Apbil 1, 1902 J 
THE TROPICAL aGKICULTURIST. 
695 
also in the other markets in the world, with the result 
that li.dia has oi.lv been able, owing to lack of funds, 
to make coi.sideriibly less progress than Ceylon, tne 
fiaureaoflast vear showiug thr.t, while C eylon, wuh 
a Droduction o"f about 150 niilliona of pounds of tea, 
BeT.t over 49 miluon pounds, or nearly 33 percent., 
to foreign c-mntries, ludia with a production of 190 
miJiona of pounds sent only about SS^ milhoua, or 
about IS per cent., to foreign markets 
4 Owing to the great increase in the production 
of Indian and ':eyloa teas riudng leoeuL years the 
buddIy to the markets of the United Kingdom has been 
lartTeW in excess of the dein >nd. and it has only been 
possible to find an outlet for n portion of this surplus 
bv a continued reduction of price, while the worl.1 8 
stock of British-grown tea has materially inoreasetl. 
5 Taking the position as it at present stands, 
the result so far has been that the average price of 
Indian tea has been continuously falling until a, 
considerable proportion is being sold below the cost 
of production, and it is clear that tea-gcowing in 
India on a remunerative basis can only be coatinued 
by «ompreh6n3ive measures being promptly taken 
to open new markets. . 
6 Your Memorialists feel that it is unnecessary to 
enlarge upon the importance of maintaining the 
India^i tea-industry on a remunerative basis, aa well 
because of the very large amount of capit«l emb rked 
in it as of the importance of keeping in cultivation 
extensive tracts of land ) ieldiny a direct revenue to 
Government, and providing large numbers of the 
native population of India with erap.oyment, and 
they submit that it is thus to the interest, of the (gov- 
ernment of India to reuoer assistmce to the tea in- 
dustry, esp*cialiy having regard to the fact that the 
assistance which it is the object of this Memorial to 
invoke will not involve any burden on the public 
ravenuM^.^ g^jpgrienoe has shown that it is not possible 
by "means of a voluntary levy to collect sufficient 
funds to carry on the work of developing foreign 
markets for Indian tea to anything like suliicient 
extent, and that no organisation is possible as a re- 
sult of voluntiirv effort which will ensure uniform 
subscriptions being paid by all pioprietors. Were 
the levy made Ci^mpulsory, your Memoualists are 
confident it would be cheerfully paid by many who 
will not contribute to a voluntary assessment. 
8 That such an organisation can be made effec- 
tive is provftd by the success of the measure'* adopt- 
ed in Ce\lou, the operation of which has been 
to ensure' the provision of the funds which have 
enabled the Ceylon Tea- Industry, by foster- 
ing and developing foreign markets, to divert 
increasing quantities of tea produced in that 
Colony to such maikets, and your Memorialists sub- 
mit that, under the circumstances, the only practi- 
cal means of attaining the end they have in view is 
for those inleresttsd in the ludian Tea-Industry to 
follow the example of Ceylon. This, however, can 
only be done vvith the aid of Government in the 
manner above indicated, audit is the object of this 
Memorial to interest Your Excellency's Government 
to render such aid. . , . ^ , c n -i 
9 Sach a duty as that levied in Ceylou, if fixed 
at the rate of only one-fourth of a pie per pound 
of tea, would jield more than twice the annual 
amount which the voluntary cess has produced or 
a sum approximately equal to that r.Msed in Ceylon, 
and your Memorialists therefore suggest that the 
amount of duty levied on Indian tea should be at 
the rite of one-fourth of a pie per pound. Ihis 
would produce a sufficient sum to develop new 
markets for Indian tea, as well as to promote Us 
consumption amongst the natives of India- Ihe 
importance of efforts in this direction, which Your 
Exct-Ueocy has strongly urged upon the tea planting 
community, has been recognised by the Indian Tea 
Association having assigned for this object K40,000 
of the comparative!); small sum produced by the 
yolantary levy now in foKce. 
10. Your Memorialists are not insensible to the 
fact that it may be urged as an objection to the 
course which they desire should be adopted that 
if they had tiiken precautions to restrict out- 
pu'., they would have provided tiiemselves with 
a sinitle and efficient remedy for the evil of 
which they complain ; but with reference to this they 
would urge that the rapid increase in the produc- 
tion of tea of la e years is mainly due to the large 
extensions both in India and Ceylon, which were 
undertaken when exchange with Europe was at a 
low level, The closing of the Indian mints and 
the subsequent advance of exchange to Is 4d had 
an adverse effect on ti e tea industrj, and many tea 
estates, which with a low rate of exchange could 
have been worked to a profit, are not, as matters 
now stand, capable of earning sufficient to meet their 
outgoings, and must in time be abandoned and go 
out of cultivation, unless some change in the condi- 
tions of the indus'ry can be brought about. 
11. Your Memorialists also recognise that, in 
view of the fact that in India tea is shipped from 
several ports, while shipments from Ceylon are 
practically all made from one port, the collection 
of an export duty on tea such as they suggest would 
present somewhat greater difficulties iu India than 
13 the case in Ceylon ; but they believe any 
difficulties on this score could be readily overcome 
with the co-operation of the Executive Depart- 
ment of Your Excellency's Government and without 
incurring any material extra expenditure. In 
Ceylon no charge is made for collecting the tea 
duty imposed under the Ordinances in force in 
that Colony, the whole of the duty collected being 
handed over to a Joint Committee— the " Thirty " 
Committee — of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce 
and the Ceylon Planters' Association. The 
Government of Ceylon, however, reserve the 
right to see that the funds derived from the collec- 
tion of the duty are not distributed otherwise than 
a manner likely to be beneficial to the tea industry, 
and your Memorialists venture to urge that in the 
case of the duty on Indian tea which it is the objeOi 
of this Memorial to induce Your Excellency's Gov 
ernment to levy, a similar course should bo adopted' 
12 Your Memorialists desire to submit in support 
of the prajer of this Memorial that the proposal they 
have made is one which affects the Tea-Iudustry only, 
and that its adoption can h-ive no idverse infiaence 
on any other trade or industry or on the commu- 
nity in general. The duty will be paid by tea 
growers and its proceeds will be expended by 
a Committee for the benefit - f the industry at large. 
On the other hand, the increa.sed prosperity which 
your :>leniorialist8 believe will result from the imposi- 
tion of the proposed duty would ensuie to the advan- 
tage of the State (without imposing any burden on its 
resources) in assisting an industry from which it de- 
rives a considerable revenue, and which provides em- 
ployment for large numbers of the people of India. 
Your Memorialists humbly pray Your Excellency to 
take this Memorial into coasiderntion with a view to 
the necastary measures being adopted to provide for 
the levying of an export duty at a rate not exceeding 
one-fourth of a pie per pound for a limited period of 
five years on all tea exported from India, and for the 
amount of the duty so to be levied being applied 
towards increasing the consumption of Indian tea in 
India as well as in countries outside the " United Kin g- 
dom, and othei wise in such manner as mav from time to 
time ba desired and determined by a Committee to be 
approved by Your Excellency's Governrnt-nt ; or that 
such other measures maj be taken as Your Excellency 
may consider practicable to give effect to the wishes 
of your Memorialists as herein exp eased. 
And your Memorialists as in duty bound will ever 
pray, etc. 
[Signed by 392 persons and firms LaviSg undej; 
tea oulSivatioo st total of 38Q,604 acres,]] 
