io6 
THr TRdPfCAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[August i, 1891: 
anyone acquainted with the working of tea here, as 
foolish as it is untrue. I apologize, sir, for enoroaching 
BO muoh upon your valuabte spaoe, and will only 
add in oooolusion that I do not hold a brief for 
the dock companies or wharves, nor am I in any way 
whatever interested in any of them, but simply 
write in the desire that the truth should be known 
and in the interests of justice and fair-play.— I 
am, &0.. THEO. STRETCH, 
OUR LABOUR SUPPLY AND COMING 
LARGE EXPORT OF TEA ; LOSS 
IN WEIGHT. 
Deae Sik,— As an export of from 100 to 120 mil- 
lion pounds of tea in the course of a few years is 
considered possible it will be interesting to consider 
what labour is necessary to produce that quantity. 
From what data I can get 1 find that it takes the 
labour of 10,000 coolies working five days per week 
for 50 weoke to produce five million lb. of tea; there- 
fore our present labour force is for tea alone, at this 
rate, 120,000 coolies for 60 millions of lb.; and if we 
are to export 120 millions in five or six years this 
labour force will have to be doubled in that time. 
This is a big order, and it is probable that our pro- 
duction of tea will not increase at the rate some 
expect as the yield will be limited by the labour 
available and not by what the planted acreage is 
capable of giving. No doubt, our exports this season 
would be larger with more available labour, but it is 
probable that the loss will be partially balanced by 
this restriction of yield as with a larger export prices 
would have fallen lower than they have done. 
It is strange that an old-established imposition 
should be tolerated with scarcely a murmur, while a 
new one such as the increased military contribution 
raises such an outcry. The loss in weight on Ceylon 
tea this season will be at least a million ^pounds 
which at lOd per lb. comes to more than i^40,00, 
Bterling, and the loss on other products, such as 
cacao etc., would swell this large total still more. 
It would be better for us if this million lb. were 
destroyed, as under the present system it assists 
in depressing the market without in any way 
benefiting the producer. Could not the Home 
Government be moved to help us as some return 
tot our increased contribution ? It would pay us 
to lay out £10,000 or £20,000 to have our teas 
refired and packed to correct weights after or 
before passing Customs in London, any surplus to 
be sold on snipper's account. Perhaps the Com- 
mittee of the Tea Fund will find a way to save 
some, at least, of this large loss which will grow 
atill larger with an increased export, the loss on 
120 millions would about pay the whole military 
contribution. What is considered an unbearable 
tax on the whole Colony will, if things are not 
altered in a few years, have to be paid by a 
Bcotion only, viz., £80,000 to £100,000 loss in weight 
on Ceylon tea alone. — Yours truly, B. B. B. 
120,000,000 lb. at 2% loss = 2,400,000 lb. at lOd = 
£100,000. 
PROSPECTS OF TEA. 
Deau Sib, — Is it not strange that in England 
and Victoria the reduction of the duty has been 
iollowed by prices, lower perhaps on the average 
than tea ever fetched before— that is Indian or Ceylon 
tea ? You may remember how coffee bounded up- 
wards, newly twenty years ago, when Lowe's budget 
took IJjd per lb. oli' the duty. It shows keenness 
of the competition now-a-days, when the large 
firms dealing on the packet system push their 
tiA^le among tbe oustoiaecB ol mvy viU»ga gfowf, 
An extensive tea dealer in London told me a short 
time ago that he had sent out 1,000 circulars to 
gentlemen, clergymen and leading householders 
throughout Britain ; and that, to those from whom 
he had no reply or order, he made the members 
of his family send out a second reminder. He also 
said that since the establishment of the large 
London houses in the packet trade, tea once down 
had never risen again unless in a temporary 
spurt, because those large houses advertised lower 
and lower rates, and Jiave never once raised their 
prices. I see it is proposed to raise the duty agp'^^^^ 
in Victoria. 
Here is a report on Ceylon teas in M«)' goumg 
received from a leading broker by laal ._ 
" Cetjlon Teas.— Business has been ^eiij. ^J^j^ 
description of tea, and sales when msisi' ^ ^ave been at 
a sacrifice. 500 packages wer% o-'^^gjed at public 
auction this week. Many teas^ so' ^ gg,g,^i parcels 
under cost price, and the higk^ ^j^j ^ ^^^^^^^ 
hill tea was 2^d under mypifls^^ price."— Yours faith- 
'ully. PLANTER. 
THK LAF'oUR ORDINANCE. 
Dear. Sib, — The jjabour Ordinance has been, ever 
since Sir John Phear's time, the one pieod ol 
legislation mus^ frequently conetrued in utterly 
unexpected divections. Ine last ordinance was 
delayed in order that it might be perfected ; 
Sir A. Gordon certainly sought to make it so; 
our prese-at Governor told us only lately that 
the best thing he could do for us was to leave 
us algne ; our Planting Representative was com- 
mended at every district and at the Planters 
Association meeting, for his powerful grasp of the 
subject ;-— and yet there never were so many weak 
points discovered — I will use np stronger word— as 
during the last three months. We don't at the present 
moment know, who has authority to give orders ; 
whe h one-third of our force (minors) are amenable 
to any Labor Ordinance whatever ; or what are the 
advances which we are entitled to set against 
wages. Surely it is not beyond th« ingenuity of 
our^Government s legal advisers so to define these 
matters, that no one can be dull enough to mis- 
understand, or misconstrue, the intentions of the 
framers of the act. 
Meantime we cannot deny that many stupid 
cases have been brought into Court recently, and 
that others have failed for want of Dvidence which 
might easily have been forthcoming . But 1 think 
we should all try to manage our coolieiB out of Court. 
Be true to ourselves, refuse ail coohe is not holding 
a proper discharge from previous ei nployers, keep 
out of Court as one avoids endless trouibles. 
Stick to the kangani system, and have none of 
busybodies however polysyllabic, a Qd Ramasamy 
will in future, as of old, prove the mi )st docile and 
useful of laborers. His lot in Ceylon was never so 
good as now — and he infinitely perfer b tea-plucking 
to coffee-picking, with its attendant hi 9avy transport 
of wet cherry. o WLOOKER. 
Three Rdbies, uncut, were sold by i tuotioners yet' 
day, of a size, never before seen in. England, or 
even in Europe. These were the p roperty of the 
Burma Ruby Mines Company (Limite d). The first, 
which weighed 1,185 carats, was irre gular in form, 
and resembled quartz, save in oolou. t, which was 
deep red. Biddings commenced at 200ij., and rapidly 
advanced to 400L, at which it wens sold. The 
second lot weighed 302 carats. This wias yellowish 
red in colour, and sold for 65i. Lot 3 -weighed 
281 carats, was dull red in qoIqvu, sad iiQiigbt 
isuinead.— Q. Mail, Juae 19, 
