July i, 1897 .] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
19 
cost of rice to our coolies owing to the Indian 
Famine. (Cheers.) The labor in Ceylon has lately 
become somewhat unsettled and this is attributed, 
I believe, in great measure not so much to a 
shortness of supply as to the action of certain 
new estate owners holding large interests in tea. 
(Hear, hear.) These proprietors or their repre- 
sentatives, either through ignorance or a total 
disregard of the system and customs hitherto 
in force as unwritten laws, have, by the heavy 
advances paid to secure coolies, while these 
coolies are employed on other estates, so un- 
settled the whole labor force of the island 
that it is to be hoped that some energetic 
steps will be taken by the planters of Ceylon to 
mitigate the evil, before it assumes greater pro- 
portions and thereby becomes even more serious 
than what it is at present. (Applause). 1 am 
glad to say the labour force on the Company’s es- 
tates is reported as being ample at the present 
time. To those shareholders who do not know 
the extent to which we are employers of labour it 
may be interesting to them to learn this Com- 
pany employs 9,000 coolies and this army has 
to be provided by us with rice, their staple 
food, and when this commodity reaches famine 
prices, the loss does not fall on the labourers but on 
the employer. I may here incidentally state that 
the directors subscribed on the Company’s beh.alf 
£50 to the Indian Famine Fund which I am sure 
will meet entirely with your approbation. I 
merely mention these various details affecting the 
cost of production as it might be thought by 
shareholders not conversant with tea planting 
that if we can produce a pound of tea .at a 
certain low figure one year we should be able 
to do so every year. Fluctuations there will 
always be, but we can only hope that a high 
cost of production, together with a high rate 
of exchange and low' prices w’ill not come in 
conjunction (Hear, hear.) As you are aware our 
Company acts as agent for several smaller tea 
Companies and private proprietors, and, business 
resulting therefrom to a large extent provides 
for the London expenditure in working the C. T. 
P. Company. This branch of our business has 
increased so much that it has been necessary for 
us to move into the somewhat larger offices than 
those we formerly occupied, and to which we 
welcome you today. The interesting record of 
our ten years’ work, which is shown in the 
statements attached to the report, is the best 
evidence we can give you, not only of our own 
work in your interest, but also of all those in 
our service in Ceylon, and you may rest assured 
that the same care and vigilance to secure the 
best results will be exercised in the future conduct 
of the affairs of the Company as has been in the 
past. (Hear hear). It is highly encouraging 
to our enterprise that the consumption of British 
grown tea is steadily increasing outside of Great 
Britain. (Hear hear). Indian and Ceylon teas 
in 1894 were taken by other countries to the 
extent of 27,000,000 lb. and in 1896 to 40,000,000 
lb. or an increase of fifty per cent ; and it is 
a further matter of congratulation for Ceylon 
growers to know that 70 per cent of this in- 
(srease was contributed by Ceylon. America 
and Canada in 1894 took 4,700,000 lb. of 
British grown teas, and last year 9,500,000 
lb. so that if the combined efforts of India 
and Ceylon are continued witli persistency we 
may hope to see in a few years’ time a very 
greatly increased volume of our teas being taken 
by these countries. Mr. Talbot, who lias just 
returned from Ceylon, is here today, and is in 
a position to tell you how your various pro- 
perties were looking, as he visited all the es- 
tates in wdiich we are interested. (Hear, hear). 
We shall be very pleased to reply to any 
sh.areholder who wishes for information on the 
subject of the report and accounts which I 
may have omitted. The Chairin.an then moved 
the adoption of the report and the payment of a 
dividend of 8 per cent, making a total of 15 per 
cent for the year. (Applause). 
Mr. G. A. Talbot seconded the motion. He 
said he h.ad been all over the properties in 
Ceylon The points to which one looked for the 
permanence of tea on the continuance of good 
bearing were chiefly, the way in which the bushes 
were plucked, and the way in which they were 
manured. The plucking, lie had no hesitation 
in saying, was very carefully done in 1896. 
The bushes had not been hard plucked. As 
regarded exhaustion, only the minimum had been 
taken out of them, and if for any reason the 
Company wished to get more out of the bushes 
and decided to pluck them hard they could 
very greatly increase the yield. As to young tea, 
the policy they pursued before had lieen carried 
on — letting it come to full size before being plucked 
atall. Their fields Avere healthy. They had notdone 
much artificial manuring. During the past tAvo 
years they had done a good deal in the direction 
of natural manuring ; they had planted grass and 
built cattle sheds, and the present manager and 
the superintendents under him were anxious to 
extend this system as far as possible. As to 
the coast advance question, Avhich Avas a 
burning question for them, he Avould explain 
that the coolies came from Southern India and 
the planters gave coast advances to men to bring 
them over. When the coolies left the Ceylon 
estates they had only to pay for the debt in- 
curred in bringing tliem from India. For some 
years the system Avorked well, as the amount 
of advance Avas not excessive. But some 
capitalists had lately come to Ceylon anxious 
to open large acreages for tea, and had 
offered lai’ge sums for coolies to go into 
their employ. KlOO had been offered. This Avas 
more than the average Oriental could ever pay 
back, and the result was very demoralising. 
(Hear, hear.) He felt sure those interested in 
these Companies at home were not aivare of the 
evils of this system, and that ivas wliy he spoke 
out so fully about it. It Avas obvious that if 
one advanced to any labourer more than he could 
ever pay back, it Avas demoralizing because he 
knew all his Avages Avould be taken to pay the 
debt, and he was therefore not anxious to do 
any labour at all. The people who had paid 
these big sums had recently Avritten them off 
in many cases, he was told. If those 
Avho advanced money knew they would 
not get it back, it became a bonus, and gave a 
dangerous advantage to one estate over another. 
He Avas told tlie system was temporary, and lie 
hoped it Avould soon be stopped. The present 
advance paid by the C. T. P. Co. was K16 per 
head. If the system Avere to continue the amount 
they would have to advance to retain their 
labourers Avould be very considerable, and the 
cost of producing tea must of necessity increase. 
He would like to add that he Avas very well 
pleased Avith tlie feeling amongst their superin- 
tendents in Ceylon. Tliey liad their estates in 
good order, and he believed they Avere proud to 
be Superintendents of the Ceylon Tea Plantations 
Company. (Applause.) 
The motion was carried. 
