March  2,  1896.]  tHE  TROPtCAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
595 
from  slave-raiding;  but  you  will  see  by  last  Gazette 
that  our  Commissioner,  Mr.  .Johnston,  has  gained  a 
complete  victory  over  Zerali — our  most  powerful 
enemy.  He  (Mr.  .Johnson)  is  off  again  for  a month 
to  fight  the  Arab  slavers  at  the  north  end  of  Lake 
Nyassa,  and  a tough  job  he  will  have;  yet  I have  no 
fear  of  his  ultimate  success. 
I am  constantly  sending  home  collections  of  the 
fauna  and  flora  of  the  country,  and  many  specimens 
have  proved  new  to  science,  and  of  much  interest 
to  naturalists.  It  is  a good  game  country,  too,  and 
the  grand  antelopes  of  Africa  arc  still  well  reiu’e- 
sented  on  our  plains. 
I should  like  much  to  write  you  at  greater  length, 
but  must  deny  myself  that  pleasure  as  time  will  not 
permit  of  it. 
ElL.-V  TEA  CUMEANY,  LTD. 
\ iiieebiiig  of  tlie  Eilti  Estate  Company  Etd. 
was  belli  in  the  olHce  of  Messrs.  J.  M.  Uobertson 
I'c  Co.,  Agents  and  Secretaries  on  8tli  Feb.  Mr. 
Henry  Hois  presided  and  present  were  Messrs.  I’ercy 
Hois,  Gordon  Hois  (Secy.),  Herbert  Capper  and  AV. 
E.  Mitcbell. 
The  notice  calling  tlic  meeting  having  been 
read,  minutes  of  previous  meeting  were  read  and 
confirmed. 
Tlie  Cu.viRMAN  explained  that  it  was  an  interim 
meeting  and  it  was  not  customary  to  bring  for- 
ward a printed  report,  altbougli  the  Articles  of 
Association  provided  that  a meeting  slimrld  be 
held.  The  yield  from  the  Eila  estate  during  the 
six  months  ending  .31st  December  1895  has  been 
satisfactory,  but  owing  to  an  attack  of  lielo- 
peltis  on  Kanangama  that  necessitated  tlie 
pruning  down  of  the  tea,  the  yield  from 
tliat  estate  lias  fallen  considerably  short 
of  expectations  ; but  the  visiting  agent’s  lapt 
report  indicateil  that  the  estimated  yield  for  the 
whole  year  may  still  be  realised  and,  in  the 
meantime  the  directors  recommend  the  payment 
of  an  interim  dividend  of  4 per  cent,  for  the  half 
year  against  5 per  cent,  paid  for  the  correspond- 
ing period  last  year.  He  thought  that  was  all 
the  informatiou  that  re«iuired  to  be  i>ut  before 
the  meeting,  but  the  Directors  would  be  glad  to 
reply  to  any  iiuestiuns  bearing  on  the  subject. 
The  report  was  adojitcd. 
Mr.  MrrCHKi-h  propo.sed  that  a dividend  of  4 
per  cent,  be  jiaid. 
Mr.  HcKiixirt  C.U’i’ici;  seconded. 
d’he  motion  was  adnpLeil  ami  the  meeting 
thereafter  terminated. 
WEEDS  IN  CEYLON. 
It  is  difficult  to  understand  why  the  planters  of 
Ceylon  have  such  a holy  horror  of  weeds  on  their 
plantations.  Here  in  S.  India  a certain  and  in- 
creasing number  appreciate  them  moi’e  at  their  true 
value,  and  though  not  going  so  far  as  to  encourage 
them  generally,  yet  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year, 
actually  welcome  their  growth.  In  a late  number  of 
the  Ceylon  Ob  errer  there  appeared  an  editorial  on 
the  extreme  danger  of  allowing  weeds  to  grow  on 
estates.  A moral  is  drawn  from  the  agitation  going 
on  now  in  Australia  about  the  spread  of  noxious 
weeds  in  pastures,  and  we  are  gravely  iiifonned  that 
“ the  presence  of  a single  estate  in  a district  in 
which  negligence  in  this  respect  (in  clean-weeding) 
is  permitted,  may  infect,  so  to  speak,  the  whole  of 
the  area  of  that  district.”  The  analogy  between 
pastures  and  tea-gardens  may  be  very  obvious  to  our 
contemporary,  but  for  ourselves  wo  fail  to  see  the 
slightest  connection  between  them.  As  an  old  collce 
planter  remarked  to  us  the  other  day,  a moral  ol 
more  value  might  be  drawn  from  the  utter  collapse 
of  clean-weeded  Ceylon  coffee  and  the  flourishing 
condition  of  our  weedy  S.  Indian  estates,  By  the  way 
the  danger  to  Australian  sheep-growers  lies  in  tlie 
seeds  of  certain  weeds  lodging  in  the  wool,  which 
greatly  reduces  the  price. — Plant  in;/  Opinion,  Feb.  1. 
SELANGUK  PLANTERS’  ASSDCfATION. 
AVe  have  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  a copy  of 
minutes  of  a general  meeting,  held  at  the  Selan- 
gor Club  on  Saturday,  1 1th  .January  ; — 
The  Chairman,  Mr.  E.  Carey,  explained  to  the 
meeting  that  Government  had  intimated  to  the  Asso- 
ciation that  the  subject  of  discharge  tickets  for 
labourers  had  been  under  consideration,  and  although 
not  prepared  to  pass  a coiupulsory  enactment,  would 
be  glad,  as  an  employer  ofl  abour,  to  join  in  any 
eigiitable  arrangement  for  the  protection  of  employers 
against  the  wrongful  employment  of  absconding  la- 
bourers. 
A draft  of  proposed  suggestions  to  Government 
in  connection  with  the  above  subject  having  been 
distributed  to  the  members  present,  the  follow- 
ing form  was  agreed  to  after  some  little  discus- 
sion— viz., 
“ That  owing  to  the  facility  with  which  abscond- 
ing coolies  are  at  present  able  to  obtain  employ- 
ment wherever  they  may  offer  their  services,  thus  caus- 
ing serious  loss  to  employers,  and  laying  the  whole 
community  open  to  the  contingency  of  having  the 
unpleasant  char'ge  of  crimping  preferred  against 
them : it  is  desirable  that  imraeniate  steps  should 
be  taken  to  put  this  question  upon  a more  satis- 
factory basis,  and  with  this  object  in  view  this  As- 
sociation submits  for  the  consideration  of  Govern- 
ment the  accompaying  suggestions,  the  adoption  of 
which  it  is  believed  will  go  far  tow^ards  rectifying  an 
evil  which  is  becoming  every  day  more  apparent  and 
which,  unless  checked,  may  lead  to  every  serious 
results.  It  is  therefore  recommended  that — 
“All  coolies  being  fresh  .arrivals  in  the  State  should 
be  furnished  with  certificates  to  the  effect  that 
they  are  bond  ,fide  new  comers,  and  therefore  eligible 
for  employment. 
“All  employers  of  labour,  other  than  day  labour, 
should  be  required  under  penalty  of  a fine  of  not 
less  than to  furnish  a eerti- 
ficate  of  discliarge  to  every  cooly  leaving  their 
employ. 
“ It  should  be  incumbent  upon  all  employers,  on 
a cooly  applying  for  woik,  to  demand  from  such 
cooly  the  production  of  his  certificate  either  of  arrival 
or  discharge,  and  anyone  found  employing  a cooly 
without  such  certificate,  unless  able  to  prove  tha 
cooly  to  have  been  a servant  of  his  prior  to  the 
coming  into  effect  of  these  rules,  should  be  liable  to 
a fine  of  not  less  than  
"Emxfloyers  should  bo  intitled  to  demand  from 
every  cooly  applying  for  and  obtaining  work,  tho 
certificate  which  lie  possesses  on  his  an  ivai. 
“ In  tho  case  of  labourers  employed  ancljjaid  by  the 
day,  whilst  iheir  obligation  to  produce  certificates, 
as  in  para  .4  should  remain  the  same,  employers  upon 
settling  their  accounts,  should  be  required  to  return 
to  labourers  the  certificates  originally  produced  by 
them,  under  penalty  of  a fine  of  not  less  than  
“ Such  rules  should  not  be  enforced  for  six  months 
after  they  have  been  agreed  to. 
“Trocecds  of  fines  to  go  towards  cost  of  supplying 
passes,” 
The  Chairman  informed  tho  meeting  that  His  Ex- 
cellency the  Governor  had  suggested  to  the  S.  P.A. 
deputation  that  the  Hon.  Secretary  should  address 
the  Resident  on  the  following  subjects  : — 
(a)  AVritten  contracts  with  coolies; 
{b)  Preferential  claim  to  mining  rights  ; 
(f)  Arbitration  on  acquisition  ofland  by  Government. 
A draft  of  proposed  letter  was  then  read  to  the  meet- 
ing and  agreed  to. 
The  minutes  of  the  S.U.  P.A.  general  meeting, 
giving  Mr.  Hill’s  scheme  for  the  importation  of  free 
Tamil  labour,  were  read,  and  it  was  resolved  that 
the  subject  should  be  left  for  discussion  at  the 
meeting  of  the  United  Planters’  Association. 
