April  i,  1896. J THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
699 
THE  ESTATES  COMPANY  OF  UVA, 
LIMITED. 
At  Ihe  lirst  annual  ordinary  general  meeting  of 
the  Estates  Company  of  IJva,  Limited,  liekl  on  21st 
March,  the  report  and  accountsj  were  adopted  and 
a final  dividend  of  4 per  cent  was  declared  mak- 
ing 8 per  cent  for  the  year.  There  were  present 
Messrs.  O.  W.  Carlyon  in  the  chair,  C.  A. 
Leechman  and  W.  II.  Figg,  Directors  ; Messrs.  G. 
J.  Jameson,  W.  Moir,  H.  H.  Capper.  Mrs.  E. 
Mandy  (by  lier  attorney  Mr.  J.  Wilson),  Mr.  J. 
MacLeish  (by  his  attorney  M.  J.  Wilson),  Mr. 
H.  Tarrant  (by  his  attorney  Mr.  C.  A.  Leech- 
man),  Messrs.  A.  Thomson  and  W.  H.  G.  Duncan 
(by  their  attorney  Mr.  G.  W.  Carlyon)  Messrs.  G. 
S.  Anderson  and  A.  F.  Souter  and  Mrs.  C. 
Souter  by  their  pro.xy  Mr.  G.  NY.  Carlyon. 
is  as  follows  : — 
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Dammeria  (in- 
cluding Maha- 
tenne,  Velloon- 
galla  and 
Tillycairn)  399 
Battawatte  (in- 
cluding Forest 
Hill  209 
Gampaha  282 
890  214  470  165  129  1868  878  2746 
THE  REPORT 
Acreage. 
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54 
117 
51 
23 
644 
486 
1130 
110 
226 
43 
24 
612 
135 
747 
50 
127 
71 
82 
612 
257 
869 
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(Some  coffee  also  remains  amongst  tea  and  timber 
trees  on  Gampaha  and  Battawatte  estates.) 
The  Directors  have  pleasure  in  submitting  to  the 
shareholders  the  accounts  of  the  Company  for  the 
past  year. 
Since  the  Company  was  formed,  the  Directors  have 
purchased  Mahatenne  and  Velloougalla  estates  as 
from  1st  January,  1895,  Tillycairn  estate  as  from 
1st  November,  and  Forest  Hill  estate  as  from  1st 
September.  The  first  three  of  these  properties  now 
from  part  of  Dammeria,  and  Forest  Hill  is  worked 
with  Battawatte. 
The  prices  paid  were  as  follows,  viz  : — 
For  Mahattnne  and  Vdlooncjalla,  consisting  of  409 
acres  of  which  144  acres  were  under  cultivation, 
R15,000  in  cash  and  1113,000  in  shares — total  1130,000. 
For  TUbjcaini,  consisting  of  70  acres,  of  which  25 
acres  were  under  cultivation,  113,500  in  cash. 
For  Forest  Hill,  consisting  of  383  acres,  of  which 
196  acres  were  under  cultivation,  I144,210T3  in  cash, 
1135,500  in  shares,  and  U16,695-65,  the  amount  of  a 
mortgage  payable  iu  June  next — total  R90,435‘78, 
A re-survey  of  Gampaha  Estate  shewed  the  acreage 
to  be  39  acres  in  excess  of  the  approximate  figures 
given  in  the  I’rospectus,  and  tho  total  property  now 
owned  by  the  Company,  including  tho  purchases 
above  referred  to,  comprises  2,746  acres  of  land  as 
against  1,845  acres  contracted  lor  when  the  Company 
was  formed. 
The  crops  secured  last  year  atrd  the  net  average 
prices  realized  were  as  follows,  viz  : — 
314,753  lb.  Tea  (including  71,654  lb. 
from  purchased  leaf)  average  11.  0'5U  per  lb. 
3,070  bushels  Coffee  ,,  ,.  IG’23  ,,  bus. 
707  lb.  Cardamoms  ,,  ,,  1T4  ,,  lb. 
55  cwt.  Cocoa  ,.  ,,  32  87  ,,  c\yt. 
iu  addition  to  which  the  sum  of  R6,759'36  was  obtained 
by  sale  of  grecir  leaf,  rents  and  receipts  for  manufactur- 
ing tea  for  other  estates. 
Excluding  the  special  items  of  preliminary  ex- 
penses and  of  interest  to  Vendors,  the  profit  realized 
was  equal  to  10  per  cent  9h  present  paid-up 
capital  of  the  Company  a result  which,  taking  into 
consideration  the  undeveloped  state  of  the  different 
properties,  will  no  doubt  be  satisfactory  to  the 
shareholders. 
After  writing  off  all  charges  incidental  to  the  for- 
mation of  the  Company  and  making  due  provision 
for  depreciation  of  Buildings  and  Machinery,  the  ten 
profit  available  for  Dividend  amounted  to  R54,626  43 
or  8'40  per  cent  on  the  paid-up  Capital.  An  interim 
Dividend  of  4 per  cent.,  absorbing  R24,600,  was  de- 
clared on  tho  15th  August  last,  and  the  Directors 
now  recommend  the  payment  of  a final  Dividend  of 
4 per  cent  making  8 per  cent  for  the  year.  A balance 
of  R4,006'43  will  then  remain  to  be  carried  forward 
to  the  current  year’s  accounts. 
The  new  Factory  on  Gampaha  Estate,  referred  to 
in  the  Prospectus,  has  been  successfully  completed. 
The  estimates  for  the  present  season  are  350,000  lb. 
tea  from  tne  Company’s  estates,  and  66,000  lb.  from 
purchased  leaf,  970  bushels  coffee,  500  lb.  cardamoms 
and  50  cwts.  cocoa. 
The  Directors  propose  making  a further  issue  of 
shares  during  the  year,  due  notice  of  which  will  be 
given  to  shareholders. 
The  first  Statutory  Meeting  of  the  Company  was 
called  for  the  15th  February  but  had  to  be  post- 
poned sine  die,  owing  to  an  insufficient  attendance 
of  shareholders.  Under  the  circumstances,  the  Direc- 
ters  now  tender  their  resignation  and,  being  eligible, 
offer  themselves  for  re-election. 
The  appointment  of  an  Auditor  for  the  current 
year  will  rest  with  the  meeting. 
By  order  of  the  Directors,  Whittall  & Co.,  Agents 
and  Secretaries. 
Colombo,  March  7th,  1896. 
COFFEE  PLANTING  IN  KLANG, 
SELANGOR. 
THOUSANDS  OF  ACRES  BOUGHT  BY 
CEYLON  PLANTERS,  USELESS. 
Confirming  the  brief  s'atements  we  have  already 
published  as  to  the  uncultivatible  land  which 
Messrs.  T.  North  Christie,  W.  Forsythe  and 
others  had  purchased,  w'e  ii"W  give  extracts  from 
a Singapore  contemporary  to  hand  this  morning:— - 
In  thj  Straits  Times,  of  March  5th,  a long  letter 
appeared  from  its  Selangor  correspondent,  describing 
the  existence  of  “sour  land’’  at  Klang,  and  the 
temporarary  and  permanent  abandonment  of  coffee 
estates  there.  We  summarise  the  contribution  as 
follows  : — 
The  Klang  land  boom  has  received  a serious  check. 
A large  proportion  of  the  land  sold  by  public  auction 
in  the  months  of  February  and  August,  1895.  has 
proved  too  sour  for  the  cultivation  of  coffee  in  its 
present  condition,  and  several  owners  have  resolved 
to  stop  all  work  on  their  estates  Opinions  as  to 
how  this  untoward  state  of  affairs  has  arisen  vary 
considerably.  Several  experienced  planters  consider 
that  the  soil — particularly  oii  the  eastern  side  of 
the  Klang-Kuala  Langat  road — lacks  those  consti- 
tuent parts  which  are  essential  to  tho  growth  of 
coffee,  while  others,  who  are  perhaps  better  qualified 
to  judge,  are  of  opinion  that  the  difference  be- 
tween the  soil  on  the  two  sides  of  the  road  is,  in  a 
great  measure,  if  not  entirely,  due  to  drainage.  But, 
although  opinions  vary  with  respect  to  the  value  of  the 
different  blocks  of  laud  purchased  at  auction  last 
year,  it  is  unanimously  agreed  that,  through  under- 
taking drainage,  which  it  was  either  unable  or  un- 
willing to  carry  out  within  reasonable  time.  Govern- 
ment has  done  a great  disservice  to  the  planting 
interests  of  the  district.  On  tho  plans  published 
previous  to  the  selling  of  the  land,  various  drains  were 
shown  as  under  construction.  (The  writer  proceeds 
to  describe  how  these  lie,  and  their  uncommenced 
or  backward  state.)  Now  let  us  see  what  the  planters 
had  been  doing  during  the  same  period.  One  in- 
stance should  suffice  for  comparison.  The  Datu 
Dagang  Estate,  now  to  be  temporarily  abandoned 
[corrected  next  day  to  complete  abandonment. — 
Ed.  T.  of  C-],  which  was  purchased  by  Mr.  W. 
Forsythe 'in  separate,  but  adjoiuiug  blocks,  at  the  Fob* 
