May 1, 1891.1 
THE TROPICAL AOWOtJLTURlST, 
781 
CEYLON TEA AND THE NEW FEENCII 
TAKIFF. 
Mr. Mundella, the President of the Board of 
Trade, may justifiably be credited with the desire 
*0 see that all seotions of British industry 
receive careful safeguarding when the terms of the 
proposed new French tarifi have to be discussed 
between the respective Governments of Great 
Britain and France. It is questionable, however, 
whether any possible reduction of the present duly 
on teas imported into France would be beneficial 
in inducing its people to make such a change in 
their habits and tastes as to take to the use of 
tea instead of the present national beverage of 
coffee. We believe the existing rate of duty to 
amount at present to a little over one frano, or 
tenpsnoe, the pound, and though comparatively 
high, this can scarcely be said to be a prohibitory 
tax. Of course tenpence strongly contrasts with the 
British rate at the figure (fourpencs) to which the 
English duty has lately been reduced. 
No doubt it would be a great thing for all growers 
of tea if the consumption in France and on the 
Continent of Europe generally, could be increased ; 
but, as we have said, tiie item of duty upon the 
article is not the most important matter. A recent 
London Letter told us that a family in the South of 
France had been paying no less than seven shillings 
the pound for all the tea consumed by the household. 
Of such a price, the item of duty makes up but 
a small proportion. The question therefore 
must naturally presents itself whether so excessive 
a rate of cost may not be due to want of com- 
mercial activity in introducing the article. At the 
rate at which Ceylon tea could be imported into 
France — notwithstanding the existing high rate of 
duty — the retailer who vends tea at seven shillings 
the pound must be demauding a profit of some- 
thing like three hundred per cent ! If competition 
cannot be induced so as to greatly lower such a 
tax upon would-be tea drinkers, it is easy to see that 
there can be but little chance of the consumption of 
tea extending in France. It might, it seems to us, 
have a difierent result if really good tea was sold, 
as it might well be and with a satisfactory profit to 
the vendor, at something between three shillings 
and tour shillings the pound. But even at such 
a rata there must yet remain a disadvantageous 
comparison between the cost of the cofi’ee so freely 
imported into France and that of the tea which 
we desire to see largely supplant the former article. 
So far as we are aware, the effort to introduce 
Indian tea to the Parisians has not as yet been 
marked by any great success. When that effort 
was first made, the hope was entertained that its 
effects would radiate from the capital as a centre 
throughout the provinces of the Eepublic ; but 
this is scarcely likely to follow unless some 
further effort is made to reduce the prices at 
which tea seems still to be retailed in the localities 
the more removed from Paris itself. We could 
scarcely recommend such localities as a field at 
present open for direct attack by our own tea 
agencies. Our efforts are now quite sulfioiently 
widely directed to occupy our attention for a good 
many years to come. But in spite of that lact, 
it may be as well that our distributors should 
bear in mind the disadvantages which are tending 
to restrain the French people from acquiring a 
taste for tea drinking. That restraint will be 
strengthened should the existing duty be, under 
the new proposed tariff, increased appreciably, and 
to the prevention of this we trust the interview 
had by our London Association with the President 
of the Board of Trade may materially contribute. 
98 
THE CEYLON LABOUE SUPFLY FEOM 
SOUTHEEN INDIA. 
Like nearly all other large employers, Mr. H. L, 
Forbes, the Managing Director of the Roottish 
Ceylon Tea Company, feit during his recent visit to the 
island, that the labour supply was the most ticklish 
question in connection with the future of the Tea 
industry in Ceylon. Wo impressed on him in 
leaving, tbs advantage of learning all he could 
from a fellow-voyager, Mr. 0. II. Greswell, a 
gentleman who, while knowing tbo Ceylon planting 
districts, had spent the last ten years in the centre 
of the labour supply districts in Kouthern India, 
as Eesident Enginner on the South of India Bail- 
way. Both gentlemen travelled home by the P. & O. 
S. S. “Khedive” and the result is that we have 
the following interesting information from Aden, 
which we have no doubt will receive clue a'tention 
from the Committee of the Planters’ Association. 
In the first place Mr. Forbes writes: — 
S. S. ” Khedive,” Gulf of Aden, March 2Gth, — 
We have had a fine run bo far and hope to be at 
Aden tomorrow. It has been fairly cool till today 
which is very muggy and hot. With Mr. Greswell 
I have had several chats about labour supply, and 
enclosed is the result. All danger, apparout'ly, of dis- 
tress in Southern India has been wiped away by late 
rain-i. Undoubtedly what we looked upon as our ovru 
supply of labor lias now also to serve other countries : 
the (Jape largely. This ia a very serious qu ist’on..ud 
one which the P A. should taka up without loss of 
time; as if the migration to Burma, the Oape, etc. 
is to increase, our already too meagre supply will far- 
ther naturally decrease. We must not allow other 
countiies to become more liked than our own, 
Mr, Greswell’s letter is as follows:— 
S. S. “Khelive,” March 2oth. 
To tho Editor '‘Tro'pical uigrictiUurist.’ 
Dear Sib, — M r. Forbes has asked me for a few 
lines to enclose in his letter co you on the important 
question of the Labour Supply for the Ceylon tea 
estates. On leaving India I was not awara that any 
difficulty bait been experienced by owners and managers 
of estates in obtaining coolies in sufficient numbers 
from the out dis'ricts in S. India. Al onetime owing 
to the partial failure of the N.-B. monsoon distress 
was predicted and Collectors of Disiricts were ordered 
by tho Madras Government to eubmit special reports 
on the then existing state of affairs. Tliesa oii .ha 
whole were favourable, nnd the rain which fell early 
in February removed all ca' se for anxieti-. 1 am 
not in a position to explain wh the Cejion 
planters should find it difficult to obtain labour 
now that confidence has been restored in the 
island and coolies are again paid regularly. 
Undoubtedly a great many emigrate to Burma and 
S. Af'ica and these countries- afford a splendid 
opening for tho industrious Tamil where in a few 
years he makes a small fortune. As an instance of 
this I may mention that only a tew weeks ago I saw 
a batch ot coolies alight at the Majaveram station 
in the Tan joro District, and one of these bad a large 
cash chest with him containing he said no less than 
6,000 rupees. I aske.l him how ho had managed to 
amass so much money. He replied that about 6 rears 
ago he went to South Africa where the Gov.uumeut 
had given him a grant of land^ for supplying the 
men engaged in the Diamond Fields with vegetables 
and poultry; and he added he was now proceeding to his 
native village to buy land. According to the census 
return.s tho ponulation of tho Tricbiuopoly District has 
increased 95,000 during the last 10 y oars. The returns 
from S. A root, Taiijnre, Madura and Tinnevelly 
Districts have yet to be published; but assuming their 
increase is in the same ratio, the question one naturally 
asks is what becomes of this (what may be tonm-il) 
surplus population ? As f ir as I have been able to 
observe the urea of land now undt r cultivation between 
Villupuram and Nogapatam, a distance ot lOil milc;; 
much the same as it was eight years ago and yol, 
