1)2 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTIIrIST. 
[Sept,  2,  iS95 
lu  couclusiou  I am  to  ask  for  your  Excellency’s 
best  consideration  of  the  praj'or  of  the  Association,  and 
I have  the  honour  to  be  your  Excellency’s 
bbedientand  humble  servant,  G.  L.  Yo.vgk, 
yecretary. 
Tlic  Cii.UKMAN  remarked  that  the  two  salient 
j-»oints  in  the  letter  were  first  of  all  in  regard  to  the 
sale  of  teas  grown  in  Southern  India  in  the  Ceylon 
market,  and  secondly,  as  to  the  advantage  or 
otherwise  of  their  blending  the  teas.  In  regard 
to  the  former  there  was  nothing  to  prevent  the 
Planters  of  Travancore  selling  tea  in  Ceylon  in 
bond  as  they  had  done  before,  so  that  fell  to 
the  ground.  As  to  the  advantage  derived  from 
blending,  he  thought,  most  of  them  would  agree 
with  him  that  they  would  much  rather  not  have 
any  teas  blended  with  their  Ceylon  teas.  (Hear 
hear.)  What  they  had  always  prided  themselves  on 
was  that  their  teas  were  pure  and  were  not  mixed 
with  anything  whatever  that  would  cause  them 
to  be  looked  on  with  less  favour.  To  abolish 
this  duty  would  be  to  do  away  with  the  only 
safe'uiard  preventing  such  a thing  from  taking  place. 
— (Hear,  hear.)  If  tea  was  let  in  from  Southern 
India  it  Mould  be  mixed  up  M-ith  their  Ceylon 
teas  and  sold,  perhaps  not  labelled  as  “ Pure 
Ceylon  tea.”  but  sold  as  “ Ceylon  tea.”  There 
was  no  possible  advantage  to  be  gainetl  by  their 
abolishing  the  duty  and  he  strongly  recommended 
the  Government  to  continue  the  import  duty 
against  the  very  thing  that  these  gentlemen  re- 
commended. (Hear,  he,ar. ) They  could  not  iiom' 
eomplain  that  in  India  they  did  not  pay  a duty 
on  Ceylon  tea,  for  5 per  cent,  was  levied 
in  India. 
Discussion  took  place  as  to  Mhether  the  mat- 
ter could  competently  be  discussed,  seeing  it  was 
not  on  the  agenda. 
The  Chairman  decided  in  the  afHrmative  re- 
marking that  M'liile  there  Mas  no  intention  to 
push  the  matter  he  did  not  see  any  harm  in 
passing  a resolution. 
Mr.  Mackm'OOU  held  the  opinion  that  the 
Committee  might  be  authorised  to  rejily  to  the  letter 
very  much  in  tlie  terms  indicated  by  the  Chairman. 
He  was  itrejiared  to  go  very  much  further  tlian 
Mr.  Mitchell.  If  there  M-as  one  iiroblem  staring 
them  in  the  face  it  Mas  the  scarcity  of  markets 
for  their  plentiful  supplies.  To  do  M'hat  Mas  pro- 
posed Mould  be  to  add  to  their  om  u natural 
increase  some  unknoM-n  millions  of  pounds  of 
tea.  He  moved  “ That  the  opinion  e\presse<l  by 
the  Chairman  that  the  tluty  on  teas  imported 
into  Ceylon  should  not  be  repealed  has  the  un- 
animous apiu’oval  of  this  meeting  and  that  he  be 
asked  to  convey  the  same  to  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce. 
The  resolution  having  been  duly  seconded  Mas 
farried  unanimously. 
The  Chairman  suggested  that  it  sbould  be 
circulated  to  all  members  of  the  Association  so 
that  those  m Iio  M’ere  absent  might  receive  official 
notice  of  the  discussion. 
Mr.  Leechman  remarked  that  this  course  of 
procedure  Mould  strengthen  the  hands  of  the 
Association  in  reidying  to  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
iiicrcc* 
The  meeting  adjourned  shortly  after  four  o'clock, 
tt  vote  of  thank.s  having,  on  the  motion  of  Mr. 
.MackM'Ood,  been  accordeil  to  the  Chairman. 

LOCAL  TEA  EALES  AND  SALES  LISTS. 
A Kelani  A'aHey  planter  m rites  to  the  Obscrcer: — 
“ (Considering  the  large  quantity  of  tea  now  disposed 
of  in  the  local  market,  1 think  it  would  he  an  im- 
provement, if  you  were  to  issue  the  local  sale  list, 
iis  Ui  of  u couYouiciit  aizo  loi  tiliug  ; iiucl 
arranged  in  the  same  way  as  G.  W,  and  S’s  Lon- 
don circular ; i.e.  with  the  Estates  in  alphabetical 
order,  and  the  prices  for  the  different  grades  of  tea 
printed  in  columns.  This  would  make  it  very  much 
easier  to  compare  the  prices  realized  by  different  es- 
tates in  the  same  district ; and  one  would  see  at  a 
glance  if  any  estate  in  M'hich  one  was  interested, 
was  represented  or  not.  Should  you  not  care  about 
making  the  alteration,  perhaps  some  of  the  brokers 
might  adopt  my  suggestion.' 
Does  our  friend  know  the  Troj}ical  A;/ricuHuri.d‘! 
In  it  he  will  liiul  both  local  and  home  tea  sales 
bound  up  each  month  in  the  convenient  size 
he  desires,  though  not  aliihabetically  arranged  in 
the  case  of  local  sales.  Were  it  only  for  the  con- 
venience of  easy  reference  to  these  .sales,  a practical 
Visiting  Agent  has  said  that  every  Tea  Factory 
in  the  country  should  file  the  2\A. 
♦ 
“MODERATE  CARELESSNESS”  IN  THE 
TEA  FACTORY 
At  the  meeting  of  the  Tea  Traders’  Associa- 
tion, carelessness  at  the  Factory,  M'as  stated  to 
be  one  f>f  the  chief  causes  of  these  shortages, 
mIucIi  not  infrequently,  lead  to  so  much 
trouble.  Mr.  Mackwood,  recognising  the  evil, 
makes  allowance  for  “ moderate  carele.ssnes.s.” 
I M'on.ler  if  the  following  facts  can  be  in- 
cluded under  this  category  Some  time  ago 
the  representative  of  a Mell-known  firm  of  buyers 
went  llpcountry  on  jdeasure  bent.  At  a 
tennis  Jiarty  he  was  introduced  to  a planter, 
M'ho  in  a burst  of  confidence  told  how  keen 
he  was  on  tennis  saying  : — “ I have  not 
seen  a coolie  for  a week  and  I haven’t  been 
inside  the  factory  for  three  Meeks  ! ” Curi- 
ously enough,  about  this  time,  the  firm  M’ho.se 
representative  Mas  tennis  playing  Upcountry, 
had  occasion  to  make  a claim  for  shortage  on 
the  identical  planter  w ho  “ hadn’t  been  in  the 
factory  for  three  week.s.”  As  is  usual  in  such 
cases  correspondence  passed  between  the  )>arties, 
and  when  the  tennis-playing  tea  b\iyer  had  re- 
turned to  his  desk  he  received  a letter  stating 
that  it  was  itu|)ossible  that  there  could  have 
been  any  shortat'e  as  the  M'eighing  and  sending 
out  of  the  tea  w'ere  incnriabhj  done  under  his 
(the  Planter’s)  personal  supervision.  A reminder 
of  the  tennis  ))arty  and  the  conversation  thereat  re- 
sulted in  a checiue  being  received  by  return. 
-Cor. 
HATAVIA  NEWS. 
The  Hataciu  Niemcshhul  says  that  the  plantation 
called  “Tjiseureh”  on  the  “Gedeh,”  belonging  to 
the  “ West  Java  Cinchona  Companv,”  has  been 
purebased  by  Messrs.  Mundt  and  S.  C.  Vansou. 
This  j)lantation,  covering  an  area  of  about  1,RX) 
acres,  will  bo  planted  with  tea. 
A new  line  is  being  laid  between  Buitenzorg  and 
Baudong  in  order  to  expedite  comnuinicatiou  between 
Batavia  and  Semarang.  The  cost  of  this  line  is 
estimated  at  tl.  6975. 
A concession  for  Pearl  Fishery  in  the  territorial 
waters  of  the  Islands  about  the  Lamnoug  districts, 
in  the  Sunda  Straits  and  Seinangka  Bay,  has  been 
granted  to  Mr.  Steenstra  Toussaint. 
The  lUitavia  Nieun-ghhul  is  informed  that  the 
Cinchona  Company  “ Kertamanah  ” (directors  Messrs. 
Tiedeinan  and  van  Kerchun)  at  Batavia  at  tl\o  last 
meeting  of  shareholders  resolved  to  buy  up  a lot 
of  aJiares  in  the  new  Java  Cinchona  Company  whicli 
will  soon  bo  established  here. — N. /•’.  July  16. 

Libkiuan  Cofkek  in  the  Sthah's. — “ Ivdinburgir’ 
is  tlie  name  of  the  latest  addition  to  Europoan-OM  iied 
estates  in  Selangor;  it  is  situated  at  Kepong,  and  M’ill 
be  opened  up  M'ith  Liberian  coffee  by  Mr.  Dougal. — 
rinamj  Gazette, 
