Vol. X. COLOMBO, JANUARY ist, 1891. |Xo 7 - 
THE CEYLON AND ORIENTAL INVESTMENT 
CORPORATION, LIMITED. 
Ceylon investments, such as Tramways or a short 
line of Railway, ffio. There is at present, no Trust 
have now received from 
the Managing Director, Mr. 
J. Huntley Thring of Alford, 
Castle Cary, Somerset, and 
Dimbuia, Ceylon, a copy 
of the prospectus of this 
newly-formed Association. Mr. 
Huntley Thring is associated with men of 
high commercial standing in the City in Mr. 
Arbuthnot of Messrs. P. Macfadyen & Co., Mr. 
Hancock of Messrs. Hancock Brothers & Co., 
Mincing Lane, Mr. Reiss of Messrs. L. Reise 
Brothers & Co., and Mr. Cy.nl E. Johnston who was 
of Messrs. Edward Johnston, Son & Co., the largest 
exporters of coffee from Rio and who has one 
brother Deputy Chairman of the London West- 
minster and another brother Pirector of the 
Joint Stock Bank, The capital of the Company is 
fixed at so large an amount as £250,000 divided 
into 49,950 ordinary shares of £5 each and 250 
Founders’ shares of £1 each. The first issue of 
9,950 ordinary, and 250 founders’ shares, has, we 
learn, been already taken up. Five hundred shares 
are reserved for Ceylon and Mr. Huntley Thring, who 
will arrive here before Christmas, will represent 
the interests of the Company, along with Mr. E, 
G. Harding who will probably have the Colombo 
agency, and Mr. A. J. Denison. The New Oriental 
Bank will be Bankers. That such a Company 
should be organised and floated in the face 
Association on a large scale operating in Ceylon 
and seeing bow our tea industry is really still in 
its infancy, there should be plenty of scope for 
the Corporation, in the hands of Directors so 
sagacious and influential, doing a large and pro- 
fitable business. That such is the anticipation 
may be judged from the following extract from the 
rule laid down for the guidance of the Directors : — 
“ The Founders’ Shares will receive no dividend in 
any year until the Ordinary Shares have received 8 
per cent, dividend for that year. After provision for 
a Reserve Fund and payment of 8 per cent, dividend 
on the Ordinary Shares, the Founders’ Shares will 
(subject to the Memorandum and Articles of Asso- 
ciation) be entitled to one moiety of the remaining 
net profits and the Ordinary Shares to the other 
moiety. Every allottee of 50 Ordinary Shares will 
bo entitled to subscribe for and have allotted to him 
one Founders’ Shares at a preminm of £5 ; such 
premium to be applied in payment of all the preli- 
minary expenses incidental to the formation of the 
Corporation.” 
The Prospectus — which will shortly be advertised 
in full in our columns — begins by stating that 
the “ Corporation is established to deal mainly 
with Ceylon and Indian properties and Securities 
in the same manner and on the same lines as 
other Financial Companies have successfully dealt 
with General Securities.” It then proceeds to 
refer to the rapid development of the Tea In- 
dustry, quoting Statistics from our “ Ceylon Hand- 
book and Directory ” which stand out in bold 
relief, namely, — 
Export of Tea. 
1879 95,909 lb. 
1889 34,345,862 „ 
[And who will venture to deny the probability of 
1899 — recording even more than 80,000,090 )b.] 
We next read in the prospectus : — 
of the commercial crisis London has just passed 
through, speaks well for the high credit of Ceylon 
and especially of her tea industry. It is in con- 
nection with the latter, of course, that the Oorpora- 
lion will be most concerned, establishing probably 
an extensive estate agency business ; but very largo 
powers are taken by the Directors which would 
enable them, if advisable, to take up any profitable 
The Tea Carders of Ceylon being for the most 
part young, and not yet having reached maturity, 
are daily increasing in value and productiveneB.s. 
The evenly distributed rainfall combined with the 
tropical climate causes the Tea bushes to “flush” 
almost continuously throughout the year, thereby 
bringing the average cost of production to even less 
than that of India while owing to the preference 
given to Ceylon Tea throughout Engand and the 
Colonic’', the average price obtained is liigher. It is 
not proposed to purchase properties except under 
special circumstauccs but to grant loaus oo the security 
