JrNE 1, 189!r.J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 863 
EXPOllT OF TEA FROM CHINA TO ODESSA. 
1898-99. 1897-98. 
lb. lb. 
Shanghai and Hankow... 2-2,733,272 19,4(52,^9 i 
EXPOIIT OF TEA FitOM JAPAN TO UNITED 
STATES AND CANADA. 
1898-99. 1897-98, 
lb. lb. 
Yokohama .. 25,944.170 26,826,182 
Kobe .. 13,948,Gai 16,732,118 
39,890,804 43,558,300 
It will be observed there is a comparative 
decrease all round, save in the case of 
shipments from China for Odessa which are 
3,8o0,000 lb. in excess of those in 1897-8. 
THE INDIAN CUKIIENCY COMMITTEE. 
EXTRACTS FROM THE EVIDENCE. 
MR. W. J. THOMPSON, JUNIOR:— 
THE LOSSES OF TEA. COMPANIFS. 
\'ou are aware that the dividends paid 
by the tea companies this season have been mate- 
rially le.sR that they weie last year and in previous 
years ?— Yes. 
Arisi'ig mainly from what cause ?— Increased 
cost of production. 
One of the leading; elements in that is the 
(lifTerence in exeiianse ; that is to say, suppose your 
agents in Calcutta sell a 90 days' .■sight hill upon a 
London bank to 'ay down funds to pay the coolies' 
wages, if they .«ell the bill at Is 4 I in tiie one case, 
whereas if the Government of India had not in tliis 
arbitrary way fixed the rate at Is 4d, they could 
have sold the bid at Is 2d, tiiat would have made 
a consideral)le difference ?— Yes 
And probably have turned tiie loss on the 
last season mio a prolit ' It would have made a 
considerable dilf'ercuce, of course. 
What difference do you estimate there would 
be between a Is 4d rate and a Is •2d rate, on 
the wages of the coolies per lb of tea? I believe 
it would amount to about five-eighths of a penny 
per pound. 
That effect is felt very much moie severely, 
is it not, in Ceylon than in India, because the en- 
tire industry of the i-<lan<i of Ceylon now, since the 
coft'ee failed, is tea?— Yes, that i.s the great industry 
of the island. 
The great industry of the island hangs 
now upon tea? — Yes. 
THK FUTURE OE CEYI.O.V. 
Suppose the tea industry should fail, as 
ColVee has faileil, what becomes of the island ?— I 
will leave you to deal with that iiiiestion, I do nob 
like to tliiuk of it. 
Uow is the (lovernment to carry on the 
administration of the Colony? — I am not the Gov- 
ernor. 
These are questions, I think, that it 
behoves us a little to look at. I hear the Ceylon 
tea planters |iutting ipiostions of that nature, and 
I daresay you have lieard the same ?— Yes, b\it is 
it not a little hard to put the <iuestion lo a poor 
tea-broke " ? 
You are a tea planter to a small extent, 
but you are not in the same position as some of tlie 
poor tea planters are ? — No, and 1 never was in 
that position from the other point of view either. 
SOME TEADE CURIOSITIES. 
(Sir F Mowatt. ) In the yearly prices 
which you gave us of the taa.?, i ob.serve some 
curious variations. In 1892-93 1 think you said 
that India was selling ab lid,, Ceyluu at9cl.,aud 
China at 8id ?— Yes. 
Tiie next year it fell to 9-Jd in India, 
8kl in Ceylon, and Sd in China ?— Ye.?. 
The next ye.ar it ro.?e agrdn to lOJrd, 8|d, and 
there was a little fall in the case of China to 
72d ?— Yes. 
Is there any explanation of that beyond the 
ordinary rates of supply and deiiiarid ? —Prob- 
ably not. We had one very fine year from Assam 
— a sort of climatic iniUience came over Assam and 
gave us a very large (luantity of high priced teas. 
I think that was the year when the price rose 
to lO^d. 
AN INCREASE OF BRITISH-GROWN TEAS 
POS.SIBLE. 
On the whole, from your experience of the 
trade, do you anticipate that the supply of Indian 
and Ceylon teas will tend to increase ? — Yes, I am 
certainly of that opinion, 
(Sir D. Barbour) In the figures you gave of 
the prices, I noticed that, in tlie earlnjr years, 
Ceylon tea fetched a much higher price than Indian 
and now it is lower. What is tlie explanation of 
that J— la the earlier years there was on'y a 
small quantity and it was of finer quality than 
now— at first, too, it was a novelty, 
I think you said that there had been some 
over- production in recent years ? — Weil, tlisre has 
been quite enougli. 
You suggested that if there had been 5 per cent, 
less tea, the price would have been ten per cent, 
higher ? — Yes, 
So that the tea planters would have gained ?— in 
that way; but it is impossible to stop protection. 
Bub suggest these tigure — 5 per cent, less tea 
would mean 10 per cent more in pvioe ? Yes our 
stock is so small, that a reJueLioii of 12 inill'ions 
in it would cause an advance in price. That is 
what amount to. 
You also said that the rise of exchange would 
diminish the profits?— That is a. sequUur,'"! tJnnk. 
And that would diniirnsh, to some extent the 
rate of production ?--! think it would eventually 
have that etlect. It has with some people "l 
know. 
According to your figures, it a rise in the rate 
of exchange caused a 5 per cent, reduction' of 
production, there oughl; to be some gain to the 
planter from a rise in the Lon Ion price '— 
That is so, taking these figures, but te;i, as you 
know, takes five or six years before it is in full 
bearing. That is why you cannot stop production. 
But the arrangnient would be this; that a tali 
of exchange might -o increete produciion .as to 
lead to over production, and be followed afterwards 
by a reaction ' — (Juite po.=si'jly. 
Where if there was a exehange, you would at 
any rate, get rid of or.e cause of fiuotuatiou and 
uncertainly ? — Yes. 
You said tiiat the tea plant in India and Ceylon 
is altogether dll'erent from the tea plant in China? 
— Yes. 
And gave a letter tea?— Yesi. 
Tluwt also gives an adva!it:ig) to the In. Man and 
Ceylon planters ?—Ye.s, but the li .st gardens iu 
India were laid out with the China plant, and 
now nobody would dream of sowing the China 
plant. 
