322 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [Nov. 1, 1898. 
Rto|)pc(l. As matters now stand, plumbago is 
not seldom dug on jirivate lands without owner's 
knowledge, the digfjers sometimes heing merely 
catspaws of tlie gentry above alluded to. 
Is tiiere not a clause in tlie Ordinance com- 
pelling tlie owners to protect tiieir pits with 
fences ? I ask because no mention of fences ap- 
peared in the Mining Inspector's (unauthorised?) 
report a few months ago. 
While on the subject of Ordinances it occurs 
to me to ask why the Government when, after 
much debate, they have added a new law to the 
statuLe-hoolc, do not take the trouble to give 
the public some information on the subject. It 
may be bought, of course, from lawyers (at con- 
siderable expense) ; but the publication of each 
new Ordinance in exlenso as a supplement to the 
daily p; pars would prevent a ffood deal of what 
the law legards as sinful behaviour. The Govern- 
ment does not even take the trouble to advertise 
its literary productions, and not ten per cent of the 
public know to whom to a))ply for copies of any 
Ordinance they may require. —Yours faithfully, 
CRITICUS. 
[A supply of Ordinances aflecting the general 
public should be available for sale at eacii kach- 
cheri. — Rules were to be made by the Governor 
in Executive Council under No. 2 of 1806 ; but in 
respect of Mines, have they aj)peared Meantime 
as regards jienalties we quote : — 
6. Any per.-on who shall open, work, or use a mine 
before famishing the declaration required by sub- 
BBCtion 1 of section 3, or in breach of. or in any way 
contrary to, the pioviaious of this Ordinance or of any 
rules rn.ade under section 4, or who shall fad to 
furnish tlie further declaration required by snb-section 
2 of Eection :-), and any person who .shall hinder or 
obstruct any inspector when inspecting any mine or 
factory, or the machinery of any such mine or factory, 
under the provisions of this Ordinance or of any rule 
made thereunder, and any person who shull refuse or 
neglect to execute any work after receiving notice 
in writing in that behalf, and any person who shall 
keep any mine or factory in tin insanitary state or 
condition, or without insuring the due ventilation 
thereof, and any person who shall commit any breach 
of any of the rules made under this Ordinance, shall 
be guilty of an offence, aud be liable on a first con- 
viction to a fine not exceeding fifty rupees, or to 
rigorous imprisonment for a term not exceeding three 
months, or both ; and ou every subsequent conviction 
to a lioe not exceeding one hundred rupee?!, or to 
rigorous imprisonment for a term not exceeding six 
months, or both. 
7. No prosecution shall be entertained for any 
offence under this Ordinance unless the same is 
instituted within six months from the date of the 
commission of the oflence. 
8. It shall be lawful to the court imposing a fine 
under the provisions of this Ordinance to award to 
the informer any share not exceeding a moiety of so 
much of the fine as is actually recovered and realizeJ. 
-Ex T.A.I 
13UY1NG GKEEN TEA LEAF FROM 
NATIVE GARDENS. 
Ambaganmwa, Sept. 22ad. 
t)EAR Sir — 1 am positively certain that most fac- 
tories from Peradeniya to Kaddawella have made 
little or nothing by buying native tea leaf during the 
past eight months of the year, in fact you may say 
since the infiated rupee began to play a prominent 
part. I will just quote an instance. We will say 
'H's Factory buys leaf at six cts. a lb. Taking the 
jearali round it would take a little more than 4 lb. 
gross leaf to a lb. of made tea— let us put it dosn 25 
Qts. » lb. Qf made tea. It costs T's factory quite sis 
cents a lb. to mauufaoture and lay down in Colombo 
— total cost 31 cts. Add to thie 7 cts. for London chivrget 
and this works, out at 39. Tea realizes (.Jd at Is 4ld 
equal to .'i9ct8. loss in weigbtia Loudou — a mcredetail ! 
Even snpposiDg T gets 7d he Ims a. bare i> cu. lo pay 
lor wear aud tear of machinery. The euly solution 
to this purchasing leaf system' is for all factories io 
the vicinity I mention clubbing together aud fixinf 
the price mouth after month at a paving rate, t-acn 
la tory pledging itself not to harbour uis neighbouri 
constituents, leaf purchasing factories have the f^^xa• 
in their own bands. C. T. 
COST OF KICE AND EX'CUANGE. 
Dkar Sik, — Vou allu<Ie to the "striking" 
figures put forward by "X." in fa/zita/ (Calcutta.) 
Yes, they are striking certainly ; but quite io 
.a sense op|)0.sitc to the conclubiou "X. draws 
from then*. In f.act they only prove the correct- 
ness of Mr. Lloyd's assertion wUicli " X." m 
airily impugns. 
They show conclusively that for the M'liole 
period b»tween 1871 and 18»tJ— a period of 20 
years, during which the index of exchange fell from 
IC 23 .32nd8 to 45 *>Gths— the index for rife 
was from 194 15 to J94 41. This shows that rice 
during the last half of that period was as steady «8 
a rock, but if anything slightly cheaper than 
during I he first half ! 
The Hgures lor the decennial periods 1891 to 
IJXXi are yet incomplete, and of course " X." 
could not give them ; but even as f*r &• 
they go, they are suggestive when we remember 
the couise of cxchmge. — Yours truly, 
MEllCATOR. 
THE FlR.Sr WAGTAIL 
Liodula, Sept. 23. 
Dear Sir,— I noiicefl llie first " wagtail " o/ 
this sea-sou yesterday at ternoon, the 22nd Septem- 
Ijer, and hear that one wa.s seen on a neighbour- 
ing estate on the 19th inst. This is very early 
for this pretty migiatory bird. He is a sure 
piecursor of the N.E. monsoon. T. D. 
TEA-INDIA AND CEYLON. 
Sir,— I think your Thirty and P.A. Committees 
should use all the power they have got to get 
planters to .send in quality insttad of quantity. 
Transport, Rail freight, Colombo charges, Ocean 
freight, J.ondon Warehouse charges, are 'he 
same ou a 1/- tea as they are on a 6d one. 
See the grand prices that are being paid for 
Indian teas, but look at the splendidly prepared 
teas they are com[.ared to Ceylon. It is simple 
nonsense to say that quality will not be paid for 
All 1 know as to this is that I have to do so. And if 
experience is purely practical, W. G. L from Ayr 
writing the other day say.s,—" Can't yon send me 
some of the tea we ased to get five and six years 
ago." — Yours truly, 
TEA DEALER (Ex-Ceylon.) 
Tea. IN JAVA.-Mr. A. E. Wright has had a 
very pleasant trip to Java on the present oc- 
casion and he has been impressed with the gooU- 
ness of the tea, generally in the rich soil of that 
eonnliy. Java tea planters are becoming very 
Particular abont jat and facrories with life best 
machinery are becoming available, So let intend- 
ing planters ot more tea beware 
