March  2,  1896.]  THE  TROPICAL 
acre  cultivated,  as  compared  with  about  R502  in  the 
previous  year’s  account,  and  that  the  profit  per  acre 
is  R84. 
Mr.  Villiers  Alexander  Julius  resigned  his  seat  at 
the  Board  on  his  departure  from  the  Island,  and  the 
Directors  elected  Mr.  Harry  Creasy  in  his  stead. 
Mr.  John  Helps  Starey  retires  from  the  Board  by 
rotation,  and  is  eligible  for  re-election. 
The  Shareholders  will  be  requested  to  elect  an 
Auditor  for  the  current  year. 
The  report  was  adopted. 
THE  UNITED  PLANTERS’  ASSOCTATTON 
OF  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 
THE  raUST  KUN'n. 
The  following  letters  from  the  Chairman  and  Mr. 
Granville  Tj.  Acworth  on  the  subject  of  establishing 
a Trust  Fund  for  the  purposes  of  the  Association 
have  been  c.irculated  for  general  information  : — 
From  W.  H.  Sprott,  Esq.,  Chairman,  United  Plan- 
ters' Association  of  Southern  India,  to  the  Planters 
of  Southern  India. 
Gentlemen, — I have  the  honour  to  place  before 
you  Mr  Acworth's  letter  with  regard  to  the  funds 
of  the  United  Planters’  Association  of  Southern 
India  and  to  appeal  to  you  for  your  support  to  place 
them  on  a sound  financial  basis.  At  present  the 
funds  of  the  Association  are  only  sufficient  to  meet 
current  expenses,  such  as  Secretary’s  salary,  print- 
ing,  etc , and  at  the  end  of  this  year  owing  to  ex- 
penses incurred  in  sending  a Deputation  to  meet  JI. 
E.  the  Viceroy  in  Madras,  there  will  be  a probable 
deficit  of  nearly  R800.  As  Mr.  Acworth  truly 
says,  it  is  an  unsatisfactory  position  for  an  Asso- 
ciation representing  such  an  enormous  interest  as 
ours  does,  to  be  in.  We  have  started  what  Gov- 
ernment now  recognises  as  a powerful  Association, 
and  as  the  voice  of  the  Planting  Community,  and 
BOW  that  we  have  it  in  our  power  to  make  our  grievances 
heard  with  some  chance  of  getting  redress,  it  would 
be  an  eternal  disgrace  to  the  Planting  Community, 
if  they  cannot  raise  sufficient  funds  to  place  the 
Association  on  a firm  financial  basis,  so  that  it  can 
meet  all  expenses,  and  be  in  a position  to  assume 
any  line  of  action  necessary  for  the  furtherance  of 
our  interests.  Government  looks  more  and  more 
every  year  to  bodies  tike  our  Association,  as  the 
mouthpiece  of  the  Community,  and  we  should  be 
throwing  our  chances  away  if  we  do  not  support 
the  Association  to  the  best  of  our  ability.  I appeal 
to  you  all,  Gentlemen,  for  your  generous  support 
and  must  leave  it  to  you,  as  to  whether 
you  will  subscribe  a lump  sum  or  give  an 
annual  donation,  and  I hope  that  every  proprietor 
in  Southern  India  will  come  forward  according  to 
his  means.  At  the  next  Meeting  of  the  United 
Planters’  Association  of  Southern  India  it  will  be 
decided  how  the  fund  is  to  be  invested  and  Trustee's 
appointed.  Subscriptions  will  be  received  by  the 
Honorary  Secretaries  of  the  various  District  As- 
sociations, or  by  G.  L.  Yonge,  Esq.,  Secretary,  United 
Planters’  Association  of  Southern  India,  Madras. 
From  Granville  D.  Acworth,  Esq.,  Honorary  Secre- 
tary, Central  Travancore  Planters’  Association,  to  the 
Members  of  the  Planters’  Association  of  Southern 
India. 
Gentlemen,— I think  it  must  have  struck  every 
Delegate  present  at  the  last  annual  general  meeting 
of  the  United  Planters’  Association  of  Southern 
India,  that  the  Funds  of  the  Association  were  in  a 
by  no  means  satisfactory  condition  and  that  an 
Association  such  as  ours,  representing  as  it  does 
several  millions  sterling  of  capital  and  an  annual 
expenditure  of  about  three  quarters  of  a million 
sterling,  should  only  be  able  to  show  a balance  at  the 
close  of  the  year  of  something  over  BS.50.  This 
matter  was  discussed  by  the  Members  of  the  Depu- 
tation to  the  Viceroy,  after  the  business  of  the  day 
was  over,  and  I was  asked  by  them  to  bring  the 
question  to  the  notice  of  the  various  Associations 
^'presented  on  the  United  Planters’  Association  of 
79 
AGRICULTURIST.  625 
Southern  India,  to  suggest  some  remedy.  It  will 
I think,  be  obvious  to  all  Ihat  to  raise  the  value  cf 
the  subscriptions  (or  rather  of  votes)  to  the  United 
Planters’  Association  of  Southern  India,  is  impos- 
sible, and  that,  even  were  it  possible,  the  remedy  would 
be  insufficient.  What  we  require  is  a fund  amounting 
say,  to  about  E200,000.  which  fund  should  be  placed  in 
the  hands  of  Trustees  appointed  by  the  United  Plan- 
ters’ Association  of  Southern  India  and  invested 
by  them,  such  part  of  the  annually  accruing  interest 
as  remains  unspent  at  the  end  of  the  year  to  be  also 
invested  by  the  Trustees  for  the  benefit  of  the  Asso- 
ciation. Money  is  power,  and  having  such  a sum  at 
our  command,  we  need  never  hesitate  to  undertake 
any  action,  such  as  sending  a Deputation  to  the  Secre- 
tary of  State,  which  we  consider  as  necessary  to  our 
interests.  We  might,  and  as  a matter  of  fact  it  is  our 
duty  to,  pay  all  the  expenses  of  our  representative  on 
the  Council  of  H.E.  the  Governor  of  Port  St.  George. 
But  there  are  half  a doz;en  different  ways,  which  will 
occur  to  any  one,  in  which  the  Association  might  find 
itself  at  a di.sadvantage  by  not  having  a substantial  in- 
come at  its  command. 
Finally  I think  we  might  do  something  for  our 
Superintendents.  This  of  course  is  matter  for  future 
discussion,  should  the  fund  I speak  of  be  es- 
tablished and  assume  reasonable  proportions. 
It  has  however  occurred  to  me  that  soipe 
scheme  might  bo  initiated  by  which  any  Superin- 
tendent subscribing  to  the  fund  a percentage  of  his 
income  over  a series  of  years,  say  2f)  or  30  years, 
should  at  the  close  of  that  period  receive  a small 
pension,  such  as  would  at  an}’  rate  relieve  him  from 
actual  anxiety  in  the  decline  of  liffi.  The  number 
of  those  coming  to  this  country,  who  have  no  capital 
to  invest  and  the  great  majority  of  whom  will  never 
be  in  receipt  of  such  an  income  as  will  enable  them 
without  assistance  to  lay  by  a provision  for  old 
age,  is  annually  increasing,  and  it  appears  to  me 
to  be  the  duty  of  proprietors  many  of  whom  are 
most  pi’osperous,  to  aid  these  young  men,  if  they 
themselves  by  their  own  thrift  are  willing  to  as- 
sist. This  last  scheme,  I repeat,  must  be  thmroughly 
threshed  out  and  could  not  even  be  initiated  until 
the  Association  has  some  capital  at  its  back,  but  that 
it  is  capable  of  solution  I have  not  the  slightest 
doubt  in  my  own  mind.  It  now  remains  only  to  sug- 
gest the  method,  by  which  the  sum  I speak  of  should 
be  raised,  and  it  appears  to  me  there  are  only  two 
ways,  one  of  these  is,  that  proprietors  should  each 
of  them  pay  down  a lump  sum,  each  man  according 
to  his  means;  that  a register  should  be  kept  of  all 
such  pi’oprietors  as  have  subscribed  together  with 
the  amounts  thereof,  and  that  any  planter  investing 
in  the  future  should  be  appealed  to  for  a subscrip- 
tion to  the  fund.  A register  could  be  kept  by  the 
Honorary  Secretary  of  each  District  Association, 
who  would  forward  a copy  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
United  Planters’  Association,  who  would  keep  a 
compiete  register.  By  these  means  new  proprietors 
could  be  at  once  identified.  The  second  method  is 
one  which  commends  itself  to  my  mind  more  than 
the  former,  for  I think  it  likely  would  bring  in 
more  money,  is  that  proprietors  should  be  asked  to 
subscribe  an  annual  sum,  until  such  time 
as  the  Association  has  a sum  of  at  least  two 
lakhs  invested  and  in  the  hands  of  Trustees.  In 
this  case  also  a register  should  be  kept  and 
any  new  proprietor  appealed  to  for  a subscription 
over  a senes  of  years  equal  to  those,  through  which 
the  promoters  of  the  scheme  subscribed.  In  the 
event  of  the  former  scheme  being  adoijted  I am 
myself  willing  to  pay  a sum  of  £50  down.  In  the 
event  of  the  latter  I wiU  subscribe  R200  a year 
over  a period  of  five  years.  I believe  I am  correct 
in  stating  that  Messrs.  J.  G.  Hamilton  of  South 
Mysore,  G.  Romilly  of  Wynaad,  and  W.  H.  Sprott 
of  North  Goorg,  would  lend  their  countenance  to 
some  such  scheme  as  the  above.  I am  also  authorised 
by  the  Chairman  of  my  own  Association  Mr.  R.  I. 
Imray,  to  state  that  he  is  willing  to  become  an  an- 
nual subscriber  for  a term  of  years.  I do  not  in  the 
least  wish  to  suggest  that  either  of  my  plans  for 
raising  a fund  for  the  United  Planters’  Association  of 
Southern  India  should  be  adopted  if  a better  one  can 
Ve  found,  but  I am  of  opinion  that  such  a fund  should 
