Aug.  I,  1895.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
95 
Colony.  The  increased  demands,  recently  made  by 
the  Home  Government  on  Hong  Kong  and  the  Straits 
Settlements  on  this  account,  aroused  much  alarm  in 
Ceylon,  where  the  Legislative  Council,  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  and  the  Planters’  Association  with  one 
accord  passed  resolutions  deprecating  in  forcible 
terms  the  imposition  of  any  increased  charge  on  the 
Colonial  revenue  for  Military  purposes.  These 
resolutions  have  been  forwarded  through  His  Excel- 
lency the  Governor  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  and 
a request  was  made  by  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  and  the  Planters’  Association  that  the 
President  and  Committee  of  this  Association  should 
take  immediate  steps  to  prevent  any  contem- 
plated increase  in  the  Military  Contribution  being 
enforced. 
Your  Committee  has  entrusted  the  fulfilment  of 
this  request  to  a Sub-Committee  consisting  of  Lord 
Stanmore,  Sir  A.  N.  Birch,  Messj-s.  Ilntherford, 
Shand  and  Leake,  and  a lettter  has  been  ad- 
dressed to  the  Secretary  of  State  in  support  of  the  ar- 
guments used  and  emphasising  the  unanimity  and 
strength  of  i)ublic  opinion  on  the  subject  in  Ceylon. 
The  receipt  of  this  letter  has  been  duly  acknowledged  : 
but  it  is  understood  that  no  decision  as  to  the  future 
has  yet  been  arrived  at  by  the  Home  Authorities. 
By  the  death  of  Mr.  J.  I’.  Churchill  the  Committee 
loses  one  of  its  original  members,  whose  long  career 
in  connection  with  the  Public  Works  Department 
had  enabled  him  on  many  occasions  to  do  good  service 
to  the  Colony. 
The  Committee  regrets  the  loss  also  of  Mr.  H.  B. 
Farquharson,  M.P.  \^o  died  recently  on  his  voyage 
homewards  from  a visit  to  Ceylon. 
The  Beport  of  the  Tea  Committee  and  the  yearly 
accounts  are  appended,  as  usual,  to  this  Report.  A 
further  dividend  of  Is.  in  the  pound  has  been  rc- 
aeived  from  the  New  Oriental  Bank  Corporation, 
Limited. 
REPORT  OF  THE  CEYLON  AND  LNODON  TEA 
COMMITTEE,  MAY  1895. 
The  Committee  has  held  three  meetings  during  the 
year. 
The  first  subject  to  engage  its  atenttion  was  a pro- 
posal that  Ceylon  should  take  part  in  the  Empire 
of  India  Exhibition  at  Earl’s  Court,  especially  for 
the  representation  in  some  form  of  the  Tea  industry 
and  for.  the  supply  of  tea  to  visitors.  As  consider- 
able expense  would  be  involved  in  such  a represen- 
tation and  it  did  not  appear  that  an  adequate  ad- 
vantage would  be  gained  therefrom,  the  Committee 
declined  to  take  ahy  action  in  the  matter. 
Some  alarm  was  caused  towards  the  end  of  last 
year  by  the  report  to  the  Association  of  several  cases 
of  serious  thefts  of  tea  from  packages  tn  ruufc  from 
the  estates  to  London.  There  was  great  difficulty 
in  ascertaining  with  any  certainty  where  these  thefts 
were  effected,  for  the  packages  that  bad  been  tam- 
pered with  came  from  various  firms  in  Colombo  and  had 
teen  carried  by  different  lines  of  steamers  and  landed 
and  warehoused  at  different  Docks  and  Wharves  in 
London.  The  Committee  addressed  a circular  letter 
to  the  Dock  Committee  and  the  Loudon  Warehouse- 
"men,  requesting  that  any  similar  instances  of  serious 
deficiency  of  weight  on  arrival  iji-  London  might  be 
reported  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Association  ; and  at 
the  same  time  public  attention  was  drawn  to  the 
matter  in  the  Ceylon  newspapers.  For  a time  these 
thefts  seemed  to  have  been  checked,  but  during  the 
present  month  two  fresh  cases  have  been  reported. 
The  attention  of  the  Committee  was  drawn  by 
Mr.  P’rancis  Peek,  Chairman  of  the  London  Whole- 
sale Tea  Dealers'  Association,  to  the  manner  in  which 
the  Tea  sweepings  in  some  of  the  London  Warehouses 
had  been  dealt  with,  an  instance  being  given  where 
the  sweepings  had  been  sent  to  the  Continent  and 
thence  rc-shipped  to  London  for  sale  in  Mincing  Lane. 
Mr.  T.  Christy  also  pressed  this  subject  on  the 
attention  of  the  Committee.  The  issue  by  the 
Customs,  under  date  4th  March  last,  of  London 
Port  Order  11  of  189.5,  disallowing  the  exportation 
of  “damaged”  Tea  frofu  the  Bonded  Warehouses, 
will  probaoly  jrut  an  end  to  the  ptactice  com- 
{laiaed 
In  consequence  of  the  prevalence  from  time  to 
tune  of  rumours  of  excessive  shipments  of  Tea 
from  Cevlon,  circulated,  no  doubt,  with  a view 
hPHU  depress  the  market,  arrangements  have 
beeu  made  for  the  despatch  from  Colombo  at  the 
beginning  of  every  month  of  official  telegrams 
giving  (1)  the  actua  weight  of  Tea  shipped Xrhig 
Uie  past  monlb,  and  (2i  the  estimated  weight  of  Tea 
to  be  shipped  1.1  the  current  month.  These  telegrams 
are  circulated  immediately  on  arrival  amonf  the 
Merchants  and  Brokers  interested  in  the  Trade 
ivr'!'  w tlie  advantage  of  hearing  from 
ill.  William  McKenzie,  the  Commissioner  appointed 
by  the  Ilurty  Committee  to  visit  America  in  the 
Tea,  his  views  on  his  mission 
Mr  McKenzie  has  subsequently  laid  before  the  Com- 
mittee  a scheme,  drawn  up  by  him  in  concert 
with  the  Anierican  Tea  Committee  of  the  Indian 
iea  Association,  for  joint  action  between  India  and 
n®-'-  n-dvertising  British  grown  Tea  in  the 
u support  of  this  scheme 
V II  ® subniirted  for  the  consideration  of  Members 
of  the  Association  at  the  Animal  Meeting. 
In  concluding  this  Report  the  Committee  would 
say  a word  ot  congratulation  on  tlie  steadily  in- 
creasing prosperity  of  the  Ceylon  Tea  industry  It 
is  a very  satistactory  feature  in  the  position  that 
though  the  prosperity  is  general  and  widespread,  it 
Mail™  s 
Account  of  Receijits  aiid  E.xpcnditure,  1894-95, 
KICCKIPTS. 
-May  21  To  Balance  witli  Mes.sis,  .Siiiitli,  Payne 
Sniitli.s 
■|'o  Pividenil  from  New  Oriental  Baiik 
( 'in  poration,  biniited,  («  J,'- in  tlie  a: 
To  .Snliseriptions— 
Planters’  Association  (jy  y „ 
Ceylon  Chamber  of  Coininerce  50  0 y 
Members— 1891-92  V , ,, 
1892-02  .7  !, 
’’  10  0 
•}  lo94-y.)  1x7  n n 
„ 189.v0(i  ° 
A R d 
90  18  11 
0 3 2 
2 2 0 
1804 
189a 
Jlay  20 
kXl’ENUlTUIIK. 
Jly  .‘-Secretary’s  .Salary 
Rent 
Pirini;,  ete. 
Room  for  Anlinnl  Meeiiii"- 
Aew.spaiiers,  Books,  etc 
1 iinting  and  Stationery 
te' Ca^e^  im 
Kll.im's  Bnplicator 
lelearams  to  Colombo 
I’ostaRes  a’l'l  r-n;...,  v 
B;Uance 
203  6 0 
■t.SOO  8 1 
360  S 
Examined  and  fou.nd  con-oct,  P.01,1.0, 
London,  27th  May  l$95. 
“p, 
..Olio,,  bohvoJ,  Ii.dir  “,d  Cov, 
Hriti.h  K.o»„  Tea  i„  t|,o  Uuitod*  Statia 
and  desires  to  submit  the  same  fm.fi,  ^ Americ 
Thirty  Committee  in  CeyS”  Wroval  of  th. 
i,  -'iliftbiug  Eaue,  Ldodoc,  E.C.,  May  aith, 
