724 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [April 1, 18»9. 
THE CEYLON RICE IMPORT TRADE. 
We can recall the time, thirty to forty 
years ago, when a local European House 
maintained a special agent at Cliittagong to 
purchase and ship rice to Colombo. But 
very recently, the still sui viving heiwl of 
this defunct firm declared that the business 
WiiH far from being an encouraging one, 
that the profits, if any, were very limited; 
and he reiterated a lielief which has existed 
for a generation back in this city, that the 
rice trade was one to leave to the Chetties, 
Tlie Chetty monopoly in the rice import 
trade of Colombo, has, in fact, existed for 
upwards of thirty years, with the fewest pos- 
sible interruptions. Last year a great cry Wii« 
raised over the prospect of Burma rice 
coming in to redress the balance and to reduce 
the Chetty's prices for Indian rice ; but we 
have not heard so much for some time now 
of the economi advantages of rice from 
Rangoon, and we believe it is acknow- 
ledged that it cannot, generally, compete 
with rice from Bengal or — when there is 
an abundant crop — from Southern India. But 
our readers — and our planting readers es- 
pecially — will be glad to learn that for some 
time now, Colombo has enjoyed the 
novelty of an active, substantial and 
successful rice import business on a consider- 
able scale througli the agency of a Euro- 
pean House. This is due to the enterprise 
of the well-known firm of Messrs. Grunoerg 
Bros., Merchants and Agents, of 28 Dalhousie 
Square, Calcutta, with branches in P^iris 
and at Singapore, and who, with great ex- 
perience of the rice trade of Bengal, have 
— fortunately as we think for the planters 
and public of Ceylon— decided to open a 
branch house in Colombo under the care 
of Mr. James Shrager. We had heard, 
incidentally, for a number of weeks back, 
of the stir created in Chetty and even 
steamer circles, by the advent of a mercantile 
firm with a thorough acquaintance with 
the rice trade of India, commanding every 
facility for the purchase and shipment of 
rice from Bengal and with such a strong 
financial backing in capital as must ensure 
the sviccess of a local Agency when once 
definitively determined on. The interview 
reported by our representative below, 
fully bears out these expectations and gives 
good reason for anticipating that we are 
entering on a new era in respect of the Rice 
Import trade. Already, we believe, prices 
have been favourably affected ; and we 
may well hope that with abundant crops 
prevailing in India, we are to have a 
good " rice " year during 1899 for the estate 
coolies, for our urban population and other 
consumers in Ceylon. It is well-known that 
we are determined opponents of the present 
import duty on rice, and that we oelieve 
it IS a tax certain to be abolished before 
the new century has been long vsdth us. 
When that day arrives,— when there is 
absolute "free trade" in rice— we may be 
sure that the fullest benefit resulting from the 
change will be secured by the public. Hitherto 
it has been said that the Chetties would 
appropriate the equivalent of the duty and 
keep up prices of rice with impunity ! With 
such competition as now exists, it is not likely 
we shall hear any more of objections of thU 
kind to the abolition of the ('eylon imixtrt 
duty on rice, the staple food of the jK-ople. 
THE CALCL'Tl'A RICE TRADE. 
INTERVIEW WITH A KL'ROl'EAN DEALER. 
Calcutta, though not the largest among; 
the sources of the rice-supply sent t<j (Vylon, 
holds a position of great im|Kirtance 'lx>th 
fi<jin tiie high quality of the grain and the 
gnat ext<-nt of the consigumcntM i'e<x^ived 
there. Hitherto, the trade with CakutUi. aa 
with South India, h.is been entirely cojitrolled 
by the ubitiuitous hard-dealing Chetty. 
European dealers liiive tried time and again 
to run an opixisition trade, but invariablv the 
chetty-ring h;is proved Uk) strong for" the 
would-be lienefactoi-s of the European com- 
munity and they have had to retire from a 
niofitless business. Now, however, the well- 
known Calcutta firm of Grunberg Bros., which 
has recently opened a branch in Colombo, 
seem to be making considerable headway. 
Hearing that Mr. 1. Shrager, the senior pai-tner 
of the Calcutta firm wa«> over in Ceylon on 
a brief business visit, a repi-eHentative of 
the Observer called upon him lately with 
the object of eliciting information on cer- 
tain point* in connection with the Calcutta 
rice trade. 
We found Mr. Shrager in the upstair 
office of Messrs. Grunberg Bi-os, in Canal 
Street, towards the end of his last day's 
\\;ork in Colombo before pi-oceeding Uj the 
hills. He expi-essed willingness to answer 
any questions we might put, hb far 
circumstances iiKide it fitting, 
" Has the plague," we iisked, " Ijeen 
largely interfering with the rice trade from 
Calcutta ? " 
" Yes, it has," said Mr, .Shrager, " in this 
wtiy. Several steameis whose final destina- 
tion lay far beyond Colombo, and which 
called at that port, have been refusing to 
ship cargo for Colombo, because of the 
time lost on the voyage. Now that the 
Indian capital has become a plague-infected 
port, their homeward journey is delayed by 
four days if they have cargo to unship at 
Colombo, for the voyage takes six days, 
and the boat has to lemain in quarantine 
till 10 days have elapsed from the time 
of leaving Calcutta. Moreover they are 
afi-aid of not being able to fill up with 
fresh cargo the space emptied here owing 
to the temporary local disinclination to send 
cargo to England in Calcutta boats." 
"Does the danger of infection by the 
rice itself have a detrimental effect upon 
the local markets for Calcutta rice ? " 
" Not at all. As soon as ever rice arrives at 
Calcutta from the districts it is immediately 
bought up for export,— so large is the 
demand." 
" Your exports from Calcutta are not sent 
by any means solely to the Ceylon market P' 
" Oh no ! The same qualities that are taken 
for Ceylon are exported from Calcutta to a 
great many places and as far off as the West 
Indies and South African Ports. Of course 
Ceylon is the largest market. The exports to 
Colombo from Calcutta alone, during January 
and February of this year, were about 865,000 
bushels." 
