S2 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [July i, 1891. 
CEYLON TtA IN AMERICA : 
SPEECH BY ME. ELWOOD MAY. 
We have received the followiDg from Mr. A. 
Philip, Secretary to the Planters' Association of 
Oeylon: — 
4. Minoing Lane, London, May 8th. 
A. Philip E^q., Kandy, Oeyion. 
Deae Sib, — Mr. S. Elwood May addressed a meet- 
ing of gentlemen iaterpstfd in Oeylon Tea here ou 
Monday last, and I enclose for the information of your 
Aasooiation a report of his remarks on the occasion. 
At the close of Mr. May's address Mr. Butherford 
suggested a scheme by which the estate owners of 
Ceylon would become, all, to a small extent share- 
holders in the Ceylon Planters' Tea Company of 
America. He suggested that, that Company should 
represent the Planters' Association at Chicago and 
that the receipts of the Tea Fund for a year should 
be voted to defray expenses at the " World's Fair " 
on condition that the Aaa&rican Gompauy should allot 
to each subscriber of Rs. 50/ to the Tea Fund a fully 
paid 2 Rs. dollar share in the Company. 
Our Tea Committee meets here on Monday next 
to discuss the resolutions of which I enclose a copy, 
and by next mail I will write you further on the 
Bubject. 
By S. S. " Rewa " I am sending you the Tea service 
for Mr. Taylor aad algo some 30 packets of Tea about 
which I will, also write to you fully by next mail. 
The Committee is rather at a loss how to act as to 
further prosecutions and wishes the position to be 
made quite clear to the Standing Committee of the 
Tea Fund before incurring further expense.— I am, 
yours faithfully, (Signed) Wm. Mahtin Leake. 
Kesolations suggested by Mr. S. Elwood Mat. 
No. 1. — liesolved :— "That owing to the adulteration 
of Ceylon tea after it leaves the hands of the Planters, 
the Ceylon Association in London, in view of the fact 
that Buch adulteration has rendered it necessary for 
the Aseooiation to prosecute many vendors of packet 
teas, deems it desirable after hearing the explanations 
set forth by Mr. S. Elwood May, President of the 
Ceylon Planters' Tea Company in America, that the 
Planters' Afsooiatiou of Ceylon do give an assurance 
that this Company was formed under their auspices 
for the sale of Ceylon tea absolutely pure and un- 
adulterated in America, and that they have received 
and accepted a satisfactory written guarantee from 
the Company to this effect." 
No. 2. — Resolved :— "That the Asfooiation, impressed 
with the great benefit the extended market in America 
for Oeylon teas must be to the Isl«nd of Ceylon and 
to all those interested in it, and considering that the 
efforts of the American Company should be heartily 
encouraged, do strongly recommend that BIr. H. K. 
Rutherford's proposal be approved by the Planters' 
Association of Ceylon," 
Mr. S. Elwood May said that they would have to 
bear with him as he had not addressed a meeting 
before. His idea in coming over from America in 
connexion with the Ceylon Planters' Tea Corapany was 
to see gentlemen interested in the Oeylon tea inilustry 
and ask ihem to join him in forming a sort of trust 
in the American sense of the term. Such a scheme 
would take him hours and perhaps weeks to explain. 
Briefly the idea was to form such a combination as 
would keep out, not all competition, but competition 
when it was of the kind that had been experienced 
iu England to such an enormous extent — he referred 
to the form of competition that consisted in advertis- 
ing and Bulling tea under the name of Ceylon with 
very little Oeylon toa in it and much of everythini? 
else. Whilo iu Eoglaud there were laws dealing wi'h 
this matter, there was at th« present time nothing in 
America to prevent anybody from Helling any mixture 
with a pinch of Ceylon in it und calling it Ceylon 
tea. Now, it was his firm belief that fifty or sixty 
million pounds of Ceylon tea could bo sold to the 
world para- The Company had sold in America 
100,000 pounds iu pound packets in three months, ab- 
BOhitbly pare as it left the planters. The identity of 
Oeylon tea was unimpeachable ; nothing could be 
got like it. Some of the leaders in London to whom 
he had explained his scheme said that it could 
cot be done. They in America believed that 
amjthing could be done that was right. Some people 
did things there that were wrong ; there was no doubt 
about th it. He believed he had been looked upon a 
little with the eyes of suspicion — and he could well 
understand it — as having some i lea of making a great 
combination by which the London market should be 
shut out. But that was absurd, for it that had been 
his intention he should have gone to Ceylon direct. 
The price obtained for tea in America was so good 
that profits would be from 50 to 300 per cent. Of 
the 100,000 pounds sold by the Company no part 
realized less than 50 per cent profit, and some yielded 
as much as 200 per cent. To show what large pro- 
fits were made by combinations like the one of which 
he had been speafeing, he might mention the Standard 
Oil Company of America, which in eight years had 
paid 100,000 000 dollars in dividends. He and other 
members of tLe Ceylon Planters' Tea Company had 
been spending their time iu educating 'he consumers 
of America. The Company did not believe that the 
dealer, or the broker, or anybody else in America 
was of the same vital importance as the consumer. The 
idea was to feet the consumers to demand the Com- 
pany's brands, and that would force everthiug. The 
Company sold a tea called " Bud " — really the tips 
of the Ceylon leaf, as he understood it. They charged five 
shillings ppr pound for it retail. It cost the Onmpany 
only 40 cents, it was scld to the grocer at 80 cents, 
and ho made a profit of 45 cents out of his customers. 
Referring again to the combination which he (Mr. May) 
had hoped to form he might say at once that at the 
request of several gentlemen whom he had met in 
England he had dropped that pari of his scheme, 
although he bad heard no argument that bad changed 
his mind at all as to the advisability of taking such a 
step. He had studied the question for four years and 
had not sprung the proposal upon them. It had re- 
ceived his most careful thought and consideration, 
and had been passed by many of the best heads in 
Amerio*. If such a combination should ever be floated 
iti the future, the London contingent, even to the 
smallest broker, would be represented. The old Com- 
p»ny had made a failure- Americans called a concern 
a failure when it showed no result. The books were 
not of such a character as to bring in new investors. 
Well, he was brought in and made President of the 
Company, and he had devoted ali his time and energies 
to finding out what could be done with Ceylon Tea 
in America. He found that America did not like 
the teas from Japan and China. The Consul of 
Amoy had said to the American Secretary of 
State that the tea sent to the United States was the 
worst stuff that it was possible to get in the world. 
Ha and his friends also discovered that the Ceylon 
tea they had sold was used to carry off the rubbish 
from other couctrie.s. He was now in th'.s position. 
The Company could get investors, but could they get 
people who had faith in the movement, and, perhaps, 
in himself p Everybody who came into the ofiice said, 
it was a good thing, hue they asked if there were 
really any Ceylon planters in it. They wanted to 
know if it was expected that the American people 
would put money into a concern to be worked for the 
sake of the Oeylon planters, who would yet take 
none of the risk. He did not see his way, either, to 
bring in only Americnn people to make a market that 
anybody outside might come into and spoil. He 
wanttd to eduBate the people of America to appreciate 
Ceylon tea, pure. But in came sueh people as Kearley 
& Tonge with their " Ceyliuis " and other brands; 
mixtures with very little Oeylon tea in them. Thig 
was teaching the people to detest Ceylon tea. The 
American never went half way in anything, and if he 
got the notion that the tea he took was Oeylon and was 
not good, ho -would have no more of it. He (Mr May) 
wanted the planters to aid him in letting the American 
Tea Company Mhow what a splendidly large market 
there was in America for pure Oeylon tea. In order to 
give some idea of the kind of assistauoe he wished fo^ 
