THE TROPFOAL AQRIOyLTAIRIST 
[January i, 1B92. 
482 
The liiBt of these was optned alout a twelve- 
monlh back, the second towards the end of April, 
aud the third in the month of May of this yr.ar. 
The Compony took over these establisbnienls oa its 
formation, and suffioient time had now elapsed to 
warrant an opinion being formed as to the prospects 
of BUcceBS. From the moment of the cstablish- 
mtnt being opened they had secured a considerable 
measure of support. Each customer is supplied 
with a separate pot of tea, with milk and sugar, for 
half a fianc (4iA). The service was decidedly 
superior to anything of the kind in England. 
Progress since the holiday season of the Parisian 
had been continuous. Every week and month 
showed, the chairman said, such satisfactory progress 
that it seemed probable that each of these places 
will be paying within three or four months. The 
third establishment was designedly opened away 
from the fashionable quarters of the city in the 
Boulevard Bourse Nouvelle in the neighbourhood 
of some of the large theatres. Ceylon tea was 
kept in stock, but 90 per cent of their sales was 
of Indian tea. They had done well at an exhi- 
bition opened in the Champs Elye^ee in Augusti 
which remains open till the end of November and 
each succeeding month had increased the number 
of their customers. The Chairman continued i — 
"Our total sales in the year 1889 were over 
16,0U0 francs, in 1890 over 30,0C0 francs, and in 
1891 (estimating the two last months of the year 
on the basis of the others) they will be over 
120,000 francs." No intention was at present 
formed to open further establishments in Paris, 
but the directors thought of trying branches in 
other parts of Europe and had secured a site at 
the Chicago Exhibition. Mr. Bullock (Chairman 
of the Upper Assam and Assam^ Frontier Com- 
panies) expressed an objection to any but Indian 
tea being sold. Mr. Seton said that the proportions 
of other teas sold was only one per cent of the 
total sale, and Mr. Thomas Lough remarked that 
"In the course of a few months Mr. Bullock's 
wishes would be carried into effect. There were 
several practical difficulties to deal with, but the 
board had taken steps to obtain the end desired." 
It is to the closing utterance by Mr. Thomas 
Lough that it seems desirable to call the special 
attention of your Planters' Association, as I shall 
also toke care that it has that of the Ceylon Asso- 
ciation in London's Tea Committee, if it has not 
already been under that Committee's considera- 
tion. Mr. Lough was, as you know, appointed 
on his own application the recognized agent foi- 
Ceylon teas in Paris. Yet to judge from the 
words he is reported to have used, he would 
giem to be doing his best (0 exclude Ceylon tea 
from sale by the company he represents in Paris 1 
I may, of course, be mistaken. You will notice 
that the Chairman stated that ten per cent of the 
teas sold were other than Indian. Did he use 
Indian as a generic term to include Ceylon ; and 
did the ten per cent mean China or other teas 
used for blending purposes ? If ho did not include 
this, then Mr. Lough is apparently aiding him to 
keep Ceylon teas out of sight. It is to be hoped 
that we misunderstand this ; but it is difficult to 
put any other construction upon what Mr. Lough 
is reported to have said. No doubt the Palais 
Indie/i Company is doing a good work in popu- 
larizing tec-Jrinking among the Parisians, and the 
taate lor this ostablished Ceylon teas are sure in 
time to find many patrons. But the question we 
uto more paiticularly oi;noeined with is how far, 
to judge from what he has said, Mr. Lough ia 
lullilling his compact as the recognised Agent for 
Ceylon teas ia Paris V The matter certainly merita 
inquiry. 
I have this v<eek eeen a letter from Mr. El wood 
May to Mr. Ltake in v,'hich he complains of the diffi- 
cuiiica anic-ing frcm want of adequate cBpilel. 
He says that neither in England nor Ceylon 
have any of hia Compsny's shares been taken 
up, and that it is very difficult to get 
tke necessery catb cspiial ficm Americans. This 
does not surprise me, any mere than it surprises 
me to learn thai; capital baa not teen snbsciibea 
either by people here or in Ceylcn. We ha\'ft 
perfect reliance en Mr. Elwocd May and his good 
faith and intentiote, but capitiilisls here are cow 
very shy of investments outside of Great Britain 
or her colonies ; and we fear Mr. May will havo 
to depend entirely upon what capital he cen raise 
locally. He tells Mr. Leake that " Our advertieicg 
contracts, for which we pay only in the stock of 
this Company, already amount to over 160 000 
dollars." 
Mr. Arkell, whom you will know to have been the 
gentleman who entered into tLe first of these eon- 
tracts with Mr. May, baa written to that gentle- 
man:— "I expect from the present outlook to have 
the whole 200,000 dollars of your advertising placed 
within the next six months. To place this pro- 
perly, it takes a long time, as I wish to get the 
very beet results ; therefore, it cannot be done in 
a hurry. Frcm a close study of your enterprise 
I am fully convinced that a very large and 
profitable business can be made of it. I think 
your Company ought to expend, in addition to 
this 200,000 dollars in stock, 200,000 dollars in 
cash, and that certainly would put the Ceylon 
tea upon the market under all hazards. If 
your Company, or members of it, would raise 
175,000 dollars in cash to be used in this direction, 
I would be willing to ' chip in ' 25,000 dollars 
and take it in stock at par, with understanding 
that no stock is to be sold less than par." 
Evidently Mr. May wants cash to work his enter- 
prise, but it is much to be feared he will not 
obtain it on this side of the Atlantic. The question 
is if he was not too sanguine of the support to 
be obtained in England and Ceylon. Ha would 
seem to have forgotten the many other quarters 
in which you are making eSorts to introduce your 
teas, and that nearly all the capital which miglit 
otherwife have flowed in his direction has been 
absorbed by such ventures. 
Mr. May has been obtaining the opinion of 
certain strawboard manufacturers in America as 
to the cost of making the Stanley-Wrightson tea 
chests by them, and we are surprised at hearing 
from him that their price quoted is 1 dollar 5D cents, 
equivalent to about 6 shillings per chest. Making 
every allowance for the higher cost of labour in 
America, it is impossible to see how such an esti- 
mate can be justified, for the boxes were mads here 
at a cost of 2 shillings each ! If the price quoted 
cannot be reduced, it is not likely th&t the States will 
furnish an opening for the Stanley-Wrightson boxes. 
The Ceylon Estates Tea Company has opened a 
very neat-looking establishment at 166, Fenchuioh 
Street, the agents working it being Messrs. Edwards 
& Co. Fenchurch Street is, of course, an admirable 
locality for such an establishment, and we have 
no doubt the Company will find its full account 
in it. 
The Lanka Company has removed from its former 
office in the Old Jewry and has taken fresh ones 
at No. 12, Fenchurch Street. The report of this 
Company should now be in course of preparation, 
and no doubt is, but it was too late when I called 
at the old address this week to return to make 
inquiry at the changed one. 
Borneo seems still to attract inveetors, though 
W9 have not yet beard of very euccessful results 
