July i, 1891.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
After the re-election of Mr. E. H. Miller, o 
Messrs. Htrper Brothers, as AufJitor of the com- 
pany, an extraordinary general meeting was heM for 
the purpose of considering and if deemed expedient, 
passing the fol ovvitig resolution : — That the direc- 
tors be authorised to purchase, or ucquire from the own- 
ers there >f, the followiug estates in Ceylon, viz. : — 
"West Holyrood", containing 537 acres or thereabiuts, 
" Ardallie", containing 211 acres or thereabouts, "Rath- 
nillok'^Uy", containing 239 acres, or thereabouts, or any 
of them, or any pave thereof respectively, with the 
buildings, machinery, implements, live and dead stock, 
crops, produce, stores, effects, and other properfy be- 
longing to said ostaten or any of them, or any part 
thereof respectively, and the business, assets, and lia- 
bilities, of the respective owners or vendors of 
the said estates in respect thereof, or any of them, 
or any part of such business, assets, and liabilities at 
price or prices not exceeding in the whole £27,000, pay- 
able in cash or in fully or partly paid up shares of the 
company, or partly in cish and partly in such shares, 
and upon such terms and conditions in all respects as 
the directors shall think fit." 
The Chairman formally moved the resolution, which 
was seconded by Mr. Paine, and carried. 
On the motion of Mr Staton, a vote of thanks was 
then given to the Chairman and directors, which con- 
luded the proceedings. — Cor., local " Times." 
^ 
CEYLON TEA IN AMERICA. 
Mit. fl0THBRPoisD's Scheme. 
The following is the purport of the proposal formu- 
lated by Mr. Rutherford and read by him at the meet- 
ing in reference to the representation of Ceylon at the 
Chicago Exhibilion :— " Mr. Blwood May, President 
of the Ceylou Planters' Amarioau Tea Company, has 
represented to me that in order to give thorough con- 
fidence to his American friends, and to prove to them 
that his company has the full support of the tea 
planters of Ceylon, it U of the most vital importance 
to its Buooess, that if possible, all Ceylon tea estate 
proprietors should be shareholilera in however small 
B degree. I have pointed out to Mr. iWay that it must 
be hopeless at this stawe of the company's career to 
enlist more shareholders amongst the planting com- 
munity. It is, I believe, admitted on all hands that 
the American continent is ttie country above all others 
in which Ceylon tea ought to be pushed. Mr. May has 
shown me many proofs that his company ia pushing 
our teas in the large American cities, that the teas 
are becoming widely known, and that the sales are 
increasing. An enterprise like this cannot be worked 
on niggard lines, and to succeed must have unlimiiei 
capitalto work with. Mr. Mav states that the capital will 
be forthcoming if he is placed in a position where he can 
show his friends that it really is what it professes to 
be a Ceylon Planters' Company. He says he feels as 
if he were siilmg under false colors in calling it a 
Planters' Company under the auspices of the Planters' 
Association when it has received such poor support 
from those whose interests it was created to benefit. 
It has suggested itself to me that the object BIr. May 
has in view might be attained through the means of 
the 'Tea Fund.' I think it is beyond question that 
our representatives at Exhibitions in various countries 
have stimulated the demand for Ceylon tea. At the 
•W Grid's Fair' at Chicago the Ceylon planters hhoula 
be prepared to make such a show as to command 
snooesB. My proposal is that the whole amount ool- 
leoted for the 'Tea Fund' for the current year should 
be handed over to the Ceylon Planters' American Tea 
Company on the following terms:— That the Ceylon 
Planters' American Tea Company shall represent th 
tea industry of Ceylon, on behalf of the Ceylon 
Planters' Association, on conditions to be hereafter 
arranged and submitted for the approval of the CeWon 
Association. That the Estate proprietors whose names 
are on the 'Tea Fund' list and have subscribed not less 
than R50 during the current year to the fuud shall 
receive one fully paid 20-dollarB Bhare in the Ceylon 
Planters' American Company. Those who have sub- 
scribed less than fifty rupees on paying the difference 
will be also entitled to receive oae-fully-paid share. By 
this scheme it appears to me that the Cay Ion planters 
would be employing the proper agency to represent 
them at the Chicago Exhibition, as the American Tea 
Company would have the strongest possible motive ■ 
that of self-interest — to make the representation a 
success. As to the issue of scrip to all subscribers to 
the Tea Fund alike, with the proviso as regards those 
who have subscribed Ir.ss than R50, I do not think 
subscribers to the Tea Fund would expect to get an 
allotment in proportion to their subscription. The 
sole object of this part of the scheme is to ensure 
what Mr. May so much desires, the bringing in as 
shareholders, as far as it ia possible, of every tea pro- 
prietor in Ceylon. With practically the whole tea 
proprietorship of Ceylon as shareholders in this com- 
pany, there can be no doubt it will show those friends 
of Mr. May who are prepared to take up the balance 
of capital that the planters are in earnest in their 
endeavours to pus'n their tea in America. 
Mr. Rutherford's proposal was well received by those 
present at the meeting, who were of opinion that, if 
proper arrangements were made for ensuring an 
adequate representation of Ceylon industries generally, 
a4 Well as Tea, as was done at South Kensington in 
1886, by a well-equipped Ceylou Court under an ofiicial 
commission, the affair should be a success iu every way, 
A meeting of the Tea Committee to consider the 
above proposal is convened for the 11th instant, — Ihid. 
1®* ■ - 
Tea fkom the Straits Settlements. — An invoice of 
forty-seven packages in seventeen breaks from Perak 
realised an average of 8Jd per lb. The tea was in 
very small lots, and found less favotir with buyers 
in consequence. — H. and 0, Mail, May 15. 
A " Tea Crops " Cycle. — A planter writing 
from an old coffee district propounds the oyole 
theory for tea crops, thus : — 
Tea, X fancy, will follow the fashion of coffee in 
having a cycle of three years ; good, bad and indiffer- 
ent. Last year most planters complained of being 
short of their estimate (bad) ; this year most estimates 
will be exceeded (good) ; so we must look for an 
indifferent year next year (from 1st July). 
Ceylon Tea at Chicago.— Mr El wood May has 
requested the attendance of all interested in the 
Ceylon Tea Industry at the rooms of the Association 
on Monday at 3 p. m. to hear his views as to the 
Sale of Ceylon Tea in the United States and else- 
where. Mr. H. K. Rutherford has had another 
interview with him, and the result is that the former 
has designed a scheme wbioh will accomplish all that 
Mr. May proposes, now that he has dropped his 
dream of a tea " corner ", and this he will submit 
to the meeting on Monday. Briefly it amounts to 
this. Mr. May says that in order to make their Tea 
Company the success it will certainly be it is necessary 
to assure [the American public that the Company 
really represeats the entire planting interest in Ceylon, 
which at present it is not iu a position to do. Now 
Mr. Rutherford says that, inasmuch aa the subscribers 
to the Ceylon Tea Fund are about to invest a con- 
siderable sum in running Ceylon tea at the Chicago 
Exhibition, he will propose that every subscriber of 
R50 to the fund shall have a share presented to him, 
the amount of the money so voted for the Exhibition 
to be handed over to the Company for the purpose 
of pushing your teas witbin tho building. That being 
so, the planting body and the Loudon Tea Committee 
will be directly represented by the Company, which 
Mr. M.ay says will ensure its success, as any amount 
of capital would he found under those circumstances, 
whilst Ceylou planters will be doing no more than 
they havo already resolved on doing, that is, work 
the Exhibition for their tea, whilst they will have all 
the advantage of the local experience of the Oompany'g 
working staff, — London Ooi: Local "Times." 
