April 1, 1899.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
711 
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Ti' I hi: EdUof. 
INCREASED USE OF INDIAN AND 
CEYLON TEAS IN FOREIGN AND 
COLONIAL MARKETS. 
13, Rood Lane, London, E.C., Feb. 24. 
De.vr Sirs, — Confirming oiu' letter oi the 
17th inst., we now have the pleasure to 
enclo.se you copy of our this week's Circular 
from which you y\m see that there was a 
considerable increase in the use of Indian 
and Ceylon tea in Foreign and Colonial mar- 
kets during 1898, which year showed an ex- 
cess of 11 million pounds over the previous 
year ; while there has been a rise of nearly 
50 per cent over the figures for 1896, the 
progress of these external outlets having 
been very remarkable since 1892. This ap- 
plies especially to Ceylon tea, consumption 
of which during 1892 was under 10 millions, 
while in 1898 it rose to over 36 million 
pounds. 
It is certainly owing to a great extent to 
the progress made in these outside markets 
that the tea industry is in a more healthy 
condition than it Avas last year, and that 
consumption has at last overtaken produc- 
tion ; and if only planters can be induced 
to restrain their natural desire to rapidly 
increase cultivation, it looks as though the 
tea trade would be in a more prosperous 
position during the coming season. 
We know you will thoroughly imderstand 
how best to draw attention to these figures 
in your valuable journal in such a way as 
to impress the importance of these matters 
upon tea planters. — We are, dear sirs, yours 
faithfully, 
GOW, WILSON & STANTON. 
THE SILVRR CURRENCY QUESTION 
AND PLANTERS. 
Continental Hotel, Cairo, Feb 2.5th, 1899. 
SiK, — I have read (in your issue of Feb. 6th) 
with much interest yoiu- careful examination of a 
Cuirency policy in relation to the advisability of 
abandoning poor tea and coffee fields. In the 
course of your remarks you observe that in 
Ceylon, " an unusual influx of labour took place 
during 1898 just -'R depression had set in, and all 
further extensions were stopped and orders issued 
for the strictest economy in all departments." And 
the policy, you observe, resulted in a dcline in 
the earninjs's of the labourers. But what caused 
the depression in 1898 ? Certainly, it seems to me, 
not prices, but the fact that whereas at first no one 
believed that the Government would continue its 
Currency measure, it became evident by 1898 that 
tlie Government was determined to persevere in 
the suicidal policy of placing India and Ceylon in 
the worst possible position for competing with 
other silver-using countries. That prices have pro- 
bably had little to do with the depression in 
Ceylon see\n8 evident, if we consider that there 
has been much depression in Mysore leading to a 
Himilar decline in the demand for labour though 
fine Mysore coffee towards the close of last year 
was from 105 to 1 15 shillinfjis a cwt. — a liigher 
[nice than in the year previoun. The fact certainly 
89 
seems to be that while capitalists will face great 
risks which arise naturally out of tiie circum- 
stances, they will not face those Currency risks 
which are liable to be created by the notices of 
partially inforn<ed and practically irresponsible 
Indian ofHcials who ha\ e every interest in con- 
tinuing to force up the r-ite of exchange. 
You ask whether I can give you a case of " deli- 
berate^ abandonment taking place in any part of 
India." Certainly, and on niy own property. On 
mentioning this to one of our leading Mysore 
planters some months ago, he observed " That is 
just what others are doing too." But this is 
always the case when any cultivation falls into a 
.state of depression owing either to artificial (as in 
the Indian Currency cause, or the elfect of the 
.sugar bounties) or natural causes. A farmer iu 
Scotland once said to me : " How is it that you 
who have spent so much of your time in India 
kno.v exactly what ought to be done here to meet 
tho.se bad times?" Sim].ly because, I replied, I 
found that you were doing mostly what we had 
been otf.en doing in India, making money ou the 
good land and thi-owing it away on the bad— and 
that the first thing to be done" was to throw the 
latter out of cultivation. It is gooil policy in any 
times to diminish risk by cultivating highly the 
good and abandoning the "inferior land. To adopt 
any other policy in bad times, and especially in the 
face of a Currency which is liable to be tampered, 
and re-tampered with, is certainly not the safest 
cour.se to pursue.— Obediently yours. 
ROBERT H. ELLIOT. 
THE POSITION OF TEA IN AMERICA. 
Kandy, March 6. 
Sir, — I enclose extracts received from Mr, 
Mackenzie from a letter in the " New York 
Journal of Commerce," which he says gives 
the position of tea accurately and should be 
published.— I am, sir, vours faithfully, 
A PHILIP, 
Secretary, "Thirty Committee." 
The causes which reduced the importations 
this season are, first, and most important, the 
sudden imposition of duty on tea, and, secondly, 
the passage of the Tea Act in the previous year 
" to prevent the importation of impure and un- 
wholesome teas." To understand the present 
position of the tea trade these two factors have 
to be considered together. The "tea law" has 
undoubtedly excluded much of the rubbish which 
used to be imported and w hich was responsible 
to a great extent for the comparatively small 
amount of that article consumed iu this country. 
The latter measure paralyzed the trade for many 
months, as retailers would not meet the en- 
hanced cost of tea l)y a corresponding price. 
The two together placed a premium on the sur- 
plus stocks of brgone seasons, heretofore un- 
saleable, some of which had been in the country 
as long as twenty years. Such stuff acquii-ed a 
fictitious value, as there was no other cheap tea 
in the market and no more could come in. The 
amount of this aiitiijuated trash and the amount 
of stock actually held in the country has been 
a surprise to most of the trade aiiil has been 
the only obstacle to t he development of business 
in new teas. What these stocks niu.'-l b.ncljeen 
can ')C gathered from the fact that, .illliough 
some in million poutid.s of lea were iuiuorted 
from 1st June to 1st December, 18t>8, but 12 
milliou pounds were cleared, or paid duty, dur- 
ing that period. If the cousuuintion of tea per 
capita is calculated upon this basis., it will be 
found very low iudcctl ; yet no one in the busi- 
ness would admit that people have censed tg 
