May  1,  1897.]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
763 
Now  the  ciuefor  this  seems  simple  enough,  viz. — 
Make  it  illegal  to  lend  or  rather  to  recover  from  an 
estate  coolie  more  than,  say,  RIO  or  R20  and  the 
thing  is  done.  Rnb  we  are  not  sanguine  that 
the  (Government  will  he  very  readj  to  move  in 
the  matter,  though  certain  enough  that  legislation 
in  this  direction  would  prove  a boon  to  the 
planting  interests  and  a much-needed  protection 
to  ])Oor  misguided  Ramas.anii  himself. 
There  are,  however,  other  interests  at  stake 
which  [lull  in  a dilferent  direction,  but  we  would 
fain  ho])e  tliat  these— as  described  to  us  by  an 
up-country  correspondent — are  somewhat  exag- 
gerated. “ These  vagrant  kanganies,”  he  says,  “are 
a fruitful  source  ot  prolit  to  proctors,  around 
whose  doors  crowds  may  daily  be  seen— seeking 
and  obtaining  advice  how  to  act.” 
Certain  it  seems  that  the  good  understanding 
which  was  wont  to  exist  between  the  coolies 
and  their  doray  now,  as  a rule,  no  longer  exists, 
and  until  we  can  manage  to  deal  with,  and  jnc- 
tect  the  labour  force  already  in  the  country,  it 
seems  needless  to  talk  of  tapping  new  sources 
ol  supply. 
It  is  against  this  growing  demoralization  that  we 
wouhl  earnestly  raise  our  voice.  The  cause  is  ])al- 
pable  enough.  IIom  best  to  counteract  it  is  the 
question.  Money,  as  irsnal,  is  at  tlie  root  of  the 
evil,  facilities  fur  horrowmg,  recJdess  spending, 
ruinous  and  nncsrupidous  usury. 
Wliat  are  called  estate  advances  seem  to  have 
risen  from  an  average  of  K20  a head  two  years 
ago  to  RdO  at  the  present  moment,  and  there 
seems  eveiy  likelihood  of  this  sum  being  doubled 
in  a few  months. 
In  former  times,  these  advances  were  ariven  by 
Superintendents  for  the  express  p irpose  of  pro- 
curing labour  from  the  Coast,  and  any  breach  of 
this  utjderstanding  would  have  been  treated  as  a 
case  of  obtaining  money  umler  false  pretences. 
Now,  alas!  I he  Coast  is  seldom  thought  of,  it  is 
simiiiy  a case  of  “ Sliow  me  yrur  tundu.” 
The  Toolakan  Jew  is  mastei  of  the  situation, 
and  it  is  at  his  instance  that  the  evei-recurring 
move  is  made.  The  estate  manager  is  helpless. 
At  his  wit’s  end  to  save  the  flush,  he  pays  the 
exorbitant  demands  and  staves  of!  the  evil  day 
for  a few  months,  till  the  Toolakan’s  interest 
again  accumulates  — when  pastures  new  must,  at 
all  hazards,  be  sought.  It  is  not  the  debt  to  the 
estate  only,  but  the  native  money-lender  that  has 
to  be  reckoneil  with.  The  amounton  the  “ tundu" 
may  be  only  K1,000,  but,  as  a rule,  11500  “ adium  ’ 
is  ^emantled. 
PERAK  NOTES. 
{Perak  Pioneer.) 
In  February  a Malay  was  killed  by  a tiger  while 
working  in  his  garden  at  Kota  Stia. 
Mr.  Curtis,  the  tea  planter  from  India,  is  anxious 
to  acquire  .5,000  acres  of  land  for  planting  purposes 
in  Perak 
Mr.  J.  J.  Tait  has  planted  75  acres  of  coffee  since 
October  last  at  Tanjore  Malim.  He  intends  to  put 
in  a few  acres  of  tobacco  as  an  experiment. 
Mr.  A.  T,  D.  Herrington,  the  Senior  Magistrate, 
leaves  for  home  via  America  tomorrow  on  long  leave. 
Mr.  C.  Wray  will  probably  act  for  him  on  the  re* 
turn  of  Mr.  R.  D.  Hewett  from  leave  until  our  new 
S.G.  has  been  appointed  when  Mr.  Watson  will  take 
up  the  acting  appointment. 
We  regret  to  hear  that  owing  to  the  Medical 
Adviser  to  the  Colonial  Office  having  declared 
Dr.  Wheeler  to  be  unfit  for  further  service  in  the 
Equatorial  region,  he  has  been  compelled  to  retire 
on  pensioDt 
MINOR  PRODUCTS. 
CiNCHON.a. — The  monthly  Eondon  cinchona-auctions 
held  on  Tue.sday  were  of  sm.all  extent.  Five  brokers 
offered  bark,  their  cat-dogues  containing  the  follow- 
ing quantities  : — 
Packages  Packages 
Ceylon  cinchona  . . 46  of  which  46  were  sold 
East  Indian  cinchona. . 259  ,,  259 
W est  African  cinchona  198 
Java  cinchona  ..  200 
198 
200 
703  703 
It  will  be  seen  that  every  package  was  disposed  of* 
indeed,  a much  large  quantity  would  proba'bly  have 
found  buyers,  for  tlie  tone  was  one  of  unusual  animation, 
and  an  average  advance  of  10  per  cent,  on  the  last  public- 
sale  rates  was  readily  paid.  The  best  lots  realised  a 
unit  of  id  per  lb.,  but  the  general  run  of  the  parcels 
scarcely  reached  that  figure.  The  following  are  the 
quantities  of  baik  purchased  by  the  pricipal  buyers* 
lb. 
American  factories  . . . . . . 44,407 
Messr.s.  Howards  & Sons 
Auerbach  factor}* 
Imperial  C^ninine-works 
Brunswick  factory  .. 
Frankfort-on-M.  and  Stuttgart  works  o’efil 
Various  druggists  and  others  . . 4 331 
42,966 
18,955 
11,720 
6,536 
^ , „ Total  ..  132,576 
Ceoton-seed.— A small  parcel  has  been  sold  to  ar- 
rive at  85s  per  cwt.,  the  same  figure  as  that  paid  at 
the  last  auctions.  At  auction  9 bags  rather  dark 
mixed  seed  were  bought  in  30s  per  cwt  being  the 
highest  bid  fortlicoining  but  the  lot  has  since  been 
sold  privately  at  75s  per  cwt. 
Kola.— The  arrivals  have  been  considerable  lately 
especially  from  the  West  coast  of  Africa  and  a 
paicel  of  no  fewer  than  211  bags  has  been’ entered 
from  Hamburg  by  the  “Lapland.”  There  Tag  a 
large  supply  at  today’s  sales,  but  no  business' was 
done  except  in  3 packages  common  water-damaged 
rubbish,  which  sold  without  reserve  at  J-d  per  lb 
For  good  irest  rwHan  8d  per  lb.  is  asked—CTtemwt  & 
Dniggisty  March  20. 
A NEW  CEYLON  PLANTATION  COMPANY. 
The  latest  venture  is  the  Oodoowerre  Estates 
Company  of  (Jeylon,  Limited.,  the  memorandum 
as  well  as  articles  of  Association  of  which  an 
pears  in  the  Gazette.  The  objects  for  which  th^ 
Company  is  established  are,  among  otheis  to 
purchase  or  otherwise  acquire  the  Oodoowerre  es- 
tate in  the  district  of  Badulla,  or  any  part  or 
parts  thereof.  To  establish  and  maintain  in  the 
United  Kingdom,  in  Ceylon,  or  elsewhere,  stores 
shops  places  for  the  sale  of  tea,  coffee,  cocoa! 
a id  other  articles  of  food,  drink,  or  refreshment 
wholesale  or  retail,  and  to  establish  in  any  part  or 
parts  of  the  world  agencies  for  carrying  on  or  de 
yeloping  ^e  business  of  the  Company  or  any  branch 
^ereof.  The  nominal  capital  of  the  Companv  is 
R500,000,  divided  into  1,000  shares  of  R5(^  each 
with  power  to  increase  or  reduce  the  capital  The 
signatories  are  Herbert  Tarrant,  Katharine  Tarrant 
Jas.  A.  Henderson,  A.  O’Dell  Figo-  j?  HuvnEo  tai*  t 
Annie  Buckland  Eliot  and  John'^C.  Popham 
Goyeri,merit-.say.s  the  London 
under  consideration  the  advisability 
ing  Dr.  J.  M.  Janse,  of  the  Java  Sotani 
dens,  to  Menado  and  the  Banda 
inquire  into  the  disease  that  R affe^in 
nutmeg-trees,  and  into  one  which  apnppJt  f 
thi^atenirig  the  “ epcoa ’’  plantatimii^w^^^ 
not  clear  wliether  “ coconut  ” or  “ cacan ’’ 
tations  are  here  meant  : -we  know 
have  been 
cftcao  tree,  " in  the 
