ONTHLY. 
Vol. XI. 
COLOMBO, JULY ist, 1891. 
[No. 1. 
" CORNERING-" GEYLON TEA. 
E must await fuller details 
than those furnished by our 
London Letter as to Mr. 
Elwood, May's scheme for 
the distribution of our teas 
before wa can venture to 
decide fully with respect to 
it So far as we can form an opinion upon our 
correspoudoa.'s abstract of that gentleman's letter, 
we should be disposed to adopt the view already 
taken of it in London. In the first p.ace, we have 
always expressed ourselves — as wo have felt— to be 
strongly opposed to the practice universally known 
by the term of "cornering" which Mr. May 
apparently suggests. We hold it to be not only 
opposed to the true principles of genuine trading ; 
but, owing to the ill-effect it has upon thousands 
of people, to be morally indefensible. Against 
monopolies of all sorts— especially when they are 
resorted to by Governments — the public sense of 
modern days revolts. We do not say that they are 
absolutely indefensible. In some initanoQS, as in 
that of our own salt trade, they may be indis- 
pensable as a moans of securing the cheap 
and regular distribution of an indispensable food 
article, as well as of raising revenue, though wa 
could perhaps wish that that and similar forms of 
taxation could be abolished and compensated for 
in some other way. 
But apart altogether from objections of this 
nature, to the monopoly in dealing with Ceylon tea 
which it seems to be Mr, May's desire to create, 
'here is the fact of the utter impracticability o^ 
accomplishing the end in view. When first our 
island-grown teas attracted notice, and when there 
appeared to be great dilfioulties in the way of making 
them popularly known in the countries of oonsump" 
tion, it seemed to many of us that it might be both 
necessary and desirable to establish agencies having 
the imprimatur of our Planters' Association. It 
is some central control of that kind which it 
seems to be Mr. May's desire to establish now. 
But the day for this has gone past, and it is 
singular that the fact has not been realised by the 
President of the American Company established 
for the sale of our teas throughout that vast 
continent. We could not, did we desire to do so 
now upset the manifold private agencies which 
have been established, and which have already 
had such a marvellous effect in widening the area 
of the sale of our teas throughout the United 
Kingdom. 
We do not understand Mr. May to intend to 
limit his prosposals to the field in which he iS 
now specially working. His idea seems to be that 
every Ceylon planter should sell his tea to the 
vast organization ho proposes, with himself 
as its head ; that no one outside of that 
organization should, in fact, be able to 
procure Ceylon tea for the supply of markets yet 
established or to be established all the world over. 
This, as it seems to us, is a thoroughly Yankee 
notion. But it is very certain that any attempt 
made to give it effect, to restrict our planters 
rom selling in the dearest market open to them, 
would utterly and entirely fail, although some 
measure of success might possibly have attended 
it if it had been made in the days when tea 
planting in Ceylon was a young industry and 
channels for disposal of its j^roduce had not been 
opened out. It is no wonder that a reference made 
to a gentleman specially fitted by his local ex- 
perience both here and at home to give sn opinion on 
the scheme should have resulted in his emphatically 
declaring it to be " Moonshine 1" A very few 
minutes of conference with Mr. Mitchell and his 
colleagues of Messrs. Darley, Butler & Co. will, we 
feel assured, have convinced Mr. May of the 
impracticability of any such idea as he has 
broached. It is only wonderful that he should 
ever have entertained it, after having conversed 
with Mr. Grinlinton during his recent visit to the 
States. Mr. May will certainly return to New York, 
after his present visit to London a " wiser,'*' 
though we hope not a " sadder" man. But if 
mortification should be the result, he must lay the 
blame on his own " o'er-vaulting ambition,'' 
