Feb.  1,  1897.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
541 
It  is  therefore  an  impossible  contention  that  a 
member  of  the  tea  trade,  who  is  bound  by  the  con- 
ditions and  customs  of  the  tea  trade,  that  that  mem- 
ber is  also  one  of  the  general  public  who  is  not  bound 
by  the  rules  and  customs  of  the  tea  trade  wheu  as- 
sembled together  in  the  public  saleroom,  and  for  any 
member  of  the  tea  trade  to  smoke  in  the  public  sale 
room  to  the  annoyance  and  discomfort  and  caus- 
ing disturbance  to  be  sprung  irpon  business  men  as- 
sembled to  peacefully  carry  on  their  business,  is  con- 
travening the  accepted  customs  tha  t have  bound  such 
members  into  a trade,  and  up  to  the  present  never 
been  attempted. 
Such  smoking  in  public  sale  room  causes  injury  to 
a delicate  palate,  and  to  breathe  the  nauseating 
nieotined  atmosphere  injury  to  health  of  other  mem- 
bers of  the  trade  present  in  the  saleroom. 
I therefore  humbly  crave  redress  of  this  great 
grievance,  and  that  I may  be  permitted  to  carry 
on  my  business,  as  heretofore,  in  a peaceful 
manner,  free  from  annoyance  or  injury  to  palate  or 
health,  and  therefore  my  business. 
Your  humble  servant’s  contention  for  non-smoking 
is  supported  by  all  the  principal  firms  in  the  tea 
trade,  both  by  firms  of  dealers  and  brokers. 
And  I beg  that  redress  for  this  great  grievance 
may  be  that  a clause  shall  be  inserted  in  all  pub- 
lic sale  catalogues  absolutely  forbidding  smoking 
in  the  public  sale  room,  and  the  selling  broker  in 
possession  of  the  room  must  order  the  removal  of 
such  smoker,  and  any  catalogue  without  a non- 
smoking clause,  the  sale  of  the  tea  in  that  catalogue 
to  be  invalid. 
And  failing  to  obtain  fit  and  proper  redress  1 have 
no  other  option  but  (with  great  regret)  to  seek  for 
such  legal  redress  as  the  low  may  provide. — I beg 
to  believe  me,  yours  faithtully,  C.  Pukd  Hunt. 
(Tea  Broker,  55,  Eastcheap,  E.C.) 
— H.  and  C.  Mail,  Dec.  25, 
♦ 
DUMONT  COFFEE  COMPANY. 
(From  the  II.  cC  C.  Mall,  Dec.  25.) 
The  statutory  meeting  of  the  Dumont  Coffee  Com- 
pany, Limited,  was  held  at  Winchester  House,  E.C., 
on  Tuesday  morning.  The  chair  was  occupied  by 
Mr.  P.  li.  Buchanan. 
Addressing  the  large  number  of  shareholders  pre- 
sent, the  Chairman  said  : — As  you  are  aware,  this  is 
a meeting  called  in  compliance  with  the  Companies 
Act,  so  that  there  is  really  nothing  on  which  we  have 
to  ask  your  decision  today.  But  if  I may  be  allowed 
to  say  so,  it  always  seems  to  me  one  of  the  wisest 
provisions  of  the  Companies  Act  that  the  shareholders 
joined  together  in  any  particular  undertaking  should 
meet  together  as  soon  as  possible,  so  as  to  under- 
stand one  another  and  to  know  what  progress  is 
being  made  in  the  new  undertaking.  Therefore,  I 
need  scarcely  say  that  we  are  very  glad  to  see  you 
here  today.  In  the  first  place  I have  to  report  to 
you  that  we  have  a body  of  570  shareholders,  and, 
if  I may  be  allowed  to  say  so,  we  have  a very  strong 
body  of  shareholders  indeed,  which  is  very  grati- 
fying to  us  to  feel.  We  have  had  our  calls  most 
readily  responded  to ; in  fact,  I may  say  that 
although  the  last  call  was  only  due  a week  ago, 
practically  the  whole  of  the  capital  has  been  paid  up 
and  is  in  our  bank.  (Applause.)  We  have  managed 
to  carry  through,  under  considerable  difficult  circum- 
stances, the  transfer  of  the  property.  I say  difficult 
circumstances,  because,  as  you  are  aware,  we  have 
had  to  deal  with  Brazil,  which  is  a considerable  way 
off.  But  we  have  met  with  every  assistance  on  the  part 
of  the  vendors,  and  I am  very’  happy  to  be  able  to 
acknowledge  here  the  very  straightforward  way  in 
which  they  have  dealt  with  this  company.  (Hear, 
hear.)  I am  glad  to  be  able  to  acknowledge  it,  and 
I am  sorry  there  is  no  representative  of  those 
gentlemen  present  to  hear  what  I have  to  say.  The 
profits  for  1896  you  may  remember  were  guaranteed 
by  the  vendors.  The  accounts  for  1896  have  not  ytt 
been  made  up,  so  we  do  not  know  e.xactly  what  the 
profits  are,  nor  have  we  any  claim  upon  the  vendors 
for  that  money  until  the  accounts  are  complete, 
but  I am  glad  to  be  able  to  tell  you  that  the  ven- 
dors have  handed  us  the  sum  of  £120,000  which  is 
at  our  bank  at  the  present  moment,  so  that  these 
1896  profits  are  absolutely  secured  to  the  company. 
(Applause.)  We  shall  have  the  accounts  and  expendi- 
tures of  1896  at  least  in  March  or  April.  Mean- 
while, it  is  satisfactory  to  know  we  have  the  princi- 
pal thing  — the  profit — in  our  hands.  We  have 
applied  for  a Stock  E.xchange  quotation,  and  all  the 
papers  have  been  sent  in  in  connection  with  the  shares. 
They  wore  sent  in  at  leist  a fortnight  ago,  and  the 
only  thing  remaining  in  connection  with  the  Stock 
Exchange  settlement  is  the  reception  of  a document 
relating  to  the  dcbenCures,  which  is  necessary 
before  we  can  get  that  settlement.  We  heard  that 
the  document  was  dispatched  two  weeks  ago  from 
Brazil,  and  we  are  awaiting  its  arrival,  so  that  we  ex- 
pect to  get  our  quotation  in  a very  short  lime.  With 
regard  to  the  jorospects  of  the  company  for  the  future 
and  the  1897  crop,  it  is  not  my  business  to  prophesy, 
and  in  all  my  dealings  with  this  company  1 have  not 
the  slightest  intention  to  ever  assume  the  role  of  pro- 
phet. But  I think  it  is  better  to  deal  with  facts. 
Well,  with  regard  to  the  1897  crop,  we  have  good 
reporis  upon  it  so  far.  The  blossoming  has  been 
good,  and  there  is  every  reason  to  suppose  that  it 
will  be  a favourable  crop.  But  the  directors  have 
turned  their  attention  as  much  as  possible  to  trying 
to  improve  the  prospects  of  the  company.  At  the 
first  moment  we  took  over  the  direction  of  affairs  we 
started  to  see  what  could  be  done,  and  as  Brazil  is  a 
long  way  off  and. only  two  or  three  members  of  the 
board  were  acquainted  with  the  work,  it  was  thought 
it  would  be  very  much  better  that  one  of  our  mem- 
bers should  go  out  and  arrange  with  our  representa- 
tives out  there  for  the  working  of  the  estates  in  the 
future,  and  who,  when  he  came  home,  could  advise  us 
to  what  was  the  best  thing  to  do  for  the  interests 
of  the  company. 
As  you  are  aware,  Mr.  Talbot,  our  colleague,  a 
considerable  personal  sacrifice,  agreed  to  go  out  and  to 
confer  with  our  colleagues  in  Brazil  as  to  what  were 
the  best  steps  to  bo  taken  for  the  future  working  of 
the  ijroperty.  Mr.  Talbot,  I am  glad  to  say,  is  here 
today,  and  he  will  tell  you  himself  his  experience 
out  there,  so  it  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  dwell  on 
that.  So  far  as  we  have  been  able,  wo  have  carried 
out  the  recommendations  made  by  him.  We  entirely 
agree  with  them,  and  we  have  every  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  these  recommendations  will  tend  greatly 
to  the  benefit  and  prosperity  of  the  company.  You 
are  all  aware  that  the  'Brazilian  methods  of  curing 
coffee  have  been  of  a somewhat  crude  description. 
There  is  great  variation  of  prices  between  the  Brazil- 
ing  coffee  and  Eastern  coffee,  and  even  Costa  Rica 
coffee.  We  are  of  opinion,  and  the  opinion  is  shared 
by  those  in  Brazil,  that  great  improvement  could  be 
made  in  the  curing  and  preparation  of  the  coffee  for 
the  markets,  and  we  are  taking  steps  to  have  these 
methods,  which  have  proved  so  successful  in  other 
parts  of  the  world,  introduced  into  the  w'orks  of 
this  company  with  regard  to  the  curing  of  coffee. 
We  believe  that  there  is  a very  large  margin  of  profit 
between  the  method  hitherto  carried  on  in  the  Dumont 
and  what  we  shall  be  able  to  bring  about  gradually 
We  hope  to  do  a good  deal  this  year,  but  it  is  a 
very  large  thing,  and  we  cannot  do  everything  at 
once.  However,  we  have  made  a good  beginning, 
and  are  going  energetically  to  work  to  improve  the 
crop  as  much  as  we  can.  As  you  are  aware,  the 
Dumont  Company  have  to  deal  with  an  unusually 
large  crop.  I have  been  assured  that  the  crop 
we  have  to  handle  is  about  one-tenth  of  the 
whole  coffee  crop  which  Ceylon  produced  in  its 
palmiest  days ; so  that  gives  one  an  idea  of  what 
a big  thing  it  is  to  handle.  There  is  no  doubt  in 
my  mind,  and  in  the  minds  of  those  who  have  seen 
the  property  and  have  seen  the  coffee,  that  there 
is  a great  deal  to  be  done  to  improve  it  ; and,  of 
cour.se,  the  more  wo  improve  it  the  better  the  price 
and  the  better  it  is  for  the  shareholders.  Of  coui'so, 
gentlemen  must  remember  that  we  have  to  deal  witlj 
