June i, 1892.] =THG TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
533 
■NOTES FROM OUR LONDON LETTER. 
London, April 22. 
THE CE'VLON TEA PLANIAIIONS COWPANy, 
we hear that its report has this week been eir" 
oulated among its sbareholdcrp, but no details have 
yet been allowed to tranppira as to the amount 
of the dividend it reooraniendi'. All that has reached 
me as yet with respect to it is that it contains a 
suggestion that the Compttnj's chief manager in 
Cajlon, Mr. G. A. Talbot, who is now in England 
on I'avp, shall, during the continuance of that 
leave, act as as director of the undertakir.g in 
place of Mr. Henry Tod. Mr. Reid's death is of 
oouree too recent (o have ennbled arrangements 
for filling up his place on the same board 
of directors to have been discussed. Just 
aa my writing had thus far proceeded 
it became possible for me to learn some of the 
leading particulars of the report just referred 
to. It states that the net amount at 
credit of profit and loss account, including 
balance brought forward at 3Ist December 1890, 
and after providing for general expenses, 
directors', fees, income tax, was £31,439 3s. OJ. 
The interim dividend oi 7 percent on ihe ordinary 
shares paid 27th Ootober 1891 pbaorbed £10,V54 
63. Od. It is now proposed to pay a firial dividend 
of 8 per cent on the ordinary shares (making 15 
per cnt in a'l, free of inC'"'me tax) whioli will 
absorb a tu. iher sum of £11,727 43. Od. A dividend 
on the 7p;rc(nt preier^ nee shares was paid on 
the 30ih Juno 1891, requiring £1 018 33. lid. and 
ano her similar one paid on the Slst December 
189' took £1,732 13g 2d The directors propose 
to add to the reserve fuoil out of last year's profits 
£5,493 83 Od and to oarry forward to next year 
the baltince remaining of thoje amounting to 
£1,213 8s 2d. Ths gross average prioo realized 
for the company's teas soli in London during 
last year was 9^1 per lb. this being Ijd per 
lb. less thin was obtained du ing the year previous., 
The report states, however, thai, iha cost of pro-, 
duciion was one farthing per lb, less than in 1890, 
BO reducing the net differ, noe to IJJ per lb. This 
is, however, heavy enough to thow bow eeriouely' 
the selling price of tea hi^s been reduced upon the 
London inark'-t, for we believe few groups of estates 
in Ceylon have sent homo teas of more level or better 
qu-ility than that marked by the Ceylon Pianta'ions 
Company. Certainly it is a feather in the cap of this 
large undertaking that in spite of the reduction 
in pries obtainorl it has yet been able to maintain 
so satisfactory a dividend as 15 per cent during 
the i3a»t year. All the shareholders are greatly to 
be congratulated on this result, one which the 
publication of cannot, but influence opinion as to 
the rcmunerKtivcnees of your leading industry. We 
also strongly feel that, taking that view alone, it must 
be moat satisfactory to the general public in ('eylon 
that there is now no chacoe of the Company's 
continued success being ondangtred by th" undertak- 
ing of atiy onterptizu ou'side of tli'i colony, eucli 
as it was proposed to enter in the Straits Settlements. 
There may aa well bo added to the particulars 
abovo given of this report that the tea received 
was plucked from 5,090 acres, and that the average 
yield per acre over this area w,'\s414 lb. per acre. 
It announces also that all the Company's pro- 
prrti.H are in excellent coniHtion, and that 
the faotoiy accommodation and machinery, 
which were scare ly equal to the nquir. - 
monts of the past year, are now being increased 
ri: Hiert the Urgely-rNpiiul, d business of the 
Company. It is regritlablu to obsirvo that 
this report is signed by the Chairman, the late 
117 
Mr. David Reid. Enclosed with it was a oiroular 
intimating the deoth of that gentleman at hia 
residence, Thomanean, Kinross-shire, on the 13th 
in St. I have been obliged to deal with this report 
in a somewhat unconnected fashion, no oopy of 
it having reached me, and having had to obtain 
my information respecting it from several difJerent 
sources, time not having permitted of my amalgama- 
ting their intelligence into a more conneoted ioim. 
GOVERNMENT QUININE. 
Under this heading the Rangoon Times publishes 
some interesting remarks anent the Government of 
India declining to sell sulphate of Its own manu- 
facture to anyone beside Government officers. It 
assumes, among other reasons, that this may be due 
to Government not wishing to interfere with private 
trade, in which assumption it is undoubtedly right. 
Our contemporary proceeds: — "Private vendors of 
quinine sell it at very high rates, far beyond the reach 
of very many, and often their article is of inferior 
quality and greatly adulterated. In the East, where 
quinine in most places is an absolute necessity to 
guard against the insidious attacks of the deadly fevers 
peculiar to the topics, everyone should be able to get 
it, and in as pure a state as possible, and no one can for 
a moment maintain that the Government is competing 
with private enterprise if it offers an article in the 
interests of the health and the lives of its subjects, of a 
purer quality than the article obtainable in the market, 
and at a rate far below that charged by private vendors. 
In fact.sirch a proceeding on the part of Government 
will have the effect of making private vendors more 
careful of what they offer the public, and will really 
give a stimulus to private trade." We concur in 
the suggestion conveyed in this remark, and would 
add that there is no reason apparent why Govern- 
ment should not supply local traders with its own 
manufacture and thus give an impetus to an im- 
portant industry both in Northern and Southern India. 
Dealing with this subject so far as it affects 
Burma, the Rangoon continues : "In] Burma, 
which is preeminently a feverish province, it would 
be a boon to many engaged in private enterprise in 
the country to be able to purchase quinine from 
Government. There are many Europeans, and 
thousands of Burmans and othe s, working in the 
forests for private individuals and firms ; large numbers 
are also employed in exploiting minerals and oil, 
and many are engaged hy private contractors on 
railway construction and road-making for the 
Government. The majority of these undertakings 
is in the most sickly parts of the province, and 
much inconvenience, and loss is often experienced 
from the Europeans and the labourers engaged 
in them falling sick and having to go away 
from ill health. At the high rate at which 
private vendors sell their quinine, it would be ruinous 
to supply everyone who required it with the article 
and in many cases even it is procurable only in very 
small quantities. If those engaged in private enter- 
prise were allowed to purchase the Government 
quinine at the rates at which it is sold to Government 
officers, a great deal of the sickness which prevails 
among those engaged on works of public utility and 
private enterprise in Burma would be avoided, and the 
province itself would be greatly benefited. It is possible 
that private individuals can obtain Government 
quinine by getting it through Government officers, if 
they are able to show just and suliioient cause why 
they should be supplied, but such a course is un- 
desirable, on account of the circumlocution which has 
to be observed, and for several other reasons. We 
assure the Government of India, that it will be con- 
ferring a boon on the people who are intrusted to its 
care, by making the sale of Government quinine free 
to everyone, ofhoial and non-oflicial alike, at the rates 
at which it is now sold to Government officers." 
These arguments are forcible, and will, wo trust, 
receive attention from the Goveruniout of India, whose 
present orraugomouls fw supplying quiuiuo might 
