March  i,  1897*]  THE  TROPICAL 
bo  established  at  Colombo,  and  the  steamer  agents 
consequently  found  themselves  unable  to  continue 
the  service  of  conveying  coolies.  Such  a stale  of 
affairs  is  always  liable  to  recur,  but  would  be  dis- 
astrous in  its  results.  Your  Committee  hopes  that, 
on  the  occasion  of  the  extension  of  the  railway 
now  proposed  Northwards,  it  may  be  found  possible 
to  servo  Puttalam,  and  to  establish  in  that  neigh- 
bourhood a landing  station  for  coolies,  available  and 
safe  at  all  seasons. 
Ordinance  Rei.atino  to  Claims  to  Forest,  Chena, 
Waste,  and  Unoccupied  Lands. — The  above«mentiqned 
Ordinance,  which  has  recently  passed  the  Legisla- 
tive Council,  gave  rise  to  consideiable  apprehension, 
and  your  committee  felt  that  in  eonnection  with  such 
Ordinances  especially  the  views  of  the  Planters' 
Association  of  Ceylon  should  have  been  expressly 
invited  by  Government,  ample  time  bing  given  to  all 
interested  to  consider  them.  A Sub-Committee  was 
appointed  to  look  into  the  Draft  Proposed  Ordin- 
ance as  it  appeared  in  the  Government  Gazette,  and 
it  was  resolved  to  point  out  that  in  the  opinion  of  the 
Sub-Committee  Section  19,  sub-sections  A.B.C.,  would 
arbitrarily  prejudice  many  persons  in  their  just  pro- 
prietaiy  rights,  and  shake  the  confidence  of  investors 
in  all  landed  property.  With  regard  to  the  principle 
ot  the  bill  the  Sub-Committee  was  of  opinion  that 
the  Occupier  of  Land  should  under  no  circumstances 
be  made  the  claimant,  but  that  if  it  should  be  neces- 
sary to  take  action  against  him,  he  should  be  the 
defendant.  Further,  that  though  it  is  desirable  to 
give  legal  effect  to  agreements  arrived  at  between 
the  Government  Agent  and  the  occupier,  the  Gov- 
ernment Agent  should  not  be  allowed  to  adjudicate 
if  an  agreement  cannot  be  come  to,  but  that  the 
case  should  go  to  a properly  constituted  Court. 
It  was  felt  that  in  all  cases  ample  time  should  be 
given  to  claimants  for  the  proper  defence  of  the 
action,  and  to  safeguard  the  interests  of  ab- 
sentees, and  that  no  Government  official  that  had 
at  any  preliminary  inquiry  been  a party  should  be 
appointed  a special  Commissioner.  The  attention  of 
the  Planting  Member  in  Council  was  drawn  to  these 
and  to  other  points  when  watching  the  proposed 
Ordinance  at  the  various  readings  in  the  Legislature. 
Your  Committee,  while  adhering  to  the  views  ex- 
pressed by  the  Sub-Committee,  deem  it  advisable  to 
annex  as  an  appendix  to  your  Committee’s  Report 
for  further  reference  and  guidance  an  extract  from 
the  speech  recently  made  by  His  Excellency  the 
Governor  in  reply  to  some  observations  on  the  sub- 
ject submitted  to  him  in  an  address  by  the  Northern 
Districts  Association. 
PmuDiAL  Products  Thefts  Commission. — The  re- 
sult of  the  Pisedial  Products  Commission  from  the 
standpoint  of  Government  as  regards  remedial  and  de- 
terrent action  may  be  summarised  thus.  In  view  of 
revision  of  Ordinance  No.  16  of  1S65  the  Government 
oes  not  consider  further  legislation  necessary  in  re- 
spect of  the  recommendation  made  in  Paragraph  29  of 
the  Report  of  the  Pioedial  Products  Thefts  Commis- 
sion. Paragraph  29  reads,— “We  recommend,  however, 
in  the  present  instance,  the  establishment  of  special 
police  in  the  districts  which  suffer  from  thefts,  the  es- 
tates which  desire  such  protection  and  are  willing  to 
contribute  towards  the  cost  of  it.  We  consider  that  the 
reality  of  any  complaints  about  the  prevalence  of  theft 
may  ne  fairly  gauged  by  the  willingness  of  those  who 
complain  to  contribute  towards  the  suppression  ; and 
we  are  therefore  of  opinion  that  whenever  two-thirds  of 
the  owners  of  estates  in  any  locality  are  willing  to  pay 
for  a special  police  force,  this  is  in  itself  sufficient  to 
establish  the  existence  of  a state  of  affairs  which  ren- 
ders it  the  duty  of  Government  to  pay  a moiety  of  the 
cost  of  such  police,  and  we  advise  that  the  application 
of  this  system  should  be  sanctioned  in  any  district  or 
locality  where  such  police  are  applied  for.’’ 
The  Government  consideied  the  proposed  amend- 
ment of  section  14  of  the  Ordinance,  recommended  in 
Paragraph  62  of  the  Report,  undesirable.  Paragraph 
32  reads. — “ The  system  here  recommended  is,  in  its 
general  features,  already  provided  for  by  sections  14 
to  22  of  the  Police  Ordinance  No.  16  of  186.o,  and  it 
seems  singular  that  the  northern  districts,  where 
80 
AGRICULTURIST.  635 
thefts  are  most  prevalent,  should  not  have  availed 
themselves  hitherto  of  the  pr.ivisions  of  this  Ordi- 
nance. 
“ We  consider  that  the  Ordinance  should  be  amen- 
ded by  the  substitution  of  five  acres  for  twenty-five 
acres  in  section  14,  and  that  in  section  15,  proprietors 
should,  in  addition  to  giving  the  number  of  men,  be  re- 
q ired  testate  whether  regular  or  rural  police  are  re- 
quired, whether  they  desire  police  stations  or  patrols, 
and  whether  they  would  wish  the  force  to  consist  of 
local  residents  or  of  persons  enlisted  elsewhere;  in 
other  words,  they  should  give  a general  outline  of  the 
scheme  they  wish  to  have  adopted.’’ 
With  regard  to  the  recommendation  made  in  para- 
graph 34  of  the  Report,  His  Excellency  the  Governor 
was  pleased  to  order  the  relaxation  of  Section  17  of  the 
Rules  and  Regulations  made  under  Ordinance  32  of 
1891,  and  published  in  the  “ Ceylon  Government 
Gazette  Extraordinary  ’’  No.  5,159  of  August  6th, 
1892,  so  far  as  to  leave  to  the  Government  Agents  the 
selection  of  such  men  as  may  be  employed  as  special 
Police  in  the  suppression  of  thefts  of  Presdial  Pro- 
ducts. 
NEW  MARKETS  FOR  TEA  : 
THE  TIIIUTY  COMMITTEE. 
The  (^lonimittee’s  Report  i.s  as  follows  : — 
In  presenting  a short  statement  of  the  work  of  the 
“Thirtj'  Committee’’  for  the  year  ended  31st  Decem- 
ber 1896,  it  may  be  useful  to  remind  those  interested 
that  the  Fund  now  being  employed  in  pushing  and 
advertising  Ceylon  tea  throughout  the  world,  but  of 
course  especially  in  the  United  States  of  America 
and  Russia  is  the  proceeds  of  the  levy  of  an  export 
duty  on  tea  of  20  cents  per  100  lb.  under  the  Ordi- 
nance No.  4 of  1894.  The  money  so  collected  is  ap- 
plied “ towards  increasing  the  consumption  of  Ceylon 
tea  111  foreign  lands  in  such  manner  as  may  from 
time  to  time  be  determined  by  the  Joint  Committee 
appointed  for  the  purpose  by  the  Planters’  As- 
sociation of  Ceylon  ’’  and  “ by  the  Ceylon  Chamber 
of  Commerce,’’  now  known  as  the  “Thirty  Committee,” 
subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Governor  in  Executive 
Council.  Since  the  commencement  of  this  arrange- 
ment the  sum  of  R-153,550‘56  have  been  paid  into  the 
Bank  for  credit  of  the  Ceylon  Tea  (New  Markets)  F'und 
up  to  the  close  of  the  past  year.  Of  this  sum  ac- 
cording to  the  accounts  kept  in  Ceylon  £16,663  6s  lOd 
equal  to  R‘282,847T7  had  neen  drawn  for  by  the  pre- 
sent Ceylon  Representative  in  America  (Mr.  Wm. 
Mackenzie)  exclusive  of  local  payments  for  tea  sam- 
ples, photographs,  &c.,  while  a sum  aggregating 
R25,872'49  hasheeu  paid  to  Mr.  M.  Rogivue  for  dis- 
bursement in  Russia  on  the  lines  laid  down  for  this 
direction. 
Ceylon  Tea  in  America. — As  regards  Mr.  Mac- 
kenzie’s work  in  America  the  following  Report  has 
been  received  written  in  the  general  tone,  and  which 
cannot  fail  to  greatly  interest  all  who  have  watched 
the  progress  of  the  tea  campaign  in  the  United  States 
and  in  Canada.  Mr.  Mackenzie  writes  : — “ As  the 
day  of  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Association  is  draw- 
ing near,  it  W'ould  perhaps  be  well  that  I should 
furnish  you  with  some  general  notes  of  what  has  been 
done  in  America  with  the  funds  so  liberally  supplied 
to  me  during  1896. 
Minute  particulars  with  details  of  expenditure  in 
a matter  of  this  kind  must  necessarily  be  for  the 
Committee  only,  as  it  is  not  advisable  to  disclose  the 
dealings  of  any  firms  of  Tea  Merchauts  to  every 
other  rival.  The  Committee  knows  from  my  letters 
and  from  my  accounts,  exactly  the  lines  in  which  I 
am  working,  and  if  they  are  satisfied,  I feel  certain 
the  general  body  of  planters  have  sufficient  confid- 
ence in  them,  to  allow  details  in  the  meantime  to  be 
between  the  Committee  and  me. 
But  without  touching  upon  any  point  in  a way  to 
disclose  their  business,  and  thus  offend  any  of  the 
firms,  energetically  -syorkii^g  w'ith  us,  and  on  our 
behalf,  it  may  be  possible  to  describe  generally  what 
is  being  done  in  a way  that  may  be  of  interest  to 
the  subscribers  to  the  Fund,  i.e.  the  whole  planting 
community. 
