THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Jutv I, 1891. 
SO 
KLKl'IIAiN'T LKATIIKU. 
“ The tnnnirR of tlrplmtit hides,” saj's tho Boston 
Journal of Commerce, “is ootnparatively a now iudus- 
try. The method employed i.s practically the same 
as in the tanning of ci w hide, except that a stronger 
combination of the tannic ingredients is required, nud 
greater length of time, about six months, is necessary 
to perform the work. When tho hide is taken ont 
of the vat it is IJ inches thick. Articles made of ele- 
phant hides aro expensive luxuries. A small pocket- 
book of elephant’s loalher, without any silver or gold 
ornamentation, costs about §40. A small satchel made 
of the same leather costs Irom S.'idO to ^100. Cigar 
oases, card oases and similar articles vary from S25 
to iglOO. Floor rngs are also made, out of tho lealher. 
In tinishing the hide no attempt is made to glaze or 
polish it. Kvtrj thing is done to preserve its natural 
color and appearance. It is a very enduring leather, 
several year’s wear having hut little tffect on it.” — 
Jirailstreet'a April 25th. 
^ 
THE BATTALOALLA ESTATE COMPANY. 
CAPITAL fl5,000, IN l.liOO SHARES OFX’IOEACII. 
RSPOUT to TUK SlIAIlBUOl.nElta Ol'TnEBATTALOAI.LA 
Estate Company Ltd. 
Ladies and Gentlemen, — I. In prasontirg this onr 
first report to the sharehnlderB, the IJirectors have much 
pleasure in expie«fing their belief that tho expecta- 
tions entertained at the formation of tho Company arc 
likely to be fully realized. The Company took puas- 
essiou of the Rsttalgalla estate on the 1st of January, 
1890, and during ,Tmie acquired the adj nning estate 
of Iladloy (228 acres) at a cost of X'-l 5u2 10a Od, the 
pnrohaso money being provided by a luriher issue of 
shares to tho extent of il-l,0b0. 
2. Tho produce sold in Loudon during tho working 
year amonnted to 120,851 lb- of tea, realizing nett 
£4,749 Is 7d, or an aveiago of lO'TOii (say lOjJd) per lb. 
on Loudon weights, and 11,251 Ib. cinchosa bark, realiz- 
ing nett £106. !is. .5d. A certain quantity of green leat 
from Hadley hae also hoeusold in Ceylon and the pro- 
ceeds have gone towards the upkeep of the estate. 
3. Some quantity of coffee, say about 90 to 80 ewts, 
now afloat, from both estates will go into the new 
year’s walking aoeomits. 
4. Tho factory, now completed and fitted with tho 
latest improved machinory, is fnlly capable of dealing 
with the proudee of both estates, and the Oomp.iny will 
also mannfncture a oertiiin quantity of to* forneghbour- 
iug fslates on terms leaving a fair profit; some eon- 
tracts have already been entereii into. 
5. The total coat of tho factory, which is ono of the 
fioost in Ceylon, will be about It28,000, exclusive of 
about £52.5 for uiaohiuery. Of these ainoimts only 
£1,752 8a Od appear as yet in tho aoceunt*. The 
balance still duo to the contractors is now being 
gradually liquidated. 'Phis delay in payment is a 
considerable saving to the Company on account of 
the lower exchange now mling. 
6. With this factory tho heavy outlay for having 
the Company’s tea manufaoturod outside, which 
amounted during 1890 to no less than J{13,3.19'70, is 
avoided for the future. 
7. A oonsideisble increase in the outturn of tea 
may be expected in the current year, as bo' h estates 
have now been put into excellent order by supplying 
vacancies where necessary, draining and manuring. 
The expense of this, it may bo noted, has hoin borne 
by revenue, and less will be rc(|uircd for this purp jse 
dnring the current year. „ . , „ 
8 The Directors are plpaaed to expro^s thoir full 
appreciation of the valuable Rerviocs rendertd tht-rn 
by the Mauajfer in Ceylon, Mr. K. G. HardinK, to 
whoeo zeal and ability as an oxpt-nouoed planter tho 
success of ihe Company is mainly due. 
9. After transferring to the credit of piMit uud h s-s 
accounts the profit hUuwn in the ef*tato working account 
of ^81,205, proTHling for iutercat on debentures, and for 
the entire prolimiiury expenses connected with tho 
formation of the Compauy, thoro remains at credit a sum 
of £910. Tho Directors propose to pay a dividend at the 
rate of 5 c»'nr per aniiura, frceofinocme tax, ab- 
Borhinif £f»75, and to carry forward £311. 
K. n, Hancock, *0. A. Keisa, A, Zinimeru, THredors^ 
A. li. Tomkins, Secretary. 
51, Liruo Street, London, E, 0., 13ih April, 1891. 
THE CEYLOX TEA I’LAXTATION COMPAXY. 
Annual Gicnkral Mketino. 
{Concluded from page S/f») 
Mr. Shand said ho shon'd like a little more in- 
formation about the nffairs of tho con.pany than that 
oontained in the report. Tho repott of the Ceylon 
Plantations ('ompany was looked for, not only by the 
shareholders but by all interested iu tca*plaijtiug in 
Ceylon, with almost the same amount of intereot as 
tho Budget was by the British taxpayer. (Laughter.) 
It was, therefore, of very great importance that it 
hhouid contain as much information as possible. 
The n port of two years ago ountaiuod abstracts 
of what each eatato was dniug, and when ho saw 
that Rtatcraent he felt a very keen longing to be a 
Rharoholdur of tho company. Xow they wore in igro* 
ranco of what the expt ndilure in Oeylon amounted 
to. Tho oorapany ha<i spent a ^rcat deal of money 
in purchasing ostatfs iccently, but ho thought tho 
mam point of the hoard should be, not only to cz- 
lind tho company’s property, but to improve the 
position of the original shareholders. He took it that 
t e directors were very satiRti* d with the purobases 
tlu’V bstl made, and he thought it would be an nd- 
vantage if the purticiilars tf thune puichi&es were 
conveyed to the shareholders. 
Mr. Skaton thought it wouM give greater confi- 
dence to the Bhureholders to bo supplifd with fuller 
details of their estates as sfeked for by Mr. Shaud. 
Ho oertnfnly considered that tho directors should give 
them H list of their ostatoN and tho cost at which tea 
c uld be made on thoMO ^‘•tates por pound down to a 
decimal fraction, which was done by other tea com- 
panies. 
The Chairman, in replji said that tho position of 
the company, now aud when they first started, was 
very difforenf. When tho c^mp tey htartod it was 
poifectly true that, in • i let to enlighten the public 
and AilvsDce tin; credit of Ceylon lliey had given 
fulltr details in tboir rtport, but a great deal had 
bocn done in four years. Tho Ceylon tea industry 
Wit^ now in a different poeition, nud was an established 
undertslvitig. TJe beUnved a profit of something like 
£500,0(10 was made out of tta by the growers. Even 
assuming that the influence of the company was so 
groat rts r.-propeiitod by Mr. aShaud, he did not think 
they were called upon to give all tho detiila now ibut 
they (lid in th * early history of the company. They, 
however, had nothing to conceal, and ho believed an 
examination of their Recounts would confirm even 
more Mrongly than tho r. port showed on tho face of 
it thrir sound financial position. He did not think it 
wss desir.ible to wt nry tUi m with a mass of details, but 
to give them iho basis on which their profit re.>tod. 
Th»-.t bethought, was Itcttor thnn giving them elaborate 
deiails • f tbe cultivation and cost of tlie estates. 
zMr. D. HiciP (tt director) pointed out that it seemod 
to him very uuutiuiil to givo u full detailed account of 
their busiocss to ihc RharcholdotR at a public meetieg, 
hut if any shareholder nilh d at the ofiice he wou'd be 
able <0 obtain nil tho Inform-ition be rtQnired, 
Mr. Paink doubted whether he would be in the in- 
to^Bt of tho company to publish the details aek- d for. 
The CHAiuiiAN promised to cjusidtr tho quosiion 
when drawing up the next n port. 
Tho mt’tiou was then put aud oarritd unanimously. 
Tiia Chairman proposed the ro-eloctiou of Mr. David 
Keid as a director of the company, which whs seconded 
by Mr. Kutborford and carried. 
On the motion of Mr. Paine it was resolved that tho 
remunoratii n of the directors for the current year 
should be at the rate of £900 per annum. 
