178 
THE TROPICAL A(1RICULTUEIST. 
Sept. 1, 1903. 
Notwithstanding its largely increased output 
(80 per cent, hi six years) and a comparatively 
steady range of (London) prices the Company 
has not been a success in respect of profits. !No 
dividend has yet been paid on the ordinary shares ; 
whilst that on the 5 per cent, cumulative pre- 
ifirence sliares is now ]J years in arffear. The 
results of the past three years are tabulated 
below : — 
1900. 19Qii. 1902. 
By sales, etc £78.934 £101,121 £94,189 
Working expenses 78,796 93,421 89,015 
Net profit 
Debenture interest 6% 
Preference dividencl 5% 
Depreciajtion machinery 
Brought forward 
138 
7,700 
5,174 
1,587 
4,398 
6.000 
8,000 
'500 
—5,862 
3,113 
276 
6,490 
628 
3,741 
Carried forward 628 3,741 4,017 
An issue of £125,000 6 per cent debentures was 
authorised in 1901 to provide for additional ex- 
penditure which had been incurred on capital 
account. £73,700 were issued and £72,500 are 
outstanding ; the balance of £51.300 are lodged as 
seiCurity for bill's payable. 
The position of the company shows to greater 
advantage whien considered in relation to the future 
of the industry rather thaq from a view of its 
achievements to date. At any r&te, it has got 
through the crisis, it may be hoped without serious 
damage, and although it will need very careful 
financial pianagement, the improvement which 
has recently taken place in the market price of 
teas (wliich was too late to appreciably affect the 
•returns for 19<]2^and the steedy expansion in the 
area of distribiUpn, which puts thp rise in home 
price on a much broader and su»er foundation 
than a fortuitous restriction of output, gives hopes 
of a better prrofit account in the immediate future. 
MOSS FHOM A ROLLING STONE. 
HOW OTHERS SE^E US IN CEYLON. 
]Vj3VII«J ABOUT FABTHi;p EAST AND 
LABOUR DIFFICULTIES. 
(By an old Coffee Wallah.) 
MALDIVES. 
You are a bright set of boys down in (^eylon — 
you and the Maldives between you. If you don't 
take care you will go down to history as " Tlie 
Wi^ckers." The Malclives wreck sj^ips recklessly. 
B«t you, in Ceyjon, not content with acting as 
a Loadstone Ro(?k towards a carefully calculat- 
ing Shipmaster, deliberately wreck the Snltan 
of your rival wreckers because he has exceeded 
Ms allowance of sixpence a week. This is about 
the funniest story I ever read. For the Sultan's 
sake it is tP be hoped that the egregious Truth 
does not constitute himself as Counsel -for the 
defence. '-Tis a great pity I left you. You have 
gone quite wild ^rnceyou lost the weight of my 
controlling hand. 
5 NATIONALITIES. 
There is balm in Gilead yet, and I am begin- 
•ning to think that there are worse things than 
1 heumatic fever. During five weeks on my back 
I was never a day without a visitor, and 
one day 1 had a levee in my bed-room. 
Five men dropped in one after another, and 
five different nationalities, an Englishman, 
a Frenchman, a German, a Dutchman, and 
a Switzer ! Man is a vain thing in more senses 
than one— and must I confess that my vanity 
was gratified by the solicitude of my neighbours. 
Gratiiude also was not forgotten. 
Permission being given to move. I started to 
pay a long-promised visit to a young sug&r plamter 
in 
PERAK, 
taking with ine, to massage the stftl offending 
member, a faithful Javanese boy who was an 
endless source of comfort to me, and an equally 
endless source of amusement to my friends from 
the way in which he shepherded me. Was there 
a gangway to go down he was before me with his 
shoulder for me to rest my hand on. Was there a 
gangway to go up, he was there again with hand 
outstretched to help me up. 
Arrived at 
BELAWAN 
in company with one of the best assets (two- 
legged) that the Chartered Bank ever possessed, 
I told the ever-faithful ' There's the luggage ; get 
Chinese porters and follow me.' The wharves 
are pretty long at Belawan. The Banker and I 
arrived on board the Ho Kwei, but still no sign 
of the luggage : and still no sign : and 
still no sign ! The Banker hunted up the 
Captain, and we explained our predica- 
ment. ' Oh,' says the skipper, ' the Sumatra is 
going out today. Never mind, I'll wait 
for you.' A messenger was sent for our 
luggage to the ' Sumatra/ the best part of a mile 
do\Yp the wharf. The trunks arrived in due time, 
the whistle sounded and we were off. Meantime 
I had been making play with the skipper, well 
knowing that if onee we were under way no 
speech was to be got of him ; for the nai^igation 
out of Belawan is very ticklish. 
' Captain N.' says I, ' are you any relation to 
Mr N. in Med am T 
' No,' he replies, ' we are namesakes and Danes, 
but DO family.' 
' You know my friend S. in Medam. Do you 
know what he calls you ?' ' Ko !' 
' Well to distinguish you from him, as you are 
the later comer, and a ship- Captain ; and the other 
one of your name is a peaceful man of business, 
my friend S. calls you the Pirate !' 
' My word,' says the skipper, 'rUhftve S. by 
the throat when I get back !' 
Thus we made friends, and then I ventured to 
approach a rather delicate subject. 
Mac(LOQ) : Captain, I am travelling with a very 
distinguished Banker. I hope you have a thiyader- 
ing good dinner for us. 
Captain : Don't you be afraid ! 
And he spoke with reason, because we had a 
first-class dinner, quality if possible, exceeding 
quantity. Arrived at Penang, I expected to be met 
by my young Perak sugar-planter. He not showing 
up, the Banker insisted on driving me up to the 
Bank house : and there I found 'that the whole 
chummery consisted of old fi'iendsk- How small is 
the world! The young sugar-planter was finally 
discovered hiding at the end of a telephone, and 
being dragged out, a very pleasant party separated, 
each to his ' daily round, his common task.' 
I have nothing but admitatson for the 
