606 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March 1, 1899. 
a tea growing locality. Your Committee are not 
sangniue that much good will result from the 
deliberations of the Indian Currency ComuiiKBion eo 
far as Eastern producers are concerned but ven- 
ture to hope that the present crisis iu the tea 
industry will ahortly come to an end as from all 
accounts tea extension to any great extent in the 
meantime has ceased and this is bound to tell on prices 
in the near future as the consumption of Indian and 
Ceylon tea is still largely increasing year by year 
and new markets are being found. Yonr Committee 
are of opinion that the Thirty Committee would have 
better furthered the interests of Ceylon and increased 
the demand for its black teas had more attention 
been paid and money voted to the Russian and Con- 
tinental markets and less to the American. It also 
seems to them to have been quite unnecessary to 
subsidize Lipton who was quite able to push his own 
busineaa. Your Committee are further of opinion 
that the tea cess was raised for findiu;; new markets 
for our black teas and the funds applied to that 
purpose ; they consider that the arrangement with 
Mr. Kclway-Baniber and the granting of bonases to 
makers of green teas were false steps which the "Thirty 
Committee " were not authorized to make without iu 
in the first place consulting the other District Asso- 
ciations and are much to be deplored. Such unautho- 
rized exponditiue of the tea-ceso is doubtless the reason 
for the Committee considering the desirability of in- 
creasing the fund. 
Cacao. — The crop for the year has not been so 
favorable as might have been expected, but the 
trees are in good heart and there is every pro- 
spect of very good crops for the coming year. 
The young clearings of this valuable product 
are most promising and the ravages of the 
disease on tho older fields have been very 
slight : at the same time your Committee would 
urge that Government be appealed to at once start 
an Agricultural Scientific Department to protect ns 
against the ravages of disease and pest and not wait 
for them to have full sway before any attempt be 
made to grapple with them. Your Committee would 
further take this opportunity of thanking Mr. Carru- 
thera for his very valuable reports and hmts how to 
combat and guard against the different diseases which 
cacao seems liable to. 
Roads and Biudoes.— Your Committee are reason- 
ably justified in thinking that this Association have 
every right to be proud of the fact that the Namuna- 
kula-Passara Road is now completed and opened for 
traffic since 1st January of the current year. The 
fight to obtain this road was fierce and the opposition 
to it strong and iu high quarters. Nevertheless the 
Association persevered and thanks to our present Ruler 
the road was granted and your Committee have little 
donbt of its being largely used as a feeder to the 
Railway at Baudarawela by estates and also by natives 
Two of our respected past Chairmen viz : — Mr. W. 
Waddou Martyu and Mr. R. P. Macfarlane had much 
to do with the obtaining of this road and the district 
is un 'er the deepest obligations to these two gentle- 
men : there is no doubt that they also will be highly 
gratified to hear that their efforts have been so much 
appreciated. Your Committee have also to congratu- 
late you on the virtual completion of the Wellawaya- 
Mupane road as with the esception of the metal- 
ling which will be completed iu 1899, all the 
bridges on this important road (some of them 
very large ones) will be finished during the current 
year. The thanks of this Association are also 
due to Government for the sanctioning of tho 
completion of the small piece of connecting road 
between the Mupane caddies and the main thorough- 
fare. Your Oommijtee further think the Association 
should feel gratified at the promised early comple- 
tion of the Doomoo Extension road to Dunedin 
Factory. It is hoped this road will be finished during 
1899. Your Committee further trust that Government 
will "see their way to shortly complete the Bibile- 
Meddagama-Obeyagoda road as they feel assured the 
cutting of this road will benefit to a very large ex- 
tent a fertile country with a large native cultivation 
and population which is at present practically cnt off 
from all cart road coinmanication. At the pcesent 
rate of construction there is Utile prubability of this 
generation seeing the completion of this road for 
which a comparatively small suiii of money will be re- 
quired. As regards road upkeep your Committee have 
great pleasure in stating that towards the end of 
the year the roads were in better order thuu they 
have been for sometime and a very Urge iucrcaue 
to the road votes for 1899 had been sanctioned. This 
increased vote will allow for sharp corners being cut 
away, parapet walls erected round culvert.^, and we 
are assured that a better method of upkeep will be 
adopted during 1899. Your Corninittee also tjcw with 
satisfaction the great improvements made to the 
Madulsima road which from being previously a com- 
paratively dangerous one has now been made safe. 
Your Committee feel it is their duty to place on 
record the warmest thanks of the Association to His 
Excellency Sir West Kidgeway for th« practical 
interest he has taken in the affairs of this Associa- 
tion by sanctioning all the above-mentioned large 
public works. 
Labob and the Fedebation Bcheme. — Your Com- 
mittee have pleasure in reporting that the supply of 
labor is at present sufficient for the needs of the 
district but at the same time looking to the large 
acreage uf young tea coming into beating tbey are 
of opinion it would be most injudicious to do any 
thing to discourage the cooly (rum returning to the 
country when bis services nay be re<|uircd and they 
will view with interest the working of the Labor 
Federation scheme. Advances have been reduced con- 
siderably during the year where practicable, and your 
Committee hope will continue to be so. 
Forest Ordisance. — Yonr Committee view with con- 
cern the present working of this Ordinance. Some 
years ago shortly after it was passed the Ordinance 
was worked in a harsh and arbitrary manner. The 
matter was ventilated in the press, put right and 
since then it has worked smoothly and no complaints 
have been made. Lately, however, since the Forester 
has been removed, cases have again occurred in this 
district where the forest ranger has used his powers 
in a most harsh and high-handed manner ; and 
if this be not put a stop to by the Government 
Agen t , there is little doubt but that a state of 
matter^ will arise which your Committee will de- 
plore. The Ordinance was passed, tbey understand, 
to protect Government property but not to harass and 
worry unnecessarily honest and well-known parties. 
Reduction of Railway Rates. — Your Committee 
have to congratulate you upon a reduction of railway 
rates which they flatter themselves was obtained to a 
considerable extent owing to the agitation first started 
by this Association, and although they are very grateful 
for the concessionallowed, viz., uniform ratesonail goods 
from Nawalapitiya upwards they are at the same time 
more than disappointed that His Excellency the Gov- 
ernor has not deemed it advisable to also grant what 
the members of the Railway Rates Reduction Com- 
mittee urged him to give, viz., a special reduction on 
all rice above Nanuoya. This would have not only 
placed Passara and Uva generally on an almost equal 
footing with the other Kandy side districts, but would 
have been certain to have secured the traffic now 
passing over theBatticaloa road. Had this concession 
beengranted whilecousiderably lielpingus it wouldhave 
materially increased the profits on the railway which 
are now likely to be lost to it. Whether thi^ policy 
is a wise one on the part of His Excellency the f ut&re 
alone can prove. Your Committee feel thaL the heart- 
iest thank of this Association and all Uva should be 
accorded to the members of the deputation and especially 
those members comprising it who reside on the Kandy 
side for the unanimous way in which they so strongly 
pleaded for this special relief for Uva. Though their 
efforts were not successful, it was not owing to their 
having failed in putting the case for Uva most 
strongly. 
The thanks of the Association are also tendered to 
the Editors of the Ceylon Observer and the " Times 
of Ceyloa" for their hearty and strong advocacy 
