March 1, 1904.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
62^ 
CEYLON ASSOCIATION IN LONDON. 
THE TEA DUTY MEMORIAL. 
To the Kight Honourable Austen Chamberlain, 
M.P., Chancellor of the Exchequer. 
London, 2Qd Feb., 1904. 
Sir, — We, the undersigned Associations, re- 
presenting the Producers of Tea in India and 
Ceylon, have the honour to address you nn the 
subject of the Import Duty on Tea. For 16 years 
previous to 1900 the increase in consumption 
averaged 4i- million lb per annum : but since that 
date (1901-1903) consumption lias practically re- 
mained stationary. The figures being 
1901 ... 255 87.3,082 lb. 
1902 ... 254,440,188 ,, 
1903 ... 255,365.953 ,, 
The natural increase in consumption due to the 
normal growth of the population in these last two 
years should be 3J: millions of lb so that it is 
evident that the people of this country are on- 
suming less tea per head than formerly, which no 
doubt is in a large measure due to the raising of 
cue duty to 6d per lb. This high rate of duty has 
most injuriously affected the Tea Pioducers of 
India and Ceylon in another and unexpected 
manner. Increased supplies of the con;monest 
grades of China tea have been imported into this 
country ; a not inconsiderable quantity of which 
had been rejected by the United States Customs 
authorities as being unfit for consumption. This 
class of tea is admitted into United Kingdom 
without question as there is no enactment to pre 
vent it, and has been sold to Importers under the 
cost of production. Being blended heie with the 
higher qualities of British grown teas, it has in 
large measure had the effect of saving the con- 
sumer from tlie incidence of the extra duty and 
thus throwing the burden on the producer of 
British-grown tea. The extent to which Indian 
and Ceylon teas have been displaced in this 
country by other growths since 1900 may be seen 
in the following figures for '• Teas entered for 
Home consumption ":— 
1901 1902 1903 
lb lb lb 
British grown 
Teas ... 238,785,254 234,268,716 229,273,614 
China and other 
Teas ... 17,087,828 20.171,472 26,092,339 
255,873,082 254,440,188 255,-365,953 
Were the people of this country protected from 
the "dumpitig" of rejected teas from other countries 
and standards of quality enacted by Government 
(as in the United States and Australia) your 
petitioners believe that with the importation of 
nniforraly good tea, coupled with a reduction in 
the duty, conaumption would increase instead of 
remaininf; stationary as it is now doing under the 
disabilities at present burdening the enterprise. 
The average market price of Indian and Ceylon 
Teas is now about Jd per lb lower than it was 
when we addressed your predecessor on 6th Jan, 
1903, whilst the stocks were respectively 91,520,551 
lb on 31st December lastapaiust 88,092,638 1b at 
the end of the previous year, showing clearly that 
if consumption had increased at the normal rate 
the stocks would have been diminished and the 
market price, instead of being lower, would have 
been higher today. We would again urge that in 
ftll other English-speaking countries, the tendency 
is to recognise the importance of encouraging the 
consumption of a beneficial and wholesome be- 
verage such as tea, and with that view the duty 
on tea is being generally reduced or abolished. 
In Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the 
United States tea is now duty free, and in 
Germany a substantial reduction has taken place. 
We desire to point out that although we were 
aware when the du'y was increased on account 
of the late war that its incidence would fall 
heavily on the industry, we made no formal 
protest, as we felt that our loyalty to the Empiie 
demanded that we should in no way embarrass the 
Government in its scheme of taxation at such a 
critical time; but we now feel we are entitled to 
receive the fullest consideration and relief that 
the Government can afford. — We lia/e the honour 
to be Sir, lour most obedient servants, 
C C McLeod, F.A Koberts ; representing The 
Indian Tea Association (London). 
K K Rutherford, Uichard A Bosanquet ; re- 
presenting The Ceylon Association in Loudon. 
INDIAN TEA ASSOCIATION. 
ANNUAL MEETING. 
The following is from the proceedings of the 
Annual General Meeting of members of the 
Association held at the rooms of the Bengal Cham- 
ber of Commerce on Tuesday the 16th February 
1904, Mr. G Begg, Chairman presiding. 
The CHAIRM.4.N— presented the Report for the 
year ended 31st December 1903, and addressed the 
meeting. He said : Gentlemen, — Last year's Report 
informed you that Mr Harold Maun had, with 
the permission of the Committee, drawn up a 
scheme for extending the scope of iiis operations. 
The .scheme was estimated to involve the outlay ot 
a sum of about R27,000 and in addition to the 
existing laboratory it provided for the formation of 
an experimental tarm in the tea districts. You will 
be glad to learn that the full amount required has 
been subscribed and that the scheme will now be 
proceeded with. Mr Mann has just returned to 
India after a well earned six months' holiday, 
While in England he was successful in engaging 
the services ot Mr Claude Hutchinson, late of Cam- 
bridge University, the gentleman who was highly 
recommended to him by Dr. Yoelcker to assise 
him in the undertaking. Mr Hutchinson 
is expected to arrive in India in April „ 
1 now turn, gentlemen, to another subject, and 
one which has exercised the minds of your Com- 
mittee a very great deal during the past season and 
that is the question of the supply of labour to the 
tea districts and the working of Act VI of 19U1. 
The supply of labour offering at present is 
not only deficient and inferior, but owing to 
the keen competition arising from this state 
of things the rates now being paid to con- 
tractors are very high, and it is hard to 
say when the limit will bo reached. The extra 
expenditure entailed on the industry unfortunately 
benefits neither the industry itself nor i he labourer, 
and merely swells the profit of the contractor. The 
question of the scarcity of labour is exercising the 
minds of some large tea companies at Home, and 
only quite recently the attention of your Com- 
mittee was drawn to the system of Colonial 
Emigration and u suggestion put forward 
that Government should be asked to Undertake 
to supply the labour required for the tea dis- 
tricts. This is no new suggestion, tor it happened 
to have been put forward some five or six years ago 
