March  2,  1896.]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
('OMPANV  MPKTINGS  JN  'OLOMHO. 
A coii.si(lenil)le  iiorl/ioii  of  our  space  today  is 
dev(jteil  to  ro[)ort.s  of  Company  meetings  ; and 
we  oiler  onr  eong-i’atnlations  to  Messrs.  ^Vllittall 
A'  Co.  noon  being  the  agents  and  seci'ebaries  of 
so  many  llourisliing  eoimerns,  ami  to  the  slnire- 
holders  who  liave  been  .so  fortunate  as  to  have 
tlieir  money  so  well  invested,  particularly  those 
of  the  Vatiyantota  Company,  who  are  in  the  very 
envious  position  of  being  the  recipients  of  a 
di\idend  amounting  to  no  less  than  bn  per 
cent  for  the  year.  The  Company  was  started  in 
ISSb,  and  since  then  it  has  paid  per  cent 
to  the  shareholders  in  dividends  and  placed  .‘17! 
per  cent  to'  reserve  fund.  With  close  on  400 
acres  of  young  tea  coming  into  bearing  and  GOO 
acres  of  reser\e  forest,  and  with  such  a 
record  as  it  can  show,  the  jirospect  before  the 
Comi)any  (^an  only  be  described  as  of  a most 
e.xtremely  pleasing  chai'ac.tei’  to  contemplate. 
Ne.xt  comes  We-Oya  with  a dividend  of  2b  per 
cent,  followed  by  Agra  Onvah  nith  20  per  cent, 
and  U|»i)er  Maskeliya  with  IS  ])er  cent.  lntr> 
details,  we  cannot  here  enter,  but  we  think  it 
will  be  admitteil  by  all  wlio  peruse  the  reports 
that  they  are  all  very  highly  satisfactory,  and  wo 
trust  the  Companies  will  long  continue  to 
nourish. 
THE  EATE  ME.  M.  A.  LAWSON. 
The  recent  sad  death  of  Mr  iM.  A.  laiw.son, 
(lovernment  Eotanist  and  Director  of  the  Mailras 
Cinchona  Departments,  removes  a lignre  long 
familiar  to  many  planters  on  the  Nilgiris  anil 
elsewhere.  Of  an  e.xtreiiiely  unassuming  and  re- 
tiring manner,  Mr.  Lawson  mailo  many  fast 
friemls  among  those  whom  his  work  at  Natlu- 
vatam  and  elscwcre  brought  him  into  somewhat 
close  contact.  His  recoial  in  the  Covernment 
annals  is  a noteworthy  one,  and  it  is  very  largely 
due  to  his  cH’orts  tiiat  the  present  great  success 
of  the  (juinine  pice  packets  distiibntion  has  been 
achieved.  His  chief  forte  was,  .however,  in  bota- 
nical work,  and  the  c.s'hanstive  herbarium  he 
collected  will  aflbrd  admirable  material  for  any 
future  botanic;al  work  on  the  llora  of  .Southern 
India. — IHantliirj  Upinion,  Eeb.  20. 
THE  PLANTIlNO  INDUSTEY  IN  SiHTTHEdN 
INDIA. 
It  appears  that  in  noticing  recently  an  article 
published  in  the  Timcft,  reviewing  a pamphlet  Ijy 
Mr.  “ Erancis  Ford,”  wo  inadvertently  ditl  an 
injustice  to  the  Wynaad  district,  by  stating 
that  it  laboured  under  certain  disabilities,  which, 
we  are  glad  to  hear,  have  no  e.xistence  what- 
ever. Under  this  heading,  we  i)ublish  elsewhere 
a letter  from  the  author  of  the  [lamphlet  i)utting 
us  right  in  the  matter  ; and  we  are  very  glad, 
imleod,  to  know  from  him,  that  the  Wynaad 
does  not  particii>ate  in  all,  at  all  events,  of  the 
grievances  mentioneLl,  “ li.xity  of  tenure  and  th  j 
means  of  commuincation  ” being  excellent.  His 
pam])hlet  dealt  with  the  Wynaad  ; and  it  was, 
as  he  recognises,  the  reference  to  it  in  the 
'limc'i  article  that  misled  us.  With  his  letter 
has  also  come  to  hand  a copy  of  Plantimj 
Opi)Lio)i,  congracnlating  Mr.  “ Ford,”  as  we 
heartily  do,  oti  the  notice  that  has  appeared  in 
the  “ Thunderer  ”;  and  from  the  article  in  onr 
contemporary  we  (piote  the  following  : — 
It  is,  we  fear,  only  by  making  people  in  Eng- 
land thoroughly  niuler.st,i?iil  the  true  position  of 
British  entci'iuize  in  India,  in  face  of  a rampant 
81 
6.H 
olbciiuilmn,  that  we  shall  get  onr  grici'ances  once 
for  all  removed.  Eiitthe  Provincial  (.lo\’ernment  is 
by  no  means  the  most  to  blame,  though  ihe  periods 
of  ‘‘starvation”  are  certainly  not  <d  e\ery-day 
occuiience.  Ihese  gentlemen  (tlie  men  who  have 
iinested  their  capital  in  India)  compare  the  star- 
vation allowances  for  roadis  and  facilities  of  com- 
munication in  backward  Indian  Districts  with  the 
liberal  policy  displayed  by  the  (lovernment  ofeom- 
petuig-  countrie.s,  such  as  Ceylon  and  .lapan,  in 
creating  facilities  for  internal  dcvelojiment.  It 
would  almost  seem  as  if  the  interests  of  the  Indian 
Government  are  so  vast  and  .so  varied  that  it  is  unable 
to  give  the  same  attention  to  Enrojie.in  enterprise 
that  is  given  by  smaller  and  more  self-centred  Gov- 
ernments, such  as  that  of  Ceylon.  The  local 
taxation  which  an  Indian  Provincial  Government 
may  have  thriftily  got  together  for  the  )nirpo-ies  of 
intern, al  development  and  local  public  worlis  has 
been  liable  to  be  swooped  down  upon  by  tin*  ,Sn- 
[ireme  Covernmout  of  India  to  make  .gcnxl  the  ex- 
penilitnre  on  a frontier  war,  or  to  avert  a delicit 
(Ine  to  other  causes.  'I’his  snbjeclion  of  local 
(inance  to  Imperial  exigencies  forms  a reenri'ing 
source  of  weakness  in  the  i>nsitiori  (d  Hie  I’roviiv 
cial  Governments  of  India.  It  is  perfectly  well- 
known  th.at  certain  of  Hie  tea  di.striets  of  Bengal 
have  been  starved  of  the  necessary  means  of  in- 
ternal development  from  such  eanso.s.  It  is  cgnally 
V, 'ell-known  that  the  Assam  tea  ilistricts  were  simi- 
larly starved,  until  erected  into  a .separate,  ad- 
ministration, with  a strong. snccessioii  of  Chief  Com- 
missioners to  insist  upon  their  claims. 
COFFEE  AxND  CINCHONA  IN  EOENEO. 
For  Romo  time  the  idea  has  been  considered  to  trans- 
fer the  Netherlands  Government’s  direct  relation  witii 
the  cinchona  bark  cultivation  to  another  direction.  The 
Government's  plantations  would  be  gradually  de- 
creased and  limited  to  experimental  stations,  which 
could  form  a guide  to  private  planters  and  at ' the 
same  time  reduce  the  Government’s  competition  on 
the  cinchona  bark  market  to  smaller  proportions. 
As  to  the  way  in  which  this  idea  could  be  realised 
definitive  pi-oposals  arc  to  bo  expected  from  the  India 
Government.  From  various  sides  the  India  Govern- 
ment has  been  requested  to  make  a trial  with  the 
Indo  guano  for  fertilising  tlie  Government's  coffee  es- 
tates, but  a negative  reply  was  received.  Tlie  plan 
to  levy  a moderate  direct  tax  from  the  native  popula- 
tion in  tlie  Western  part  of  Eorneo  seems  to  ne  cer- 
tain, and  it  is]iroha,ble  that  the  measure  will  take  effect 
in  this  year.— A.  dj  C,  E.rori'ss,  Feb.  I I. 
THE  EA.Sr  INDIV  AND  CEYLON  TEA 
COAIPuNY,  LIMITSO. 
.ST  A T UTO  R Y M R l-n'I  N G . 
The  .statutory  meeting  of  the  shareholders  of 
this  comp, any  was  licld  at  the  ollices  of  the  com- 
paiiy,  Alrica  lIou.se,  Leadenliall  Street,  E.C.,  oji 
W'^ednesday. 
The  cluiir  was  occupied  by  Mr.  S.  Eoulnois. 
The  secretary  baving  read  Ibc  notice  convening 
tlie  meeting. 
The  Chairman  said  : Owing  to  the  absence  of 
our  ebairman,  Mr.  Bnelianan,  u bo  has  been  com- 
pelled to  take  a sea  voyage  for  the  beneiit  of  bis 
bealtli,  the  jileasnre  of  receiving  you  hero  today 
at  tlii.s,  onr  first,  meeting  devolves  upon  me,  and 
wliile  w'e  symjiathise  witli  onr  cliairman  in  the 
cause  of  Ids  ab.sence  we  cannot  but  be  sorry  for 
onr  own  sakes  tliat  he  is  not  here  in  order  that 
wo  might  boar  from  him  some  details  aliont  the 
liroperlios  of  tlio  company,  botli  in  India  and 
Ceylon,  of  which  be  lias  an  intim.ate  and  iier.sonal 
knowledge.  However,  bo  is  expected  to  re-^ 
