Sept. 2, 1901.1 ' THE TROPICAL AGRICULTU:^IST. 205 
are forced to pay the Cess they will interest 
themselves in the spending of it. You may not 
have noticed the intimate connection between 
lirivate tea sales and the Importers' Combine, 
but when the importers refuse tea to the fjeneral 
buyer they will get higher prices at tlie private 
tea sales ; we understand that some of the buyers 
want to pay more, and the Importers will let 
tJiem have their way even at the cost of secrecy. 
Tlie rumour of this Great Combine, although not 
absolutely correct, has probably a good fouada- 
tion. Divide the figures by half— £500,000 and 
5!)0,000 acres at fl per acre, there would be 
money and that is the prime factor to success. The 
20 lakhs of my scheme is really all I want to 
>Q''. accomplished, but I could not go on repeating 
this short sentence. I had to concoct a decent 
sclieme for the use of it. I would warn Tea 
owners, however, that, if they allow any combine 
of the sort indicated, those left out will sooner 
or later be left in the lurch. The combined 
importers will be able to crush competition 
amongst buyers, and our fondest hope is that we 
siiall be able to stimulate competition for our Tea. 
On July 31st, in your notes you say that Ceylon 
and India are still far from sufficiently united to 
run together in the complicated working of the 
plan I proposed in your columns. If I did advise 
anything complicated and objectionable I with- 
draw it, and shall expect your full support for 
the following of a 20-lakh Cess for India and a cor- 
responding amount for Ceylon. A promise on the 
part of Proprietors to withdraw their surplus from 
London and to place it in Calcutta or Colombo, 
and when there is a surplus there, to place it 
on any terms, (the best they can procure) — on 
foieiga markets with sufficient precautions that 
ir, shall not return to Calcutta, Colombo or 
London. There is certainly no use in going into 
further details, which can only be decided by 
those who will be put in charge of our affairs. 
On July 29th, in the letter from your London 
correspondent, he refers to a recent letter for 
"Regulating Tea sales by a general Syndicate of 
Proprietors who should feed the market in exact 
proportion to its requirements &c., &c." I regret 
that I have missed that letter, unless he refers 
to my own scheme ! ! I think it is time to warn 
all concerned that it is necessary for them to 
join in combined action if they would save their 
estates. The amalgamation of a few gardens 
renders them stronger, and lessens the chances 
of those not amalgamated (excepting of course 
the great concerns). The amalgamation of large 
Companies will be infinitely more serious ; they 
will be able to enforce the rule of the survival of 
tlie fittest. So that, whatever combine is contem- 
plated, It is urgent for each Proprietor that be 
should insist on belonging to it. 
Times are moving, Mr. Editor, and it is to be 
hoped that you will add all your weight to the 
movement. Please cease to doubt that Ceylon and 
India will combine ; if you say they 'Will do so 
and they do not do so, it cannot injure your re- 
putation. If you will only pick out the slightest 
symptoms of mutual agreement and enlarge on 
it, it will do an infinity of good to the cause. At 
l>resent we are ready to combine or fight if only 
our leaders will say which it is to be. Your 
Ceylon Planters come to India, and promptly "go 
!or " Ceylon on the question of over-production. 
S^ome of the big Companies own estates in both 
countries, and they would surely like to further 
any chance of agreement and combination. A 
Cess of 20 lakhs and 14 lakhs from both would 
do much more good than 20 from India and four 
from Ceylon. India has robbed Ceylon to thiee- 
fourths of the benefit of its Cess, because it had 
no Cess at all. Ceylon poured tea into foreign 
markets, bub what was the use of it? India 
poured more into London and prevented a rise in 
prices. I think that I have already pointed out 
that there will be a struggle for the extra 2d 
duty when it is remitted. Our united crop is 
worth over two million pounds at 2d per pound ; 
surely that is worth having, and shall we get 
it unless we are combined ? Can yon propose any 
scheme, other than the one I have proposed, which 
will enable us to prevent that two million jiounds 
passing into the hands of the buyers and con- 
sumers ? 
If we put all our tea in the maiket, why should 
the buyers pay more than they now pay? The 
customer will pay what he is now paying, and 
when 2d duty is taken o3, who will get it ? 
It can be given to the consumer in order to 
stimulate consumption, but we ought to see that 
it is not given too rapidly, i.e., not until con- 
sumption has increased in 'proportion to the prices 
reduced. A.C. 
CEYLON TEA IN AMERICA. 
Colombo, Aug. 20. 
Dear Sir,— To my mind nothing can justify 
a continuance of the secret payments made 
by the Ceylon Tea Commissioner to tea 
firms whether in Canada or the States. 
Take the case ot a local merchant or ex])orter 
who is also interested in estates. He is a 
tea producer and contributes to the Cess. 
He is a shipper and a seller in the States 
and Canada ; but the money be provides in 
the Cess, is paid to the Commissioner who 
hands it to this taxpayer's competitors in 
America, who are thus enabled to undersell 
the Colombo grower-merchant there ! There 
are many in the above position, and we object 
to money thus provided being paid away to 
local detriment. 
GROWER AND EXPORTER. 
[We have never seen the condemnation of 
the Ceylon Commissioner's policy put so 
neatly in a nutshell before. From t;he begin- 
ning though, we have held that the Cess 
money should have gone in advertising for the 
benefit of all interested in selling our teas 
and not in secret subsidies sure to provoke 
jualousy and ill-will.— Ed. T.A.] 
TEA EXPORTS TO AMERICA. 
Colombo, Aug. 20. 
Dear Sir,— Have you statistics by you, 
showing the total quantity of tea imported 
into the U. States and Canada in each of 
the last five years fi'om Ceylon, India, China 
and Japan, each country separately ? 
It would be an interesting statement.— Yours 
truly, 
MERCATOR. 
