THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
179 
Sept, i, 1897.] 
FOOD SUPPLY IN SOUTHERN 
PROVINCE. 
The food supply of the people consists of rice, jak 
and breadfruit, coconuts, fish, yams, curry stuffs. 
The town population and the inhabitants of the sea- 
board consume Coast rice, and even in tlie interior 
local production is not sufficient for local require- 
ments. Thus, in the large Bentota-Walallawiti korale 
it is estimated that two-thirds of the rice consumed 
was imported; in Gangaboda pattu one-quo. i ter, in 
"Wellaboda pattu three-quarters, while upvr.-'.rds of 
2,000 bushels found their way to distant ilinichima. 
[All paying 10 per cent., while locally grown rice was 
free of tax. — E d. C.O.] 
Jak and Breadiruu. — These very im '-irtant consti- 
tuents of the food of che people were plentiful during 
the ) ear. 
Coconuts. — Probably the coconut industry is the 
most piosperous in the Province. It is steadily on the 
increase, but there is still a large extent of suitable 
land available. The supply of coconuts was 
abundant. 
Fish. — The fishing season was a bad one, and the ex- 
port to other Provinces contributed to the natural 
scarcity The fishermen attribute the bad season to 
adverse currents prevailing along the western and 
southern coasts. However that nny he, the poorer 
classes sffered somewhat from the scarcity ; but dried 
fish brought from Mannar and Battioaloa found a ready 
sale and helped to supply the local deficiency. l'’.(Ui 
Ambalangoda quantities of fish are sent up-coiiuiry, 
and la.st year “fancy” prices were realized as the 
supply began to run short. 
Yams,— The villager can usually command an ample 
supply of this vegetable, but where he earns wages on 
tea, citronella, and sugar estates he does not take the 
trouble to cultivate it. Although the extension of the 
tea, sugar, and citronella industry supplies the villager 
with a money wage, it withdraws labour from native 
products, and in this manner affects the supply of 
home-grown articles' of food. 
One of our Mudaliyars says : — “ The villager for- 
merely cultivated his plot of ground with yams, fine 
grain, and vegetables, and consumed the produce of his 
own paddy fields.” Now he labours on another man s 
land, and is paid “partly m advances of rice or of paddy, 
while for the other necessaries he goes into debt.” He 
is, in short, being converted from a peasant proprietor 
into an industrialist, and as such is becoming depen- 
dent on his purchasing power to supply bis wants. As 
the process continues he will become moie and more 
sensitive to fluctuations in the price of food, and unless 
he learns thriit will be substantially nearer to want than 
when rupees were scarce and he supported himself on 
the produce of his own laud. — Mr. IVace's Adniiiuslra- 
tion Eepoi-t for 1806. 
TEA BULKING ON ESTATES AND IN 
LONDON. 
Mr. Lipton’s Further View.s. 
In ansvver, specially to the repre.sentations in 
the Oftscrucr against his circular in re tea. hulking 
in London, Mr. Lipton has had the following 
explanation drawn up and forwarded to Mr. 
Leake, a copy being placed at our dispo.sal : — 
London, E.C., 1st July, 1897. 
W. Mautin Leake, Esq., Secretary, Ceylon Associa- 
tion in London, ol-62, Gracechurch Street, E.C. 
Deur Sir, — I notice various comments in the Ceylon 
papers upon my action regarding teas which have 
not been bulked in Loudon and as no mention is 
made of the reasons that compelled me to so act, 
I would like to put the matter clearly before your 
Association. e , • 
I have had great cause to complain of the irre- 
gularity of many parcels both of Ceylon and Indian 
teas and have repeatedly found damaged teas in the 
arcels, such damage eviaently having been sustained 
efore the teas reached London. 
I have had whole blends of tea completely spoilt 
through a chest of this damaged tea getting into a 
blending of tea, which could not have been detected 
unless each chest had been turned out and thoroughly 
examined. What this means in a large business 
like mine, it should not be difficult for anyone to 
understand, involving as it would do a great deal of 
extra labor and time, and especially when it is con- 
sidered that each of my mixes consists of 2,500 lb. 
of tea. To have a mix therefore spoilt as just men- 
tioned, means a most serious loss to me. 
Whenever a case arose, where there could be no 
doubt of the irregularity and that the damage com- 
plained of had taktn place and existed before the 
purchase, I would claim for the loss incurred, but 
how was my claim met even by sellers who admitted 
these facts and the justne.ss of my claim? Simply 
by an expression of regiet and refusal to admit 
my claim and a curt reference that they were fully 
protected iagainst any claim of this sort after deli- 
very of the goods, under Clause 5 of the Public Sales 
Conditions. These conditions of sale were framed 
when it was the custom to bulk almost every parcel 
of tea in London and there was less reason there- 
fore for exception being taken to them by either of 
the contracting parties, but what are the circum- 
tances now? Instead of the former custom, theie 
has grown up a practice which seems to have be- 
come the general rule with Ceylon importers, not 
to bulk anything here, but to run the I'isk of buyers 
discovering any irregularity or damage in the leas 
before they leave the warehouses, and should the dam- 
age or irregularity not be discovered till afterwards, to 
repudiate any claim that may arise as abovementioned. 
No doubt they are legally entitled to so act, but 
surely it cannot be maintained that such action is 
treating the purchaser fairly. So long as this method 
of dealing with just claims prevails with sellers, it 
is small wonder if a purchaser resents it and en- 
deavours to secure some protection against serious 
losses arising through negligence or carelessness of 
others. 
It will doubtless be said that the teas are in- 
spected before sale, but under the present system 
it is absolutely impossible to properly inspect even 
a large proportion of the packages that are put on 
sale every week. 
You can quite understand therefore my reasons 
for preferring teas that have been bulked in London 
as I can them rely upon their practical uniformity, 
and in the event of country damage this is dis- 
covered when the teas are turned out. Notwith- 
standing this I would be quite agreeable to buy teas 
that have not been bulked in London, provided I had 
some assurance that any claim for irregularity or 
damage, when cle-iily demonstrated, would receive 
the due consideration and attention it fairly called 
for instead of being practically ignored, as I ant well 
aware that bulking in London is an expensive opera- 
tion which I would gladly assist the planters in 
saving; and, if they wish buyers to help them to 
effect this saving is only reasonble that the plan- 
ters, on their part, should waive Clause 5 in so far 
as sheltering tliemselves behind its terms and r efusing 
to consider or entertain any claim, the bona fides of 
which they are thoroughly satisfied with. — Yours 
faithfully, T. J. Lipton. 
It will be observed that Mr. Lipton now falls 
back on the risk of non-discoveied damage to 
estate-bulked tea, and the impossibility under 
present rules of recovering anything against 
the said damage. On the other hand, in Lon- 
don-bulked tea, any damage is at once discovered 
in the bulking and the offending chest is marked 
accordingly. Mr. Lipton gives this as a good 
reason for his buyers preferring London-bulked 
teas; but in the last clause of his lei ter he 
offers to meet proprietors who care to have his 
competition for their estate-bulked teas, ; rovided 
they are willing to make good any dunnage 
where such is shown, to their satisfaction, to have 
been sustained. 
