 
could be levied that is so equally distributed as one 
on tea and coffee. We trust that the Conference Com- 
mittee will insert iu the bill a duty on coffee, and 
thus give all of the people a chance to share in 
the cost of a war, which is ostensibly waged in the 
interest of liberty and humanity. — American Grocer, 
June 8. 
-™ 
TEA IN NEW MARKETS. 
MEETING OF THE THIRTY COMMITTEE. 
Minutes of proceedings of a meeting of the 
"Thirty Committee held at Kandy on Satur- 
day, the 9th day of July, 1898, at half past seven 
o'clock (7-30 a.m.) iu the morning. 
Present. - ^Qssva. F G A Lane (Chairman), A 
Philip (Secretary), Hugh B Roberts, R S Duff 
Tybler, H V Maselield, George Greig, E M 
Shattock, W Henry Figg, Edgar Turner, J B 
Coles, Hon. J N Campbell, Messrs. W D Gibbon, 
Gordon Pyper, and A J Denison. 
The notice calling the meeting was read. 
The minutes of the proceedings of a meeting of 
the "Thirty Committee" held at Kandy, on 
Friday, the 20th May, were submitted for con- 
firmation. 
Resolved that tliey be and they are hereby 
confirmed. 
Read letter from the Secretary, Indian Tea 
Association, Calcutta, acknowledging with many 
thanks letter and copies of the Book of Pro- 
ceedings of the Planters' Association for the 
years ending 17th February 1896, and 1897 with 
the last report of the Committee of Thirty and 
stating that the information asked for had been 
fully supplied by these reports. 
liead letter from Mr. A. E. Wright on the sub- 
ject of adveitising Ceylon Tea in Russia and 
drawing attention to the following Resolution 
vii! ; "That all fchippers of 'Green Teas' to 
America be given a grant of say J'J cents per 
pound out of cess funds on prchentaiion ol couy 
of shipping documents and Baiiiple of Tea shipped." 
Resolved that Mr. Wright be referred to the 
following resolution passed at last meeting of the 
" Tliiity Committee" a.s follows: "That the 
Committee would conuider applications for 
assistance from those prepared to experiment in 
making green teas for export to America;" and 
that Mr. Wright be further infornisd that under 
the resolution above mentioned, the Committee 
would be prepareil to deal with any application 
from him or any other shipper of " Green Teas," 
(2) that Mr. Wright's remarks regarding Ceylou 
Tea in Russia be consideied when the tubject 
comes up." 
Read letter from Mr. Hugh B. Roberts reonest- 
ing that a list of the members of the "Ihirty 
Committee ' and their attendance during the 
])ast and present year be laid on the table of the 
Committee. 
Submitted the lists as retrjested which were 
circulated among the members present. 
.STATEMKNT.S OF ACCOUNTS. 
Read letteis from the Secretary, Ceylon Chambe 
of Commerce and the reply sent. 
Read letter.-: from Mr. John Guthrie reporting that 
he had e.xamined the books of the " rliirty Com- 
mittee " and found the balance .-lieet to the 31st 
December 1898, quite in order. Further stating 
that he found that the books have been kept iu a 
thorough business like manner. 
Submitted "summary of receipts and exucndi- 
ture of the Ceylon Tea (New Mai ket) Fund— as ^•er 
abstracts for each year— from 1894 to .Slst Decem- 
ber 1897, referred to above as audited and found 
correct. 
Resolved that a copy of the said audited account 
from 1894 to December, 1897, be publL^hed in the 
iiew.spapers. 
Subiiiitled .-ibstract of the Ceylon Tea (New 
Market) Fund account from 1st January to 30th 
June, 1898, for the inspection of the Committee. 
Submitted ledger balances as at 30th June, 
1898. 
Submitted memos showing the proceeds of the 
levy fropj 1st January to 30th June, 1897, from 
1st July to 31st December, 1897 ; 1st January to 
30th June, 1898. 
Submitted sketch memo, of position of the fund 
as at 9th July, 1898. 
Read letter from Chairman "Thirty Committee" 
to tlie Secretary, "Thirty Committee" and his 
reply. 
MINUTES OF PBOCEEDINCS. 
liead letter from Government acknowledging 
receipt of copy of the Minutes of Proceedings of a 
Meeting of the "Thirty Committee" held at 
Kandy, on the 12th March, 1898, and which were 
confirmed at a meeting held at Kandy on the 
20th May, 1898. 
FINANCES. 
Submitted letters from the Treasurer of the 
Colony. 
Head letters from the National Bank of India, 
Limited. 
govehnok in executive council. 
Read letter from Government stating that there 
is no objection to the transfer of any available ba- 
lances in the Ceylon Tea (>Jew Market) Fund from 
time to time into fixed deposit with the Bank, ax, 
