1 
343 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.  [Nov.  2,  1896 
ordinary  London  room  would  house  two  dozen  of 
them.  Drinking  and  gambling  are  strictly  forbidden, 
but  both,  and  especially  the  latter,  are  too  much 
for  the  coolie’s  powers  of  resistance,  and  when  he 
retires  to  the  lines  he  has  long  evenings  of  these  ilicit 
enjoyments. 
The  best  of  the  coolies  are  promoted  for  the  planta- 
tions to  the  factory.  The  whole  estate  of  some  eight 
hundred  acres  is  weeded  by  hand,  and  this  tiresome 
work  is  done  by  the  old  women  and  children,  the 
kangany  having  contracted  to  put  the  ground  into  a 
proper  condition  in  this  respect.  The  heavy  draught 
worK,  of  course,  is  done  by  oxen,  which  are  branded  on 
flank  and  back  w’ith  most  fantastic  designs,  a potent 
charm,  according  to  the  superstition  of  the  natives, 
against  rheumatism  and  other  diseases  of  cattle. 
Ehemnatism  is  prevalent  because  the  tea  plant  has 
a strong  predilection  for  a lightish  clay  soil,  and 
rejoices  if  it  finds  a little  disintegrated  mica  mixed 
therewith.  Wages  are  paid  monthly,  but  payment — 
in  rupees — is  always  a month  in  arrear.  This  en- 
ables the  manager  to  keep  a firm  hold  over  his  men. 
Their  feelings,  however,  are  good  towards  their 
masters,  who  play  the  role  of  doctors  and  general 
mentors  in  all  ordinary  matters.  An  ordinary 
coolie  makes  his  .S3  cents  a daj%  his  kanginy  taking 
another  5 cents  per  diem  for  each  coolie  as  head- 
pay.  A woman  is  paid  2.5  and  a boy  18  or  12  cents. 
The  European  has  to  deal  with  the  Cinghalese,  who 
are  the  natives  ; the  Veddahs,  who  are  the  aborigines 
and  of  a dwarfish  stature ; and  the  Tamils,  who 
are  the  immigrant  Indians. 
The  importance  of  the  Ceylon  tea  industry  need  be 
illustrated  by  one  fact  only.  In  the  four  years  1889- 
1893  the  percentage  of  the  sale  of  Ceylon  tea  as  com- 
pared with  that  of  India  and  China  doubled  itself, 
rising  from  15  to  31  per  cent.  In  the  island  an  im- 
port duty  is  imposed  on  tea,  so  as  to  present  possible 
malpractices  connected  with  the  export  of  foreign  teas. 
The  Ceylon  Tea  Fund  is  an  advertising  instrument 
for  making  Ceylon  tea  known  al'  over  the  world,  and 
is  supported  by  subscriptions  of  10  cents  per  1,0001b. 
of  green  tea-leaf  plucked  during  each  period  of  six 
months. — Pall  Mall  Gazette,  Sept.  12. 
♦ 
MORE  LIGHT  ON  QUININE. 
More  light  has  been  shod  on  the  quinine  situation 
during  the  past  week,  and  it  now  appears  that  natural 
distrust  was  the  real  cause  of  the  sudden  reductions  in 
the  price,  the  first  of  which  occurred  Aug.  17  and  the 
second  Aug.  21.  With  this  distrust  there  was  pre.=cnt- 
ed  the  ditlerence  between  the  cost  of  quinine  and  the 
selling  price  of  the  manufacturers,  which  was  so  wide 
as  to  alTord  possible  temptation  to  some  of  the  makers 
to  quietly  dispose  of  portions  of  their  product  at  a 
price  below  that  to  which  all  had  bound  themselves 
to  adhere.  That  some  of  the  members  of  the  com- 
bination have  yielded  to  this  temptation  and  made 
sales  below  the  established  quotation,  and  otherwise 
violated  the  understanding  which  has  controlled  the 
makers  for  the  past  two  years,  is  more  than  suspect- 
ed by  others  in  the  compact,  as  well  as  by  the  trade 
at  large.  Fresh  goods  have  been  imported  from 
London  within  the  past  six  months,  and  goods  have 
been  purchased,  in  this  market  within  a shorter  period 
from  at  least  one  of  the  manufacturers’  agents  for 
bt)eculative  account,  a portion  of  which  was  after- 
ward shipped  to  London.  Furthermore,  it  is  known 
beyond  question  that  some  of  the  members  of  the  com- 
bination  have  been  demanding  as  their  allotment  of 
sales  a greater  proportion  of  the  whole  than  their 
generally  understood  relation  to  the  cousumiug  trade 
entitled  them  to,  at  least  in  the  opinions  of  their 
competitors.  It  is  a well  known  fact  that  one  or 
more  of  the  manufacturers  overstepped  the  limits 
of  the  agreement,  in  a desire  to  sell  goods,  just  before 
the  advance  of  Dec.  18,  1895.  Instead  of  confining 
sales  to  (piantilies  sullicient  tor  sixty  days’  require- 
ments of  their  customers,  beyond  which  they  are 
hound  not  to  contract  to  deliver,  some  of  them  per- 
suaded the  trade  to  contract  for  stocks  far  in  ex 
gQSjS  pf  these  limits.  Whether  the  intent  of  this 
policy  w'as  to  make  a showing  of  sales  which  should 
secure  a more  liberal  iiercentage  in  the  next  allot- 
ment, is,  of  course,  not  known  to  the  outsiders.  But 
the  excessive  contracts  naturally  resulted  in  heavy 
importations,  and  in  cour.se  of  time,  w'hen  the  large 
consumers  realized  that  they  had  obligated  themselves 
to  take  more  than  they  could  possibly  consume  w'ithiu 
a reasonable  length  of  time,  they  offered  their  surplus 
on  the  market  at  or  about  twenty-five  cents  per  ounce, 
just  what  they  had  paid  for  it.  This  had  a tendency 
to  keep  the  market  fairly  w'ell  supplied,  and  to  give  the 
impression  that  the  “ outside”  stock,  which  was  sup- 
posed to  be  nearly  exhausted,  was  like  the  widow’s 
cruse.  In  spite  of  the  condition  of  affairs  which  we 
have  just  pictured  the  demand  for  quinine  had  begun 
to  increase  when  the  first  reduction  in  the  price  was 
ordered.  It  was,  however,  mostly  from  the  jobbing 
trade  throughout  the  country,  rather  than  from  the 
manufacturers  of  pills,  many  of  whom  were  heavily 
stocked. 
What  the  futui'e  has  in  store  for  the  consumers  of 
quinine  no  one  knows  to  a certainty.  The 
manufacturers  may  deem  another  reduction 
necessary  to  accomplish  their  purpose,  which  is 
to  remove  any  possible  temptation  to  some  of  their 
number  to  dispose  of  goods  in  violation  of  the  com- 
pact. While  the  stability  of  the  combination  may 
have  been  threatened  by  the  discoveries  w’hich  have 
been  made,  there  does  not  appear  to  be  any  likelihood  of 
its  dissolution,  as  the  manufacturers  know  from  bitter  ex- 
perience that  their  best  interests  are  served  by  united 
action  both  in  the  purchasing  of  bark  and  in  market- 
ing the  finished  product.  At  the  same  time  prudence 
dictates  a more  perfect  relation  of  selling  price  to 
cost. 
The  bark  is  richer  in  alkaloid  than  it  used  to  be, 
hence  the  cost  of  producing  is  lower  than  formerly. 
The  bark  shipments  continue  heavy,  and  at  the 
August  sale  in  Amsterdam,  held  on  Thursday,  85  per 
cent,  of  the  offerings,  M’hich  were  large,  were  pur- 
chased, but  at  a decline  of  10  per  cent,  on  the  price 
paid  at  the  J uly  sale,  which  is  conclusive  evidence 
that  the  manufacturers  still  control  the  bark  situation. 
A fact  worthy  of  attention  is  that  the  price  paid  at 
Thursday’s  sale,  two  and  fifty-five  hundredths  Dutch 
cents  per  unit  of  quinine  was  the  lowest  price  ever 
known.  In  Augiist,  1895,  the  sale  realized  two  and 
six-tenths  of  a Dutch  cent  per  unit,  the  lowest  price 
up  to  that  time,  while  in  August,  1891,  four  and  a half 
Dutch  cents  per  unit  was  paid. 
All  that  is  now  wanted  on  the  part  of  the  manufac- 
turers to  enable  them  to  roach  the  goal  they  set  out  for 
two  years  ago  is  a little  forbearance,  coupled  with 
some  firmness,  as  the  legitimate  stock  in  second  hands 
is  not  large. — Oil  Paint  and  Urwj  Pepoiier. 
THE  UFPER  MASKELIYA  ESTATES 
COMPANY  LIMITED. 
Minutes  of  proceedings  at  the  extraordinary  gene- 
ral meeting  of  shareholders  held  at  No.  7,  i,!ueeu 
Street,  Fort  Colombo,  on  Saturday,  10th  Oct  189(>- 
Present:— Mr.  W.  D.  Gibbon,  in  the  chair,  and  Mr.’c. 
A.  Leechman,  Directors,  and  Messrs.  G.  H.  Alston  and 
James  Forbes,  Mr.  C.  J.  Donald  acting  as  Secretary 
The  following  shareholders  were  represented  by  the 
holders  of  their  Powers  of  Attorney: — Mr  A E 
Wriglit,  Mrs.  A.  N.  Wright,  and  Mr.  Jas  Gibb,  by  Mr' 
M . D.  Gibbon  and  Mr.  G.  W.  Carlyon  and  Mr  T K 
Wright,^  by  Mr.  G.  H.  Alston.  Messrs.  A.  Thomson  and 
W.  H.  G.  Duncan  were  represented  by  proxy. 
Mr.  Giubon  having  taken  the  chair,  the  notice  con- 
vening the  meeting  was  read. 
The  CiiAiitMAN  stated  that  the  present  meeting  had 
been  called  to  conliini  the  Special  Resolution  passed  at 
the  extraordinary  general  meeting  on  5th  September 
last.  1 he  special  resolution  was  then  proposed  bv 
the  Ghaiuman,  seconded  by  Mr.  Jamks  P'ohiiks:— 
That  the  share  capital  of  the  Company  be  and 
B‘-J70,tX)0  to 
R3.50,000  by  the  creation  of  IfiO  shares  of  H500  each  ” 
— which  was  carried.  ’ 
A vote  of  thanks  to  the  chair  closed  the  pro- 
ceedings 
V 
;■ 
