THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
VI 
Nov  2,  1896.1 
were  represented  at  £19,497,  and  the  sales  at 
£18,444.  An  examination  of  the  hooks  durin" 
the  preparation  of  the  accounts  referred  to  dis- 
clo.sed  the  fact  that  grave  irregularities  had 
been  committed,  and,  as  a result  of  further  in- 
vestigation, the  bookkeeper  was  susnended,  and  Mr. 
Neale  quitted  the  company’s  service,  fhe  latter 
subsequently  agreed  to  pay  £500  in  discharge  of  any 
claim  the  company  might  have  against  him  and, 
£200  was  paid  on  account  thereof,  and  the  Com- 
pany assigned  the  balance  to  a creditor  for  £2oO. 
In  June,  1895,  Mr.  K.  Sefton  became  the  mana- 
ger, and  during  his  occupation  of  that  otlice  a 
number  of  what  were  termed  “ swopping  ” trans- 
actions were  carried  out;  The  nature  of  these 
dealings,  which  were  re])resented  as  hona  fide 
sales  and  purchases,  appeared  to  have  been  an 
exchange  of  tea  at  fictitious  values,  in  order  to 
obtain  increased  advances  upon  the  warrants. 
The  result  of  these  operations  was  that  the  com- 
])any  paid  larger  commissions  and  bonuses  to  the 
manager  than  he  was  entitled  to,  and  the  stock 
of  tea  (the  warrants  for  which  were  held  by  the 
banks  against  advances)  was  largely  over-valued. 
When  any  of  the  tea  was  sold  the  delicieney  in 
the  value  had  to  be  made  up  the  Conijiany  be- 
fore the  warrants  could  bo  released  Irom  the 
bank.  The  accounts  at  Decemher  31,  1895,  pre- 
sented in  May  last,  showed  a net  lo.ss  for  the 
year  of  £119,  the  purchases  of  tea  being  repre- 
sented at  £23,749,  and  the  sales  at  £23,3.52.  In- 
asmuch as  the  stock  estimated  at  £3,939,  was, 
in  consequence  of  the  “swopping”  transactions, 
highly  over-valued,  the  actual  loss  was  much 
greater.  Tliechairman  oftheCompany(Mr.  E.  A.  R. 
Ewen)  had  linancially  assisted  the  concern  from 
time  to  time,  and  was  now  a creditor  for  nearly 
£1,2U0.  Tlie  failure  of  the  company  was  attributed 
by  its  ollicialsto—(l) losses  incurred  through  “swop- 
ping” transactions  ; (2)  misapplic.ition  and  mis- 
appropriation ot  the  company’s  funds  ; and  (3) 
mismanagement  and  bad  debts.  In  concluding  the 
chairman  said  that  the  registration  of  such  a com- 
pany was  an  abuse  of  the  Companies  Acts.  It 
enabled  the  promoter  (Mr.  Neale)  to  trade  without 
any  personal  liability,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
secure  an  income  of  £300  a year.  'That  gentleman 
also  received  £875  in  shares,  and  it  was  very  dilli- 
cnlt  to  see  what  consideration  the  company  obtained 
for  them,  and  he  reaped  the  benelit  of  the  busi- 
nes.<  at  tlie  expense  of  the  creditors.  His  nominees, 
to  whom  the  shares  were  allotted,  were  ai>pointed 
directors.  'I  he  case  w;is  one  wliich  called  for  an 
investigation  of  a ))ublic  nature,  and  the  Ollicial 
Receiver  was  determined  that  the  utmost  publicity 
should  be  given  to  it,  and  he  therefore  proposed  to 
ai)ply  to  the  Court  for  an  order  to  examine  the 
persons  connected  with  the  company. 
At  the  meeting  of  creditors  no  quorum  was  pre- 
sent, and  an  adjournment  until  the  21st  was  taken, 
the  Chairman  intimating  that,  in  the  event  of  no 
resolution  being  then  passed,  the  matter  would  re- 
main in  the  Ollicial  Receiver’s  hands. 
The  shareholders  decided  to  leave  the  case  with 
the  Ollicial  Receiver,  and  the  proceedings  termi- 
nated.— London  Times, 13. 
THE  LADY-BIRDS  'AGAIN. 
^One  of  the  late  issues  of  the  Ceylon  Observer 
contains  some  interesting  notes  on  the  Lady- 
Bird  question.  Incidentally  reference  is  made  to 
Profe.ssor  Marshall  Ward’s  distaste  to  the  entire 
abandonment  of  Ceylon’s  first  great  stajile,  collee. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  this  .scientist,  now 
permanently  attached  to  the  Scientific  Stall  of 
Cambridge  University,  first  won  his  .sjurrs  by  his 
careful  working  out  of  the  Life  History  0 
lleinileia  vastatrix.  The  following  letters  are"  then 
published  on  the  dilliculty  of  obtaining  the  lady- 
birds without  their  particular  parasites.*  * * 
Mr.  Ferguson  then  brings  forward  an  admir- 
able suggestion  that,  as  most  probably  suflicient 
funds  would  not  be  obtainable  among  Ceylon 
coffee  p'anters  alone  to  defray  necessary  ex- 
penses, colfee  men  in  South  India,  the  Straits 
and  Borneo  should  all  come  forward  and  help. 
We  suppose  that  it  is  practically  impossible 
to  accurately  gauge  the  annual  loss  caused 
by  bug,  but  it  must  run  to  a very  big  figure 
indeed,  certainly  many  times  and  probable  cost 
of  temporarily  securing  Professor  Kcxibele’s  ser- 
vices, some  R15,000  at  most.  In  urging  the 
matter  on  our  readers  we  are  not  advo- 
cating any  general  appeal  for  scientific  aid 
of  indeterminate  value  to  the  coflee  indus- 
try. It  is  a very  i)lain  and  busine.ss-like  scheme. 
We  think  no  one  will  accuse  us  of  the  slightest 
exaggeration  if  we  i)ut  the  annual  loss  of  crop  in 
South  India  from  bug  at  half  a lakh  of  rupee.s. 
From  all  the  accounts  hitherto  published  of  the 
Kmbele  experiments  at  Honolulu,  bug  can  be 
absolutely  wiped  out.  At  a cost  of  some  R15,0U0 
at  most,  we  would  have  a very  good  chance 
of  effecting  the  same  cleansing  process  in  South 
India.  The  question  is  this  : whether  it  is  worth 
oui  while  to  spend  R15,000  now  and  once  for  all, 
in  order  to  save  ourselves  an  annual  loss  of 
R50,000  ? There  is  of  course  no  absolute  certainty 
of  the  experiment  proving  quite  so  .succe.ssful  as 
it  has  in  Hawaii,  but  there  are  very  excellent 
chance  of  it  so  doing. 
There  is  further  every  ])robability  that  if  the 
Ceylon  and  Straits  planters  come  forward,  as  the 
former  are  almost  certain  to  do,  the  estimated 
R15,000  will  be  reduced  to  half  that  amount.  It 
would  certainly  do  no  harm  if  the  U.  P.A.  put 
itself  into  communication  with  the  Ceylon  P.A. 
and  instituted  enquiries  as  to  the  exact  cost  of 
the  proposed  investigations,  and  what  portion  of 
this  the  Island  would  be  prepared  to  give  While 
committing  ourselves  to  notliing,  it  would  tend 
to  clear  tlie  ground  and  bring  matters  to  a head. 
We  had  thought,  when  we  first  took  up  the 
subject,  that  tlie  importation  and  subsequent 
distribution  of  these  lady-birds  would  be  a very 
simple  matter.  We  couseiiuently  wrote  for  a 
consignment  of  the  best  varieties  to  be  sent  us 
from  Queensland,  which  were  promised  us  in  due 
course.  Up  to  date,  however,  we  have  heard 
nothing  further  from  Australia,  and  now  beinf^ 
no  more  conversant  with  the  dilliculties  of  the 
situation  are  almost  glad  that  so  far  our  efforts 
have  been  abortive.  The  lady-birds  required 
have,  it  seems,  certain  parasites,  which  it  im- 
ported with  them,  wouhl  render  it  impos.sible  to 
obtain  their  necessary  multiplication.  To  divest 
them  of  these  unwelcome  attaches  requires  sneoial 
and  trained  aid. 
Further,  it  appears  that  personal  a^^tention  on 
the  voyage  out — as  the  insects  must  be  kejit  on 
ice  to  ])ieserve  them  in  their  dormant  condition 
— is  almost  indispeusalile.  Lastly,  before  suc- 
cessful distribution  can  be  hoped  for,  tliey  must 
be  carefully  watched  .and  attendeil  to  for  many 
weeks  by  trained  scientists.  ^ 
It  is  without  doult  partly  owing  to  these  diffi- 
culties that  Mr.  H.  O.  Newport,  whose  name  is 
so  clo.sely  connected  with  the  question  in  South 
India,  has  decided  it  would  be  better  not  to  at- 
tempt any  importation  at  all.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  in  his  valuable  paper  read  before  tlie 
U.  P.  A.,  he  advoc.ated  tlie  encouragement  of 
certain  indigenous  varieties  that  he  discovered 
