March i, 1898.] THE TROPICAL 
isfactoy to them on this occasion if payment 
was limited to out of pocket expense incurred 
in connection with the business to the Companj% 
PLANTERS AND THE SOUTH OF INDIA 
RICE TRADE. 
INDIAN AND CEYLON RAILWAYS 
COMPARED ! 
The party consisted of Mr. James Ryan, Mr. 
A. M. FoiTes, Mr. G. C. Bliss, Mr.’ A. M. 
Carmichael, and Mr. P. F. Ryan of Ceylon Planters’ 
who went to Southern India to see what pros- 
pects there were of inducing rice-growers and 
dealers there to take advant.age of the new 
rates of through traffic to Ceylon devised by 
the Southern India Railway, and also what the 
feeling was on the proiiosal that the said dealers 
should send rice direct to Ceylon estates, instead 
of forwarding the same to Colombo Chettie.s, have 
returned to Colombo and Mr. Ryan, s])eaking 
to the representative of the local “'Times,” said ; — 
Their po.sition was that the Southern Indian Rail- 
way had reduced their rates for carrying rice 
enormou.sly, speaking of tne journey he said 
“ The charges are exceedingly moderate— you get 
tiffin or breakfast for a ru|iee ; dinner for B1 '50, 
and drinks are in proportion— all very much 
cheaper than you get in the Railway Refreshment 
Car in Ceylon. 'The same beer you get here — 
(Beck’s)— at 75 cents a bottle you can buy up 
there — 300 miles in the interior of India — for 56 
cents ; you can also get baths in the railway 
stations practically for nothing. Y^ou can stay 
at a station for a day, and you are only charged 
the small sum of 50 cents or a rupee for occupa- 
tion of the station, use of bath and everything. 
Then, on the train, they gave us a special carriage 
all to ourselves, and in this carriage there was a 
.servants’ com])artment, where our boys could cook 
anything for us that we liked, and also we were 
given the privilege of breaking our journey any- 
where we pleased We had only to give the word, 
and we could be run into siding and disconnected 
at any station — and in fact it was railway 
travelling under the most pleasant conditions — 
practically we could stop where we liked, 
and then when we went on we had only 
to, as it were, step out anu whistle for the engine. 
They visited 'Trinchinopoly and at Ne'gapatam 
their real business began. They arrived on 
Sunday morning, and had an interview with 
the Cliettics and leading 1 ice inerch, ants gathered 
in conclave. Captain Shelly was not with them 
then, but Mr. Mercer, of the South Indian 
Railway, accompanied them. Mr. Ryan’s party 
showed the rice-dealers the samples of the rice 
Ceylon requites, and the Chetttes showed them 
samples of what they could supply, and, in 
spite of the name that Negapatam has as the 
head-quarters of the sea-borne trade, the dealers 
pointed out that, owing to difficulties of navi- 
gation in the North-East monsoon, the through- 
booking system to Tuticorin would pay theai 
to use, in fact it was particularly attractive for 
them as far as the North-East monsoon was 
concerned, though in the South-West monsoon 
they thought the native boats would do the 
woi'k cheaper. 'They al.so expressed their willing- 
ness to deal directly with Ceylon planters on 
certain lines which the visitors laid down, so 
as to do away with any connection with Colombo 
dealers. 
AT TAN'.TOP.l? AND CUDDALOP D. 
'That night the, party dined at Tanjore, where 
they did all the sights, and they also had ^ 
AGRICULTURIST. 599 
very large meeting with the rice merchants and 
growers in that district. “Our interview was 
very long and full,” said Mr. Ryan, “ and em- 
braced every possible point, and the rice-growers 
expressed themselves as quite ready — in fact, 
anxious, to deal, and at rates which would cer- 
tainly be remunerative.” Next they went to 
Cudcialore, which is the farthest station on the 
line to which the through-rates have been ex- 
tended. There they saw only one merchant, whose 
ideas of business were exceedingly vague. After 
they left, some 500 bushels of rice were ©fl'ered 
them for sale from this place — the offer being 
wired to them, but they were at rates quite 
impossible to touch. The only satisfaction the 
party got at Cuddalore was from an oyster feast. 
Cuddalore is a sort of Indian Colchester in this 
respect ; there are splendid oysters and they are 
very cheap. They paid 15 annas for 250, and 
then heard later from experts that they were 
swindled, as the oidinary rate is only annas 4 
per 100. 
SATISFACTORY INTERVIEWS. 
Next they journeyed to Shiyali, where they 
saw rice dealers, and a large grower — a man own- 
ing some 3,500 acres of land, who .spoke English 
fluently and does bu.siness already with Colombo 
direct. He was able to give them a very valu- 
able series of figures, showing his prices for rice 
for the last five years, and on the whole this 
was the most satisfactory intervie.v they h, ad. After 
Shiyali they travelled to Dindigul, where they 
saw some more cheroot manufacture going on, 
and they retur. ed wVe Madura to 'Tuticorin, which 
they reached yesterday morning. 'There they in- 
terviewed and discussed the matter of finance with 
the b.inker, and they also intei viewed a gentleman 
who is 
PREPARED TO TAKE UP THE EUROPEAN AGENCY 
at 'Tuticorin. Then they rejoined the “ Katoria,” 
and they had a very rough passage in the steam 
launch out to her anchorage. 'This launch belongs 
to Messrs. Adamson and Mc'Taggart, and the party 
unanimously vote it a disgrace. Said their spokes- 
man : “ Seas come over it ; it is very insuffici- 
ently protected from the weather, and the coolies 
who came out by it all got wringing wet.” 
THE TREATMENT OF C OEIES AT TUTICORIN. 
“ There is a great deal left to be desired in 
the treatment the coolies experience at Tuticorin 
jetty,” said Mr. Ryan further. “We saw a gang 
of some 15 coolies turned back from the pier- 
head on the jetty who were said to be too late, 
but who, to our knowledge, had been there the 
best part of an hour— and they were sent back 
three-quarters of an hour before the launch 
started, and though there was ample room for 
them on it. Thereby they were exposed to all 
the evils of another day’s extortions from the 
blackmailers at Tuticorin and the seductions 
of the crimps. We also heard that crimping and 
extortions are not confined to men of the town 
of 'Tuticorin, for the launch men have been known 
to have levied black mail from them. There is 
also a charge for luggage on the launch— 50cts. 
a package which is excessive for the work done, 
because a ton of ordinary goods are taken in a 
lighter for the same price.” Then the party had 
a very rough iiassage back to Ceylon. 
CONCLUSIONS. 
“In the main,” Mr. Ryan concluded, “we are 
of opinion that when rice reaches a normal price 
in Southern India (which it is not at present 
owing to the abnormal season) there is no doubt 
that business can be done on the through-looking 
