July  i,  i8g6,j 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
21 
the  fruit  from  the  plantations  to  the  shipping  points 
along  the  coast.  Eight  hundred  head  of  oxen  have 
been  employed  at  one  time  preparing  ground  for 
planting  bananas  cultivating  the  fruit  already  in 
the  ground. 
The  company  has  32  plantations  under  cultivation. 
Each  has  an  overseer,  and  a superintendent  is  over 
all.  P)esident  Baker's  office  and  all  the  administra- 
tive departments  are  at  Port  Antonio.  Telephone 
connection  is  had  from  the  main  office  to  every 
plantation,  by  which  orders  are  sent  to  what  point 
on  the  coast  to  deliver  fruit  and  in  what  quantity. 
An  electric  plant  light  the  wharves,  offices  and  stables 
of  the  company  at  Port  Antonio.  Another  enterprise 
which  hasbeen  a blessing  in  an  artificial  ice  factoiy. 
"West  Indian  and  Commercial  Advertiser.— /V/i  Times, 
April  4. 
— - 
HUNASCERTA  TEA  COMPAI^Y,  LIMITED. 
DIRECTORS  REPORT. 
The  follow'ing  accounts  are  now  presented  to  share- 
holders, viz : — Balance  Sheet  shewing  the  financial 
position  of  the  Company  on  31st  December,  1893. — 
Profits  and  Loss  Account,  for  crop  1895. 
It  will  be  seen  from  the  Profits  and  Loss  Account 
that  the  weight  of  Tea  sold  in  London  during  the 
year  amounted  to  316,808  lb. ; this  included  about 
2,000  lb.  of  tea  made  from  bought  leaf.  The  average 
selling  price  was  6.57d  per  lb.,  and  the  proceeds 
amounted  to  i‘8,720  19s.  8d.,  including  that  sold  in 
Ce>lon. 
The  crop  of  Cardamoms  and  sundry  produce  rea- 
lized £48  15s  9d. 
The  total  receipts  from  sales  of  produce  thus 
amounted  to  £8,769  15s  5d. 
The  total  expenditure  for  the  year  in  Ceylon  and 
London  was  £7,118  3s  5d.,  so  that  a profit  is  shewn 
on  crop  1895  of  £1,621  12s  Od. 
It  is  proposed  to  deal  with  the  above  Profit  as 
follows ; — 
To  the  payment  of  a Dividend 
of  4%  for  the  year  . . . . ,£909  2 5 
To  the  reduction  of  Suspense  Account  650  18  0 
To  be  carried  forward  . . . . 61  11  7 
£1,621  12  0 
By  the  above  appropriatiorr  the  Suspense  Account 
will  be  extinguished,  and  profits  will  not  therefore 
be  agaiir  subject  to  reduction  on  this  account. 
The  crop  of  Tea  secured  is  satisfactory,  the  yield 
having  been  400  pounds  per  acre  agairrst  .347  pounds 
irr  1894. 
The  season  was  favourable,  but  the  increased  crop 
is  in  most  part  due  to  more  liberal  cultivation,  and 
it  is  believed  that  a continuance  of  the  same  system 
wnll  still  further  improve  the  jdeld. 
The  Tea  Market  during  1895  ruled  low,  more  es- 
pecially for  the  class  of  Tea  grown  on  Huirasgeria.  The 
average  selling  price  of  6'57d.  compares  with  7'36d. 
obtained  for  the  crop  of  the  previous  year. 
The  larger  crops  now  being  dealt  with  necessitate 
increased  factory  accommodation ; this  is  now  being 
provided,  and  half  the  cost  is  iircluded  irr  the  ex- 
penditure ah  given  above. 
A small  Tea  nursery  has  also  beeir  laid  down, 
and  the  cost  debited  to  the  past  year’s  expenditure  ; 
this  is  to  provide  plants  for  any  extension  of  the 
Tea  area  that  may  be  decided  upon. 
The  crrltivated  area  remains  as  under : — 
Tea  789  acres 
Cocoa  30  „ 
819  acres 
The  Directors  regret  to  announce  the  retirement 
of  Mr.  H.  H.  Potts  -from  the  Board  owing  to  ill- 
health.  Mr.  1’.  C.  Oswald  has  been  selected  to  fill 
the  vacancy. 
Mr.  Norman  Stewart,  a member  of  the  Board, 
r’etires  from  office  on  this  occasion,  and,  being  eli- 
gible, offers  himself  for  re-election. 
Mr.  .John  Sawyer,  the  Company’s  Auditor,  also 
offers  himself  for  rc-clectiou. — By  order, 
J.  Alec  Koeeeis,  Secretary. 
29th  April  1896. 
THE  DIMBULA  VALLEY  (CEYLON) 
TEA  CO.,  LIMITED. 
THE  TKANSEEK  OF  ELGIN  AND 
BELGEAVIA  ESTATES. 
In  view- _ of  the  confirmed  and  detailed  infor- 
mation whidi  the  pre.smit  mail  brings  of  Sir  John 
Muir’s  willidrawal  from  an  untenable  position 
in  reference  to  the  contract  for  the  sale  of  the 
Elgin  and  Lelgravia  estates,  the  question  may 
wGil  l>c  ciSKetl  fi-s  to  whotlier  s?oiiig  chan^G  in 
our  Island  legislation  is  not  recpiired  to  pievent 
any  such  misunderstanding  in  the  future.  It  is 
of  the  utmost  im|)ortance  that  London  and  British 
canitali-sts  generally  should  have  no  uncomfort- 
able  feeling  that  a bargain,  and  even  contract, 
for  the  purchase  of  property,  entered  into  in 
good  faith  in  London,  Manchester,  or  Glas- 
gow, niay  be  liable  to  re))udiation  in  Ceylon. 
We  think  that  all  men  of  business  will  a‘>Tee 
that  what  is  good  enough  in  respect  of  a sale 
contract  for  landed  jiroperty  in  the  city  of  London 
is  good  enough  for  the  first  of  Crown  Colonies  • 
and  the  sooner,  therefore,  our  local  law  is  made 
to  lecognise  the  full  force  ol  .such  home  contracts 
as_  u e refer  to,  the  better  for  every  local  enter- 
prise iviiich  is  dependent  on  British  capital  or 
the  London  market.  If  the  law  advisers  of  the 
Government  me  not  prepared  to  go  so  far  as 
to  make  Englisli  or  Scotch  Agreenient.s,  under  the 
circumstances  we  speak  of,  binding  legally  in 
Ceylon,  at  any  rate  we  may  well  ask  that  the 
the  value  of  stanijis  required  on  preliminary 
Agreements  (according  to  the  existing  Ceylon  law) 
should  l)e  credited  when  the  actual  transfer- 
takes  i>lace.  As  our  law-  now  stands,  a irre- 
hminary  Agreement  for  the  .sale  of  landed  pro- 
perty has  to  cai-ry  the  same  value  in  .stamps 
a.s  the  Conveyance  itself--so  that  payment  has 
to  be  made  twice  over  for  stamjr.s  to  ensure 
the  contract  being  carried  out.  Now  we  under- 
stand that  in  tlie  Sti-aits  Settlement.s— and 
Chief  Justice  Sir  Mh  Bonser,  who  was  Attorney- 
General  and  lawmaker  there,  will  be  able  to 
advi.se  the  Government  as  to  this— the  stamps  on 
preliminary  Agreements  are  credited  in  after- 
wards stamping  tlie  Gonreyanco.  There  can  be 
no  (|iiestion  that  had  certain  precautions  (beyond 
the  meie  Agieement)  not  heen  taken  in  the  recent 
Diinbala-Sylhet  case,  there  would  haveheen  a.seriou.s 
and  prolonged  controvei  sy,  and,  no  doubt,  an  ex- 
pensive “case  in  (.Yurt”  to  the  great  detriment 
of  the  credit  ol  Ceylon  (among  other  things)  in 
the  estimation  of  business-men  in  the  Aletro- 
polis  and  other  large  British  cities  ; and  surely 
it  is  to  the  exnress  interest  of  planters  and 
merchants  (European  and  native)  as  of  the 
Colony  and  its  Government,  that  any  cause 
for  miscouception  of  this  kind  in  the  future 
should  be  remo\ed,  as  we  trust  it  may  he,  by 
order  of  H.  E.  Eir  West  Ridgeway  at  an  early 
date.  p. 
The  Indian  Tea  A.ssociation.— The  annual 
general  meeting  of  the  Indian  Tea  As.sociation 
was  held  on  the  27th  ultimo  at  the  Bengal 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  Dir.  G.  A.  Ormiston, 
Chairman,  pre.siding.  There  was  a large  attend- 
ance of  members,  and  Mr.  H.  C.  Williaims  and 
Ihofessor  Ilaffkine  were  ))resent  I)y  invitation. 
Speeches  of  considerable  interest  to'  the  tea  in- 
dustry were  made  by  the  Chaiimaii,  the  Hon.  Mr. 
P.  Playfair,  0.  i.  IL,  Mr.  H.  C.  Begg,  Mi-.  A. 
Toclier,  Mr.  H.Cb  illiams.  and  otliers.  the  labour 
ilue.stioii  being  one  of  the  principal  subjects  touched 
upon.  1 'rotc.ssor  Halfkiiic  also gar'c  an  interesting 
account  of  the  resulto  ol  his  iuoculaliono  against 
cholera. 
