Nov.  I,  1895.]  THE  TROPICAL 
vortisomeiit.s  of  the  “Moii.soou  tea”,  are  certainly 
very  striking.  The  Commissioner  himself  sends 
no  comment  on  the  letters  (or  advertisements) 
and  these  being  without  names,  how  are  we  to 
know  what  weight  is  to  be  attached  to  them  ? 
barely  it  would  be  more  business-like  for  the 
Commissioner  to  give  a fortnightly  or  monthly 
report  on  what  is  being  done,  summarizing  the 
letters  of  agents.  Put  we  much  fear  that  trouble 
will  arise  through  the  subsidising  of  a few 
favorite  firms  or  individuals  and  the  neglect  of 
others?  That  is  a matter,  however,  for  the  Com- 
missioner and  Committee  of  Thirty  to  decide._  We 
can  only  rejoice  in  all  the  evidences  of  advertisingon 
a big  liberal  scale,  brought  before  us,  because  we 
feel  sure  that  this  is  the  way  to  make  our  teas 
known  and  to  lead  to  an  extension  of  the  de- 
mand for  Ceylon  teas. 
PAITAUIE  OF  FIJI  AS  A TEA,  &C., 
GROWER. 
farewell  dinner  to  MR.  A.  J. 
STEPHENS. 
A Gkeat  Deal  about  the  Colony  and  its 
Prospects. 
Taviuni,  August  31. 
Without  the  sensible  and  true  avouch  of  our  own 
eves  and  ears,  we  might  not  have  believed  a few 
month’s  ago  that  there  was  any  foundation  for  the 
rumour  that  it  had  been  decided  to  close  the  Alpha 
Tea  Estate,  although  we  knew  full  well  that  its 
capable  manager  had  been  bravely  fighting  the  fates 
for- some  time  past.  Now,  all  too  well  know  the  truth, 
and  Mr.  Stephens’  friends  have  gathered  round  and 
have  right  royally  done  honour  to  one  who  has  so 
manfully  done  honour  to  himself  and  his  avocation. 
Too  well,  we  all  know  the  disadvantages  at  which 
he  was  placed  to  make  the  Estate  the  success  the 
product  deserved,  for  a better  quality  of  tea  is  not 
produced  here  nor  in  any  other  of  the  tea-growing 
countries  of  the  world.  It  w’as  hoped  up  till  tho 
last  that  Mr.  Stephens  w'ould  not  find  it  necessary 
to  leave  Fiji,  but  those  hopes  have  now  become 
blighted  and  we,  here,  paid  a last  tribute  to  him  we 
like  so  well  by  being  present  at  Mr.  Tarte’s  residence 
on  Friday  evening,  invited  by  that  gentleman  to  a 
dinner  given  in  honour  of  the  departing  pioneer. 
Excepting  our  popular  medico  (Mr.  F.  S.  l inucane), 
who  was  unavoidably  absent,  alt  the  leading  Vuua 
Point  planters  and  re.sidents,  including  Mr.  Stuart 
Black  of  Selia  Leva,  Mr.  J.  Guilliam  Scott,  of  the  Bank 
of  New  Zealand  Estates  Company,  and  Mr.  H.  Monck- 
ton,  S.M.,  of  Taviuni.  After  doing  justice  to  their 
“inner  man”  off  a table  tastefully  arranged  with 
delicacies  innumerable,  even  for  our  most  pronounced 
CpiciTTGS) 
Mr.  J.  V.  Tahte,  the  host,  asked  all  to  charge 
their  glasses  and  drink  the  toast  of  the  evening, 
“ Our  Guest,  Mr.  A.  J.  Stephens.”  He  said  It  is 
with  mingled  feelings  of  pain  and  pleasure  that  I 
rise  to  propose  the  toast  of  the  evening,  “Our 
Guest,  Mr.  A.  J.  Stephens.”  With  pain  to  think 
that  we  are  so  soon  to  lose  from  our  midst  a 
pushing  energetic  man,  a kind  neighbour  and  a 
sincere  friend.  (Much  applause.)  I remember  some 
17  or  18  years  ago  being  on  the  Levuka  Beach, 
when  a tall  dashing  fellow  hastily  passed  me,  with 
a hat  which  for  size  and  style  I w'on’t  forget  in  a 
hurry,  and  on  my  asking  who  that  was,  I was  in- 
formed, “ 0,  that  is  one  of  those  Ceylon  fellows,  who 
has  come  down  here  to  show  us  how  to  grow  coffee 
and  lea.”  Gentlemen,  notwithstanding  the  envious 
sneer,  he  has  shown  us  how  to  grow  both,  for  w’ell  I 
remember  the  glorious  sight  I witnessed  when  on  an 
invitation  from  him  and  his  partner,  the  late  Hon.  J. 
I'l.  Mason,  I visited  Alpha  and  saw'  the  glorious  pros- 
pects that  were  before  them  by  the  axipearance  of 
their  coffee  plantation — prospects,  however,  w'hich 
were  never  to  be  realised.  That  fearful  scourge,  the 
coffee  leaf  disease,  breaking  out,  simply  annihilated 
AGRICULTURIST. 
the  lot.  However  neither  he  nor  his  partner  weTe 
quietly  and  suffer  defeat.  No, 
if  coffee  were  a failure,  they  would  try  tea,  and  on 
that,  gentlemen,  I need  noc  say  much  as  you  all 
know  the  success  achieved  in  growing  it  and  its 
quality.  Alpha  tea  is  a household  word  in  Fiji 
and,  were  it  not  for  the  labour  troubles  and 
financial  difficulties  of  the  Comjiany  ho  represented 
of  late,  preventing  him  going  into  it  on  a large 
scale.  It  would  have  been  as  well  known  in  the 
outside  vvoild  as  Ceylon  tea  is.  Before  sitting  down 
I htiv6  on,G  mors  plcftssrit  duty  to  psrfonii  iii  present- 
ing  him  with  an  address  signed  l,y  all  his  fellow 
planters  and  residents  on  the  island,  and  am  sure 
he  will  appreciate  it  all  the  more  when  I tell  him 
it  was  done  by  a fellow-planter  as  a labour  of  love, 
and  for  beau^  and  artistic  design  it  could  scarcely 
be  excelled.  Gentlemen,  with  your  permission,  I will 
LOW  road  and  present  it. 
ADDRESS  TO  ARTHUR  J.  STEPHENS, 
late  of  Alpha  Estate. 
“ We,  tho  undersigned  residents  of  Taviuni,  under- 
standing that  you  are  about  to  leave  us  owing  to 
the  closing  of  the  Alpha  Estate  by  its  owners,  wish 
to  express  our  sincere  regret  at  the  event.  The  loss 
the  community  will  sustain  by  your  departure  is  oue 
which  will  be  long  felt.  As  a man  and  a friend 
you  have  always  proved  yourself  a gentleman  in 
whom  thorough  reliance  could  be  placed  and  whs 
was  always  ready  to  assist  others.  As  a planter 
your  energy  and  outsioken  method  of 
meeting  all  opposition  to  the  general 
welfare  of  the  community  has  done  much  to  advance 
the  colony.  We  deeply  regret  that  circumstances 
have  prevented  your  meeting  with  the  success  you 
deserved  as^  the  pioneer  of  coffee  and  tea  planters 
of  Fiji.  We  wish  you  every  success  in  your  future 
sphere  of  action  and  trust  you  will  live  long  to  en- 
joy it.”  Here  followed  the  signatures. 
The  toast  having  been  drunk  with  musical  honours, 
Mr.  Stephens  replied  saying  that  he  was  deeply 
moved  by  the  kindness  of  the  Taviuni  residents 
generally.  His  friends  at  North  End  had  already 
entertained  him,  but  he  was  completely  taken  unawares 
by  another  dinner  at  Vuna,  and  with  the  address  pre- 
sented to  hi  in— a thing  he  never  for  a moment  could  liave 
eitherexpected  or  deserved.  Hesaid  his  planting  efforts 
here  had  been  a failure,  but  through  no  fault  of  bis 
own.  He  had  done  everything  in  his  power  to  make 
a success  of  Alpha.  He  had  first  of  all.  with  the  late 
hon.  J.  E.  Mason  (a  better  man  than  W’hom  never 
lived),  introduced  the  Arabian  coffee,  cinchona,  carda- 
mons, and  the  Assam  hybrid  tea,  and  these  adapted 
themselves  to  the  climate  and  promised  w'ell  until 
the  unxirocurableness  of  suitable  labour,  together 
with  recent  hurricanes  in  Fiji,  weighed  too  heavily 
He  was  very,  very  sorry  to  have  to  give  up  the  fight" 
but  more  sorry  than  he  could  say  to  leave  so  many 
good  and  generous-hearted  friends  behind.  He  thanked 
them  all  heartily  for  the  kind  way  in  which  they  had 
entertained  him  and  trusted  that,  wherever  he  went 
he  would  find  as  pleasant  and  agreeable  neighbours 
as  he  had  in  Taviuni. 
A song  by  Mr.  W.  J.  Ewins,  “ Remember  Me,” 
with  words  written  specially  for  the  occasion  and 
dedicated  to  the  guest  and  sung  to  the  air  of  “ You’ll 
Remember  Me,”  in  good  style,  was  followed  by  that 
gentleman  proposing  the  toast  of  “ The  Govern- 
ment.”  He  said  in  spite  of  the  many  hard  things  that 
are  said  of  Crown  colonies,  we  have  many  things 
to  be  thankful  for.  For  instance,  Queensland  Sugar 
planters  have  been  having  an  unpleasant  time  owing 
to  the  working  man’s  vote,  which  has  interfered 
with  the  coloured  labour  so  necessary  in  a tropical 
climate.  Our  labour  laws  in  this  colony  give  us 
many  advantages  in  working  cooljes  and  Polynesians 
that  other  colonies  do  not  possess,  and  we  ,are  there- 
by enabled  to  get  a fair  amount  of  work  from  the  labour. 
Mr.  Monckton,  S.M.,  in  responding,  said  he  was 
given  too  short  notice  to  make  the  reply  he  could 
have  wished,  but  was  very  pleased  with  the  views  of 
the  proposer  as  just  delivered  and  he  tendered  thanks 
The  Plantino  Interests  were  proposed  by  Mr.  .Tas 
McConnell  We  are  here  tonight  to  show  our  respect 
to  Mr.  Stephens.  He  has  been  for  a number  ®f  years 
a Taviuni  resident.  I declare  that  he  was  always 
