54 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
July  r,  1896. 
NOTES  FROM  METROPOLIS. 
Hei!TI''OKD,  May  22. 
MR.  M’M.  MACKENZIE 
E not  idle  about  our  tea  in  America,  iliouy;h 
on  this  side  at  present.  He  has  frequent 
interviews  with  houses  on  this  side  wlio  are 
exporting  tea  to  tlie  Stales  and  is  only  now 
waiting  for  tlie  co-o^jeration  of  India,  and  [lerliajjS 
to  meet  Mr.  IJlecliynden  in  London,  before  starting 
again  for  New  York.  A remittance  of  £3,001) 
from  Ceylon  has  come  to  liand.  Here  is  a speci* 
men  of  the  latest  ailvertisement  inserted  liy  our 
Commissioner  in  tlie  American  Press  : — 
INDIAN  AND  CEYLON  TEAS. 
The  Cliancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  in  presenting  the 
Budget  to  the  British  House  of  Commons  on  Thurs- 
day, said  : 
“ A great  feature  had  been  in  the  increase  of  the  re- 
venue from  tobacco,  wine  and  tea,  the  latter  having 
steadily  diiven  coffee  out  of  the  market,  * * * and 
the  popular  taste  for  rum  was  greatly  lessening.  Tea 
had  yielded  £120,000  over  the  estimate,  implying  an 
increased  consumption  of  10,000,000  pounds  of  that  com- 
modity. There  was  a largo  and  welcome  transfer  of 
the  tea  trade  from  China  to  India  and  Ckylon." 
The  increase  in  the  consumption  of  these  teas  in 
America  during  189.5  was  at  even  a greater  ratio,  being 
equivalent  to  an  advance  of  72  per  cent  over  that  of 
1894,  lb. 
Imports  in  1891  . . . . 5,379,542 
Imports  in  1895  ..  ..  9,283,144 
The  three  estates  imrchascd  (or  to  be  purcliased 
by  the 
CON.SOLIDATED  ESTA'I'ES  CO.MfANV 
of  Ceylon  from  Messns.  Arbuthnot  Co  , are 
Knutsford,  £.5,000  ; Rutland,  £10,000  ; and  War- 
riagalla,  £14,400— total  £35,0  >0  ; and  fresli  de- 
bentures and  sbares  are  to  be  issued  to  cover 
tbe  amount.—  Anotlier  extract  from  yo.sterday’s 
Pall  Mall,  oi  tea  interest,  runs:  — 
.vrAZAW\'i'TKK  'rr.A  comi’anv  : full  details  of  the 
C'O.MINO  USE. 
We  are  able  to  state  that  the  capita!  of  tho  Maza- 
wiittee  Tea  Company  which  is  on  tho  point  of  being 
offered  to  the  public,  will  be  t‘559, 000  in -10,000  live  per 
cent  cumulative  preference  shares  of  five  pounds  each 
and  350,000  ordinary  shares  of  one  pound  each.  The 
prosjiectus  will  state  that  in  addition  to  the  tea  trade 
the  vendors  also  carry  on  a large  business  as  wliole- 
sale  coffee  dealers,  that  they  sujiqily  some  of  their 
customers  with  printed  matter  from  their  own  printing 
plant,  and  that  it  is  believed  that,  besides  meeting 
their  own  requirements,  they  will  be  able  to  carry  on 
an  export  and  general  trade  in  tea-packing  lead.  The 
new  company  takes  over  the  stock-in-trade  valued  at 
£71,418,  cash  at  banker, s,  bills  receivable  and  book 
debts,  less  liabilities,  at  ,£71,771,  and  leases,  plant, 
tixtures  and  effects  at  £24,322.  The  total  purchase 
price  for  the  whole  business  will  be  .£5.50,000,  of  which 
one-third  will  be  taken  in  preference  and  ordinary 
shares,  to  be  retained  for  at  least  twelve  months,  and 
not  to  he  sold  for  live  years  without  the  consent  of  the 
directors.  A statement  of  profits  certified  by  Messrs. 
Whiuney,  Smitlqand  Whinney  will  appear  in  the  pro- 
spectus, showing  that  they  amounted  to  L‘ll,05()  in 
1893,  £44,229  in  1891,  and  452,118  in  1895,  'The  busi- 
ness is  being  converted  for  lamily  reasons,  and  in 
order  to  enable  customers,  the  traUe,  and  tho  staff  to 
obtain  a direct  interest. 
GREEN  VH.  BLACK  'I'EAS  IN  AMERICA. 
Until  Mr.  Mackenzie’s  letter  is  available  for 
reference,  we  cannot  know  tlie  degree  at  which  lie 
estimates  the  dilliculties  tliat  the  preference  sliown 
lor  green  teas  in  America  ofl’er  to  liis  full  succe.ss 
on  onr  holialf.  From  what  onr  London  Corre- 
spomlent  iuis  been  able  to  learn  as  to  this, 
however,  it  seems  natural  to  conclude  that  he 
doe.s  not  regard  tliese  lightly.  Whether  he  ha.s 
been  able  to  oiler  any  practical  suggestion  for 
overcoming  them  we  are  at  pre.sent  nnaivare. 
We  conclude  from  the  fact  that  the  Tea  Com- 
mittee of  our  London  As.sociation  had  determined 
to  print  his  letter  for  circulation  among  its 
memhcr.s,  that  that  body  deems  Mr.  Mackenzie’s 
communication  on  the  subject  to  be  of  an  im- 
[lortant  character.  In  the  meantime  onr  readers 
may  well  be  reminded  that  this  is  by  no  means 
liie  lirst  occasion  on  which  this  cause  of  hin- 
drance has  been  brought  under  notice.  Some 
three  or  four  years  liaek  the  matter  was  so 
strongly  represented,  that  some  of  our  e.-^tate  pro- 
prietors prepared  a considerable  quantity  of  green 
tea  and  sent  it  home.  Tliis  first  sliipmerit  met 
with  such  a ready  sale,  tliat  the  prejiaration  of 
tills  tea  w’as  undertaken  by  others  in  the  colony. 
It  was  soon  made  evident,  however,  that  this 
further  supply  was  in  excess  of  demand,  the 
shiiiments  made  remaining  for  a long  time  un- 
sold. But  no  .sooner  had  tlie  stock  become  slowly 
exhausted  than  fresh  demands  were  made  for  it 
for  America,  which,  of  course,  the  London  trade 
w'as  not  then  in  a [losition  to  supply.  W"e  dis- 
cussed the  situation  at  the  time,  coming  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  demand  for  green  tea  was 
too  llnctuatiiig  and  uncertain  for  it  to  he  worth 
the  while  of  our  planters  to  undertake  its  manu- 
facture after  any  regular  fashion  or  to  any 
coii.siderable  amount.  Tlie  late  Mr.  James 
Wliittall,  as  our  London  Correspondent  has  re- 
minded us,  was  very  strong  in  his  views  as  to 
our  attackiiio-  the  American  market  w’ith  this 
desciiption  of  tea,  and  he  had  a large  quantity 
prepared  upon  his  own  estates.  But  we  have 
never  heard  that  the  result  his  doing  so  in- 
(dined  him  to  persevere  in  that  course.  We  shall 
he  curious  to  hear  if  Mr.  Mackenzie  recommends 
that  it  should  be  continued  by  our  jdanters. 
Two  alternatives,  it  would  seem,  must  then  he 
liefoie  ns.  Either  we  must  await  such  a change 
in  taste  as  has  now'  come  about  in  England,  or 
we  imust  endeavour  to  meet  that  yet  prevalent 
among  tlie  people  of  tlie  United  States.  As  to 
these  alternatives  Mr.  IMackenzie  w'ill  no  doubt 
advise  us  wisely.  The  local  experience  he  has 
now  obtained  in  America  must  render  him  the 
fittest  person  to  decide  onr  future  course  for  us. 
THE  EADElvLA  ESTvATES  CO.,  LD. 
The  follow'iufr  is  a fuller  report  of  the  ordinarv 
general  meeting  of  shaieliolders  in  tlie  Eadella 
Estates  Co.,  Ld.,  Iield  at 
June  13,  th.an  we  were  able 
of  that  day  : — 
Present : — Messrs.  AY.  D. 
E,  M.  liaurie,  E.  S.  Eox, 
Pyiier,  Edward  Kynaston, 
■ 5Vm. 
Kandy  on  Saturday, 
to  give  ill  our  issue 
Cihhoii  in  the  chair, 
H.  S.  Rix,  Cordon 
and  there  were  also 
Eorhes  Laurie  and 
represented  Messrs 
Buxton  L.aiirie. 
After  the  usual  formalities  tlie  Directors’  Re- 
port for  the  past  season  was  presented. 
The  Cu.AiiiMAN  said  tliat  he  thought  the  rejiort, 
whicli  the  Directors  now  submitted  to  the  sliare- 
liolders,  w'as  juetty  well  exh.austive,  and  that  they 
liad  entered  fully  into  all  that  had  been  done  ; 
and  thougii  tliey  had  met  tliem  w'ith  a proposal 
tor  a sliglit-ly  less  dividend  than  that  of  last 
year,  he  w'oiihl  like  them  to  consider  that  this 
Company  s .season  ending  in  April  put  the  re- 
snlts  on  a dillerent  footing  to  those  companies 
winch  had  clo.sed  tlieir  season  on  31st  Uecember 
last,  as  we  had  to  include  some  4 months  of  poor 
puces  and  lug  1 e.xchaiige.  The  teas  had  netted 
about  8 cents  le.ss  than  in  the  previous  years.  He 
