712 
THE TROPICAL AGRlCULTURlSr. 
[April i, i8g^. 
THE CURRENCY PROBLEM FOR 
“LITTLE CEYLON.” 
Colombo, 5tli Marcli, 1898. 
Dear Sir, — I have read with interest the articles 
and correspondence in your columns dealing with 
the Currency Problem. But it seems to me that 
we are all at present groping in the dark, owing 
to the want of a sufficiently wide and complete 
basis to argue upon. So far we have had ex- 
pressions of opinion based upon the real^ or 
fancied interests of the particular writer. "W hat 
we want is a well-reasoned argument, dealing 
with the varied interests of Ceylon, shewing how 
far they are antagonistic to or coincident with 
each other, and ex|)laining what is our true 
policy in currency matters when these different 
interests have been adequately ascertained and 
balanced against each other. 
I suggest that such an argument must take 
into consideration six different classes : — 
1. Those who produce goods in Ceylon, the 
cost of production of which is mainly a silver cost, 
with the intention of selling them for gold. 
2. Those who purchase or manufacture goods 
on a gold cost of production, with the intention 
of selling them for silver. 
3. Ttie Government considered as a corpora- 
tion (in other words the nation in its capacity as 
laxpayer, for it is of course the Taxpayers who 
have to pay for the Government ) 
4. Those whose wages or salaries are a fixed 
number of rupees. 
5. Those who produce or trade in goods locally 
produced and also locally sold, so that silver is 
their cost of production and also the price for 
which they are sold. 
6. The whole body of consumers. 
Everybody in Ceylon is comprised in one or 
other of these classes. 
The argument would consider the effect on 
each of these classes. («) separately (b) as they 
act, and react on each other, of the courses logi- 
cally open to us, which are 
1. — To have rupee standard based on the bul- 
lion value of silver. This would imply, of course 
the reopening of the Indian Mints or else a 
separate Ceylon coinage 
2. — To keep the present artificial rupee 
3. — To establish a gold standard either (a) with 
or (b) without an actual gold currency. 
4. — By agreement with other nations to try to 
maintain a double standard of gold and silver. 
This is of course Bimetallism. 
The argument would conclude by explaining a 
practical scheme for carrying into eftect which 
ever of these four courses appeared to be most 
desirable. It is obvious that such an argument 
must be based on facts and statistics, extremely 
complicated and, as far as I know, very imper- 
fectly ascertained at present. But to adopt any 
policy or currency scheme, without such exhaus- 
tive investigation, is simply to take_ a leap in 
the dark. My practical conclusion is that the 
press should combine to urge most strongly that a 
Commission of Inquiry should be appointed to ascer- 
tain the data, on which alone a sound policy can be 
adopted. Unfortunately it is doubtful whetherthere 
are trained inquirers in Ceylon competent to con- 
duct such an investigation. For it is necessary to 
analyse the facts as well as merely record them. 
For instance it is not sufficient to state that the 
profits of a particular tea estate have fallen 
recently. It is nece.ssary to go further and as- 
certain to what cause or causes this fall in pro- 
fits is due— there are several possible causes, 
such as deterioration of quality of the tea'etc.— and 
disentangle the effects due to currency from the 
efi'ects due to all other causes. I am afraid no 
one in Ceylon has either the leisure or the 
necessary qualifications for such a task. But 
England has many such men, and it is certainly 
worth while Ceylon’s while to procure one of them 
for this necessary investigation. — Yours faithfully, 
CURRENCY REFORM. 
COST OF PURE GOOD MILK. 
Dear Sir, — In his report on Colombo dairies, 
the Mayor says that “ pure and good milk cannot 
be supplied at a profit for a less sum than 25 
cents per bottle.” This is just about correct, 
for though it may be said that the Government 
Dairy makes a profit over milk sold at 18 or 
20 cents, it must be remembered that no rent 
is reckoned and no salary of Superintendent or 
Veterinary Surgeon taken into account. With 
small " Coast,” cattle giving on an average 
4 or 5 bottles of milk, or Sinhalese cows with 
a milk yield seldom exceeding two bottles, 25 
cents will not leave a very large margin of 
profit if only pure milk is to be supplied. The 
Lunatic Asylum is now paying 22 cents per 
bottle for milk from cows kept on the premises, 
— so as to ensure the purity of the milk, — but 
here again the milkman gets the ])remises free. 
ONE WHO KNOWS. 
TEA CULTIVATION AND ECONOMY. 
Arnbegamuwa, March 11. 
Dear Sir, — Any planter in Ceylon will tell 
you that no new conditions and not all the pres- 
sure of Companies which may.be brought to bear 
can ever effect any saving on the working of 
tea estates. Expenditure has been worked out for 
years back to its lowest possible limits and in 
some instances so fine that the Superintendent 
had to carry forward a debit to the following 
year and try to keep to the alloM'ed expenditure 
in that way. No sir ! that is not the way to 
get out of our difficutly. It is simply a mon- 
strous impossibilty. All that can be done is to sack 
Superintendents wholesale and letyour estates upin 
weeds, sort of semi-cultivation ; these are the 
only two items on which they may try any im- 
proved method of curtailing expenditure and stop 
all extensions j but otherwise there is nothing 
that can be done which has not already been 
done. Our only salvation lies in our having a 
rupee of our own and allowing India to wallow 
in her own mire. Why should we sink when 
there is no necessity for it. If only our legisla- 
tors and financial men put their heads together 
they can soon work out a currency for ourselves 
and fix it in such a way relative to our trade 
with India, as will not harass it and thus save 
the colony from this impending ruin. C. T. 
MR. MASEFIELD’S FINE CATCH AT 
NUWARA ELIYA. 
I 
Nuwara Eliya, Mar. 13. I 
Sir,— It will doubtless interest many of your , 
readers to hear that I caught with a fly on the 
10th two trout — one weighing 3 lb. 3 ozs. and the i 
other 9 lb. 10 ozs. They both were taken in the 
stream flowing into the Nuwara Eliya lake. The ' 
largest trout hitherto taken in Ceylon, I believe^ I 
