THK  IROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[April  i,  1896. 
7H 
A CENTRAL  LABOUR  AGENCY. 
Everyone  interested  in  tea  will  welcome  the  ap- 
pointment of  the  committee  who  are  to  dravv  up  a 
scheme  for  the  formation  of  a central  agency  for 
the  supply  of  labour  to  the  gardens.  There  will  be 
difficulties,  one  which  may  be  found  in  the  disincli- 
nation among  planters  themselves  to  combine  to- 
wards this  end,  but  if  the  scheme  can  be  put  on  a 
thoroughly  practical  working  basis,  there  can  hardly 
be  two  opinions  as  to  the  immense  advantage  it 
would  be  to  the  tea  industry. 
Local  agents  have  resolved  to  take  the  matter  up 
without  further  delay,  and  began  with  a meeting  at 
No.  12,  Mission  Row  last  week  at  which  Mr.  D.  A. 
Campbell  presided,  and  at  which,  by  special  invitation, 
were  present  Mr.  II.  C.  Williams,  I.C.S.,  President  of 
the  Labour  Enquiry  Commission,  and  Surgeon  Lieute 
nant  Colonel  D.  W.  D.  Comins.  The  proposal  had  the 
hearty  support  of  those  present,  and  the  first  move  was 
made  in  the  appointment  of  the  committee  alluded  to 
above  and  which  consists  of  the  following  gentlemen 
who  have  power  to  add  to  their  number : — G.  G.  An- 
derson Esq.,  of  Messrs.  Williamson  Magor  & Co.-;  H. 
C.  Begg  Esq.,  of  Messrs.  Begg  Uunlop  & Co. ; A.  F. 
Bruce  Esq.,  of  Messrs.  Kilburn  & Co. ; C.  C.  McLeod 
Esq.,  of  Messrs.  McLeod  A Co. ; G.  A.  Ormiston  Esq., 
of  Messrs.  Balmer  Liwrie  & Go;  C.  D.  Stewart  Esq., 
of  Messrs.  George  Plenderson  A Co.;  A.  Tochoi-, 
Esq.,  of  Messrs.  Duncan  Bros.  A Co.;  and  C.  W. 
Wallace,  Esq;,  of  Messrs.  Shaw  Wallace  A Co. 
There  have  been  suggestions  mxde  in  this  connec- 
tion before  ; but,  unfortunately,  the  idea  of  combina- 
tion did  not  meet  with  sufficient  general  support  to 
warrant  the  projection  of  any  well  considered  scheme. 
We  trust  the  committee  will  be  able  to  make  such 
proposals  as  will  satisfy  all  concerned,  for  this  ques- 
tion of  labour  supply  has  now  reached  a point 
when  something  really  must  be  done.  It  is  most 
regrettable  that  the  tea  industry  should  year  after 
put  lakhs  of  rupees  into  the  pockets  of  such 
disreputable  people  as  the  have  proved  them- 
selves to  be.  What  is  now  needed  is  a strong  pull 
and  a pull  all  together  in  order  to  bring  about 
general  agreement,  on  the  question  ; and  we  should 
say  there  is  little  doubt  that  Government  w'ould  1 e 
willing  to  lend  hearty  co  operation  to  such  a project 
if  planters  and  all  interested  show  that  on  it  they  are 
agreed  among  themselves. — Indian  IHanters’  Gazette, 
hi  arch  21. 
INDIAN  TEA. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Fi  iancial  Times. 
gjj. Having  read  the  article  in  which  you  brought 
Indian  tea  planting  companies  before  your  readers 
as  a suitable  channel  of  investment,  it  occurs  to  me 
that  vou  may  possibly  like  to  have  some  confirma- 
tion "of  your  advice  from  one  who  has  long  been 
conversant  with  the  position  and  development  of  the 
industry  as  a toa-t  ister  and  agent  in  the  London 
market  for  some  of  the  principal  gro  vers. 
So  little  has  been  kcown  in  the  past  about  this 
branch  of  our  commerce  that  it  is  not  surprising 
that  investors,  as  a rule,  have  regarded  it  with 
diffidence,  or  have  altogether  ignored  it.  But  the 
experimental  stage  has  long  been  passed,  and  we 
have  now  the  benefit  of  some  fifty  years'  experi- 
ence with  the  result  that  it  is  proved  that  nearly 
ftll  but  not  quite  all,  plantations  in  India  are  per- 
manent in  respect  of  soil  and  the  capacity  of  plant 
to  yield  freely  and  vigorously ; tUat  while  woatlier 
carrses  some  variation  in  the  amount  and  quality  of 
the  vield,  such  a thing  as  the  failure  of  a crop  is 
unknowir,’  and  that  no  limit  has  yet  been  found  to 
the  consumption  of  Indian  tea.. 
A most  important  fact  is,  that  the  oldest  planta- 
tions in  Assam  still  produce  the  finest  tea.  Proof 
of  this  is  to  be  found  in  the  history  of  the  Assam 
r’nmnanv  which  has  been  at  work  since  1843,  and 
CLt  lear  showed  a profit  of  i‘.')0,000  on  the  season’s  pro- 
Jliiction  equal  to  more  than  2.5  per  cent  on  the  caprtal, 
and  due  to  the  fine  quality  of  the  tea  produced.  Another 
wXhtv  fact  is  that  no  other  tea-producing  country  has 
yot  been  discovered  which  can  give  tea  equal  to  the 
best  from  Assam  and  Darjeeling.  Another  is,  that  not- 
withstanding the  steady  increase  of  production,  there 
is  in  no  market  of  the  world  a surplus  stock  of 
Indian  tea,  the  year’s  consumption  regularly  using  up 
all  that  is  grown.  Last  year  135  million  pounds  were 
produced  by  India;  of  this,  120  millions  at  least 
will  be  used  in  the  United  Kingdom,  and  the  re- 
mainder in  other  countries,  where  the  use  of  Indian 
tea  in  place  of  China  is  r-apidly  increasing  to  a point 
which  makes  them  keen  competitors  with  English 
buyers. 
The  effect  of  these  developments  in  trade  has  been 
to  maintain  the  market  value  of  Indian  tea  well 
above  the  cost  of  production.  You  may  like  to  know 
some  details.  A crop  of  “common  tea’’  costs  from 
5Jd  to  6d  per  lb.  to  make,  and  realises  7d  to  TJd 
per  lb. ; a smaller  crop  of  “good  tea’’  costs  about  7d 
pei-  lb.  and  the  realises  from  9d  to  10;  a still 
smaller  crop  of  “ Hue  ’’  tea  costs  from  9d  to  lOd, 
and  realises  from  Is  up  to  as  much  as  Is 
Gd  per  lb.  There  is,  therefore,  a good  margin 
left  for  lowered  market  value  or  increase  cost 
of  manufacture.  The  items  that  would  increase  cost 
are:  a rise  in  the  value  of  silver,  arise  in  freights,  ora 
scarcity  of  coolie  labour. 
So  much  with  regard  to  the  general  position  and 
prospects  of  the  industry.  The  would-be  investor- 
will,  of  course,  want  to  know  which  are  the  strongest 
and  soundest  of  the  many  companies,  but  it  is  not  my 
purpose  to  tell  him.  Some  general  hints,  however, 
may  perhaps  be  given.  These  are  : 'To  notice  the 
capital  cost  per  bearing  acre,  and  prefer  those 
whose  gardens  show  a low  cost  ; to  ascertain 
what  additions  to  the  planted  area  have  been 
made  out  of  the  profits  of  past  years  ; to 
discriminate  between  those  who  pay  dividends 
and  also  create  reserve  fuuds,  and  those  who  do 
not  to  inquire  what  is  the  average  value  of  the  tea 
produced,  and  if  the  estates  are  situated  in  the  best 
districts. 
Most  of  this  information  can  be  found  in  the  elc- 
borate  tables  of  statistics  now  published  by  some  of 
the  stockbrokers,  who  are  beginning  to  realise  that 
C per  cent  or  8 per  cent  can  be  obtained  on  invest- 
ments in  Indian  tea  with  much  less  risk  than  is  run 
in  many  kin  Is  of  industrial  and  commercial  concerns 
for  the  sale  of  5 per  cent.  From  a shareholder's 
point  of  view  it  is  much  to  be  desired  that  the  older 
companies  would  rearrange  their  capital  on  a 
modern  basis,  divided  into  the  preferred  an  d deferred 
shares  of  small  nominal  amount  that  the  investor 
of  tolay  so  much  prefers. — I am  Ac.,  Assam. 
— Financial  Times,  March  11 
VARIOUS  rUANTllTG  NOTES. 
Tiif.  “ Bulletin”  of  the  Botanical  Department, 
Jamaica,  contains  : — Rum  Aroma  : III ; Notes  on 
the  Orange;  Coccidoc  or  Scale  Insects:  VIII;  Insec- 
ticides; Grants  for  Agricultural  l-lducation;  Notes  on 
Curing  Cocoa;  Notes  on  Kola;  Orris  Root;  Wild  Lime; 
Ornamental  Blant-s;  Eucalyptus  Oil  in  Yellow  Fevej; 
Ferns  : Synoptical  List.— XXXIl;  Castleton  Gardens; 
Contributions  to  the  Department. 
The  Kew  Bulletin  of  Miscellaneous  Information 
for  February  contains  : — Gold  Storage  of  Fruit  ; 
Decades  Kewenses:  XXVI.-XXVII;  Dominica;  New 
Orchids:  IG  ; Two  African  Holarrhenas ; Natural 
Sugar  in  Tobacco;  Miscellaneous  Notes;  Botanical 
Magazine ; Hooker’s  leones  riantarum  ; Hand-list 
of  Orchids  ; Water  Supply  ; The  British  Honduras 
Pino  ; Beetle  Larvee  attacking  Orchids  Solauum 
torvum  in  Assam. 
J.AVA  Cinchona  Shipments. — Our  Amsterdam  corres- 
pondent writes  on  March  2nd  : — “ It  was  made 
Iniowu  today  that  the  February  shipments  from 
Java  of  cinchona-bark  amounted  to  about  51G,tX0 
Amsterdam  lb.,  against  75G,0(X)  lb  last  year.  'This 
makes  for  January  Pebruary  1896,  1,516,000  lb  against 
1895,  1,413,000  1b;  1891,  1,351,000  1b;  and  1893, 
1,255,000.  Our  next  sale  will  contain  about  G,000 
packages  of  bark,  aud  the  stock  in  first  hand,  all 
told,  IS  now  about  15,100  packages.— CV<cHn'«t  ami 
Druggist, 
