THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Aug.  I,  1895. 
134 
THE  UNITED  I’LANTEKS’  UOMPANV 
OF  CEYLON  LIMITED. 
KKl’OKT,  1894. 
The  Directors  now  present  to  the  Sharelioklerstlicir 
fourth  annual  I'eport.  with  the  accompanying  accounts 
to  the  31st  December.  IS'.M,  and  are  glad  to  be  able 
to  show  continued  satisfactory  progress.  With  the 
rather  finer  system  of  plucking  recently  adopted,  the 
yield  of  tea  has  been  somewhat  smaller  than  the 
Erevious  year.  This  must,  how-ever,  be  partially  attri- 
uted  to  the  abnormally  dry  season  in  Ceylon,  but 
slightly  improved  prices  have  compensated  for.  the 
shortness  of  yield.  During  the  year  1'20  acres  of  new 
land  have  been  planted  in  tea,  and  are  reported  u])on 
satisfactorily.  The  accounts  now  presented  show  a 
balance  of  profit  of  ft;,,S23  IDs.  .Sd.,  after  paying  an 
interim  dividend  at  the  rate  of  5 per  cent,  per  annum, 
all  current  expenses  and  upkee])  of  machinery  and 
buildings,  and  after  writing  f'2,000  off  the  Factories 
and  Machinery  account,  £1,000  off  the  new  clearings 
account,  and  making  further  provision  for  the  Superin- 
tendents’ Fund.  The  Directors  now  propose  to  add 
£1,000  to  reserve  account,  bringing  the  amount  of 
that  account  up  to  £5,000.  to  pay  a final  dividend  of 
of  3J  per  cent  , free  of  Income  Tax,  making  0 per 
cent,  for  the  year,  and  to  carry  forward  a balance 
of  £944  IDs.  8d.  The  Directors  have  again  to  express 
their  satisfaction  with  the  energy  and  zeal  displayed 
by  the  Superintendents  in  the  management  of  the 
estates. 
PLANTING  AND  PRODUCE. 
Weights  and  Takes. — Referring  to  the  growing  ten- 
dency in  Mincing  Lane  to  do  away  with  tares  and  allow- 
ances of  very  description,  the  drocer  says  ; “ This 
has  been  shewn  in  the  consideralion  of  an  alteration  in 
the  terms  under  which  various  articles  of  produce  are 
being  sold,  proposed  by  importers,  and  which  is  re- 
ceiving considerable  opposition  from  the  dealers.  At 
present  those  protiosals  are,  we  believe,  confined 
to  coffee,  cocoa,  pepper,  and  sugar,  though  it  is 
not  at  all  unlikely  that,  if  the  proposed  altera- 
tions were  to  be  adopted,  tea,  various  spices,  and 
other  articles  would  soon  receive  attention  with  a 
view  to  the  abolition  of  draft  allow'anccs.  At  pre- 
sent it  is  not  practicable  to  give  the  exact  nature  of 
the  pi’oposals,  as  we  understand  there  is  difference 
of  opinion  even  among  those  by  whom  they  are 
advanced.  With  reference  to  coffee,  it  will  be  re- 
membered that  on  casks  a draft  varying  from  lib. 
to  5 lb.,  acording  to  weight,  is  allowed,  and  on 
bags  from  1 lb.  to  4 lb.  The  allow.ance  on  sea  damaged 
packges  was  in  addition  to  these  ordinary  drafts, 
which  therefore  remain  though  the  damage  allowance 
is  discontinued.  In  the  opinion  ofsome  the  remaining 
draft  allowance  is  unreasonable  because  excessive,  and  it 
is  even  urged  that  such  allowances  are  felt  to  be 
detrimental  to  the  port  of  Jjondon,  because  shippers 
prefer  to  send  their  consignments  to  Continental 
ports,  where  it  is  stated,  these  allowances  do  not 
exist.  Inquiries  have,  however,  been  made  into 
the  matter,  and  it  has  been  found  that 
though  there  is  no  draft  generally  allowed  on  the 
Continent  or  in  the  United  States  on  Brazilian 
coffee,  yet  drafts  similar  to  those  of  Ijondon  are 
allowed"^  in  the  case  of  Fast  India  and  Central 
American,  and  all  other  coffee  which  forms 
the  bulk  of  the  trade  of  liondoii.  Seeing  the 
loss  which  there  is  upon  coffee  from  sampling 
(brokers'  sainiilcK  liciiig  very  heavy),  etc.,  it  is 
not  unreasonable  to  expect  that  there  will  bo  con- 
siderable opposition  to  any  attempt  to  abolish  the 
draft.  With  reference  to  cocoa,  pepper  and  sugar, 
certain  alterations  in  the  pre.sent  methods  of  weigh- 
ing and  taring  are  also  suggested,  whilst  a strong 
protest  is  being  made  against  what  is  consi- 
dered an  excessive  amount  of  ‘ turn  of  the  scale 
which  is  recognised  in  the  (lort  of  Lon- 
don 'J-he  advocates  of  the  change  ui'ge  that  what 
they  call  the  liberal  terms  which  are  now 
obtained  by  buyers  from  importers  are  having  a detri- 
pental  ttfect  pu  trade  vt  the  port,  and  that 
shippers  nke  sending  their  produce  to  ports  where 
they  have  not  to  make  such  large  allowances.  Careful 
inquiry  as  to  Continental  customs,  however,  shows 
that  many  of  the  terms  which  prevail  in  London 
are  similar  to  those  of  foreign  ports.  It  has  also 
been  poinle  1 out  that  trade  in  the  port  of  London 
is  more  affected  by  steamship  competition  than  by  such 
questions  as  drafts  and  tares.  Whatever  be  the  ex- 
planation of  the  alleged  falling  off  in  the  trade  of 
the  port,  care  must  be  taken  that  the  buyers  are 
not  unjustly  treated  in  order  to  assist  the  importers.” 
— //.  and  Mail. 
LOCAL  NEW  MANUFACTURING 
INDUSTRIES. 
We  had  no  idea  that  .Messns.  Cave  A <’0.  had  got 
so  far  as  “construction”  of  new  instrunients  in 
what  we  supposed  to  he  their  Musical  Instru- 
nient  Repairing  Departniciit;  hut  this  is  what  we 
read  with  both  surjirise  and  .satisfaction  in  their 
late.st  “ Review  ” : — 
To  test  the  skill  of  our  staff  \vc  attempted  the 
mauufactare  of  a pianoforte.  The  result  was  most 
successful.  The  piano  sold  for  a good  price  within  a 
a few  days  of  completion,  and  stands  in  excellent 
order.  We  have  built  a pipe  organ  with  success. 
We  h.ive  manufactured  harmoniums,  and  for  value  in 
this  line  we  challenge  competition  with  English 
manufacturers.  Our  staff  of  Sinhalese  mechanics  con- 
nected with  our  pianoforte-repairing  department  is 
now  very  large.  The  head  men  have  been  with  us 
for  ten  years  or  more.  During  this  time  they  have 
worked  under  experienced  European  assistants  and 
liave  become  very  jn-oficient.  Their  work  is  always 
accurate  and  reliable. 
Our  picture-framing  department  has  become  very 
extensive,  giving  employment  to  a large  number  of 
hands.  It  is  fitted  with  machinery  and  appliances 
enabling  us  to  execute  framing  work,  in  the  best 
possible  style,  expeditiously  and  economically.  We 
hold  large  stocks  of  materials  necessary  for  this  class 
of  work,  including  30,000  feet  of  various  kinds  of 
moulding  \S'ith  this  large  stock  we  arc  able  to 
manufactiuc  fi-anics,  suitable  for  the  smallest  mini- 
ature or  the  largest  oil  painting,  in  two  hundred 
different  patterns.  We  can  also  make  photo-screens 
and  frames  of  other  materials  than  wood,  such  as 
plush,  leather  Ac.  as  well  as  of  auy  of  the  woods 
of  Ceylon. 
We  have,  ourselves,  given  considerable  attention  to 
the  manufacture  of  golf  clubs,  which  have  been  very 
readily  appreciated  by  purchasers,  and  our  increas- 
ing sales  I- re  an  indication  of  our  success  in  this 
matter.  All  material  used  in  their  manufacture  is 
imported,  and  i.s  of  the  finest  (juality.  The  timber 
both  of  heads  and  shafts  is  thoroughly  seasoned, 
and  the  irons  are  of  the  best  material  and  finest 
models  ])rocurable.  We  invite  the  comparison  of 
these  clubs  with  those  of  any  other  maker,  for 
strength,  finish,  modellin<g  lay,  driving  power.  The 
price,  which  is  considerably  lower  than  that  of  im- 
iiorted  clubs,  is  a further  recommendation. 
Thoso  results-  in  so  niiuiy  (le])artments — rellect 
the  bighe.st  credit  on  this  enterprising  Fort 
I'inn  and  their  stall'  an.l  we  wotilcl  point 
out  that  nolliing  is  inoie  dosinible  in  an  agri- 
cnllui'al  country  like  ('eyion  than  tlie  c-stab- 
lisliment  of  sncli  niannfactnring  imlustries  and 
nollung  inoi'e  (h'serving  of  enconragenient  at 
th('  h.anils  t)f  ,an  intelligent,  (irogrossive  Govern- 
ment. Rut  w hat  do  wo  find  'I'hat  most-  of  the 
raw  material  used  by  Messrs.  Gave  A:  Go.  i.s 
ta\<’d  at  the  Gnstoiiis  and  this  is  also  the  ejuse 
to  a great  extent  with  the  extremely  interesting 
new  indnst ri('s  stalled  by  Messrs.  Geo.  Armitago 
A Go.  In  both  cases,  the  tarill' is  decidedly  dis- 
couraging allliongli  we  pointi'd  out-  at  the  time, 
how  easily  the  nece.ssary  raw  matmials  in  these 
industrii's  could  be  added  to  the  free  list,  wlien 
a revision  was  maile  last  year.  Messrs.  Gave 
Co,  fiu'uiteh  us  with  thQ  loH'otying  ineifforaiulum 
