i6  THE  TROPICAL 
sitates  looking  for  a European  or  American  market. 
British  New  (j-uinea,  free  from  huiricanes,  with  land 
for  next  to  nothing,  with  local  labour  and  convenient 
access  to  shipping,  should  bo  able  to  compete  success- 
fully on  even  terms  with  any  other  ])lace.  either  for 
the  Australasian  or  other  market.  It  seems  to  be 
more  a question  between  cane  and  beet  sugar  than 
between  New  Guinea  and  other  colonies  tliat  grow 
sugar-cane. 
The  central  district  would  seem  to  be  specially 
suited  for  growing  cotton.  It  is  a dry  place,  the 
rainfall  probably  varying  from  40  to  (SO  inches,  and 
cotton  seems  to  thrive  well  there.  It  would  be  tedi- 
ous, and  quite  unnecessary,  to  pursue  further  all  the 
different  kinds  of  cultivation  that  could  be  followed 
in  the  colony.  Practically,  anything  that  can  be 
grown  in  a tropical  country  could  grown  there, 
so  great  is  the  diversity  of  soil,  elevation,  and 
rainfall. 
It  may  be  stated,  shortly,  that  there  are  traders 
■ enough  in  the  country  already  for  all  the  present 
products.  What  is  wanted  now  is  the  man  who 
will  raise  new  products,  or  extend  the  range  of  those 
already  existing. 
To  facilitate  this  the  labour  law  has  been  made 
as  little  onerous  as  possible.  The  natives  would 
.probably  expect  from  4.  to  (Id.  a day  with  food 
and  lodging.  No  forced  labour  or  levy  of  labour 
can  be  granted  by  the  Government,  the  policy  of  which 
is  to  leave  labour  matters  as  free  as  is  practicable  in 
the  present  condition  of  the  native ; but,  as  already 
mentioned,  every  reasonable  encourasement  would  be 
given  towards  employing  the  men  in  their  own  country, 
it  being  clearly  advantageous  for  them  on  social, 
political,  and  economical  considerations  that  this 
should  be  done.  The  colony  has  no  preferential 
trading  relations — is,  in  fact,  debarred  from  having 
such ; and  it  has  not  granted,  and  probably  would 
not  grant,  any  monopoly  or  excxrlsive  privileges 
to  any  individual  or  Company. 
The  tariff  of  customs  dues  is  comparatively  light. 
Machinery  and  building  materials  are  free,  and  the 
same  may  bo  said  of  shipping  gear.  Necessary  arti- 
cles of  fool  are  f roe  or  are  very  lightly  taxed,  like  rice, 
for  example,  at  10s.  a ton.  sugar  at  2s.  4d.  a cwt.,  and 
tea  at  2d.  a lb.  Jluch  trade  tobacco  is  used  in  pay- 
ing native  labour,  and  the  duty  on  that  article  is 
Is.  a lb.  On  hardware  and  drapery  the  duty  is  at 
the  rate  of  10  per  centum  ad  valorem. 
Of  the  rainfall  it  may  be  said  that  in  the  cen- 
tral district,  near  the  coast,  it  is  the  lightest,  appa- 
rently from  about  4il  to  80  inches ; while  in  the  east 
and  west  it  rises  to  120  inches,  or  more  in  some  places. 
Land  can  be  bought  only  from  those  already  hold- 
ing it  bv  Crown  grant,  or  from  the  Crown  dii'ect. 
If  sold  subject  to  reasonable  improvement  conditions 
the  price  need  not  exceed  2s  (id  an  acre.  If  alien- 
ated by  the  Crown  without  conditions,  the  minimum 
price  per  acre  is:  Eor  agricultural  land,  lO.s;  for 
pastoral  land.  2s;  for  trading  or  fishing  ))urpo.sos, 
£5;  for  coconuts.  ,us. 
It  is  advised  that  any  person  or  company  contem- 
plating taking  up  any  industry  in  Britis-h  New  Guinea 
shoulcf  begin  by  first  of  all  visiting  the  country,  or 
sending  some  person  there  to  do  so,  in  order  that 
a competent  and  thorough  examination  should  be 
made  on  the  spot  before  money  is  sunk  in  any 
undertaking. 
The  Government  certainly  cannot  in  any  way  in- 
demnify any  person  who  may  suffer  from  any  enter- 
prise iie  may  enter  into  there.  In  a new  country 
like  British  New  Guinea  it  would  be  a real  calamity 
if  private  enterprise  should  turn  out  unfortunately. 
The  fitncHs  of  the  place  for  any  particular  industry 
should,  therefore,  from  all  points  of  view,  be  well 
determined  beforehand  by  a competent  independent 
authority.  The  best  plan  would  probalxly  Ijo  to 
send  an  experienced  planter  to  examine  and  select 
land,  and  to  consider  all  other  matters  carefully  on 
the  spot  before  commencing  any  active  operations. 
If  such  a person  is  sent  there,  and  really  means 
business,  the  proliabilities  are  strong  that  he  will 
obtain  what  ho  wants,  and  that,  too,  in  districts 
whore  lif*  and  property  would  be  as  s.ife  as  it  is 
ia  this  city. 
AGRICaLtllRISr.  [JuLV  I,  1895. 
LUTON  AND  TEA  IN  AMEBICA  AND 
CALCUTTA. 
Mr.  l>])iton’s  principal  tea-buyer  in  Calcutta 
liaving  been  detaclied  to  America  to  piisli  (lie 
new  tea  selling  busine.s.s  comnienceil  (here,  a tele- 
gram has  come  from  J>ondon  intimating  that  it 
is  indispensable  Mr.  Duplock  should  attend  the 
opening  tea  sales  of  the  .season  in  ('alcutta.  Mr. 
liuplock  leaves  on  Weilne.sday  next  and  will  be 
away  six  weeks,  perhaps. 
PROSECUTION  FOB  SELLING  I.MPUBE 
COFFEE. 
At  tlie  Bradford  M'est  Biding  Court,  on  Mon- 
day, Christojiher  B.  Hill,  grocer,  Briggate, 
Shipley,  was  summoned  for  having  sold  coffee 
that  was  not  of  the  nature  demanded.  Insi>ector 
Banderson,  one  of  the  West  Biding  (’ounty 
(Council  officials,  stated  that  on  March  loth  he 
received  instructions  to  visit  the  defendant’s  shoji 
and  ))urchase  various  arti(de.s.  He  did  so,  and 
bought,  amongst  other  .articles,  a pound  of  coffee, 
for  which  he  paid  Is  8d.  When  he  had  received 
the  goods  he  told  the  defendant’s  wdfe,  who  had 
supplied  him  with  them,  that  they  were  for 
analysis.  She  then  said,  “ I did  not  know  they 
were  for  analysis,  or  I should  have  given  you 
))ure  coffee.”  The  witness  found  no  label  to  in- 
dicate that  what  he  had  bought  was  a mi.xture. 
The  coffee  was  weighed  for  him.  Mr.  Peel : 
You  did  not  say  pure  coffee— you  simply  asked 
for  one  pound  of  coffee?  Inspector  Randerson  : 
\ es.  The  witness  added  that  he  did  not  see  the 
canister,  and  did  not  see  what  words  xvefe  on  it. 
Inspector  (Quinlan  sLated  that  on  March  l.)th  he 
asked  Insjxector  Banderson  to  go  into  the  defen- 
dant’s shop  and  make  some  purchases.  As  soon 
as  the  transaction  was  completed  he  entered  the 
shop,  and  the  defendant’s  wife  w'as  told  that  the 
mixture  w.as  require<I  for  analysis.  It  was  not 
then  denied  that  what  h.ad  been  bought  was  a 
mixture  of  coffee  and  chicory.  The  analysis 
showeil  that  the  mixture  consisli  ;d  of  .lO  ]»er  cent, 
of  coffee  and  .10  per  cent,  of  chicory.  The  defen- 
dent,  in  answer  to  the  charge,  said  he  bought 
the  business  in  November  last,  having  h.ad  no 
previous  experience  of  the  grocery  trade.  M'lieu 
lie  took  the  shop  over  the  valuation  included  a 
small  (juantity  of  coffee,  between  three  and  four 
pounds  and  the  coffee  that  was  supplied  to  the 
inspector  was  taken  from  this.  He  did  not  know 
that  the  mi.xture  had  been  solil  to  him  .as  impure 
coffee ; it  was  sold  to  him  in  the  valu.ation  as 
coffee,  and  (he  canister  containing  itw.as  m.arked 
“coffee.”  He  sometimes  attended  to  the.  shop, 
but  genei'.ally  his  wife  looked  after  it.  He  <lid 
not  think  she  knew  that  the  article  supplied 
was  impure  coffee.  The  chief  business  done  at 
the  shop  w.as  in  groceries  and  provisions.  He 
sold  a quantity  of  te.a,  but  pr.actically  no  coffee. 
In  answer  to  the  bench,  Inspector  (jtuinlan  said 
the  shop  was  a very  old-establislieil  one,  ami 
was  situated  in  the  main  street  of  Shipley.  It 
was  a busy  shop,  and  one  of  the  (inest  in  that 
particular  district.  The  defendant,  however,  said 
th.at  where  one  person  p.assed  along  the  side  of 
the  street  where  his  .shop  was  situated  a thousand 
j).as.seil  on  the  other  siile.  The  shop,  including  a 
liouse,  was  rented  at  only  ,CI!)  lUs.  Mr.  I’eel  : 
It  cannot  be  very  barge  for  that.  In  reply  to 
further  (piestions  Inspector  (^tuinlan  said  that 
the  cost  of  chicory  was  from  6d  to  Sd  per  lb. 
at  the  outsiile.  Tlie  jirice  which  he  had  paid  for 
the  coffee — Is  8d — was  a very  good  price.  'I’lie 
defend.ant  was  ordered  to  pay  a lino  of  10s  and 
costs,  the  alternative  lieing  ten  days’  imprison- 
ment.— i/.  it  C.  JIail,  May  3rd, 
