THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
[July i, i8gi. 
CEYLON TEA IN AMERICA : 
SPEECH BY MU. EI.WOOI) MAY. 
We have received the following from Mr. A. 
Philip, Seorelary to the Planters' Assooiation of 
Ceylon: — 
4. Mincing Lane, London, May 8th. 
A. Philip l>q., Kandy, Onylon. 
Dear Sir, — Mr. 8. lilwooil May addreaaed a raeet- 
ing of gentlemen intereatrd in Oeylon Ton here on 
Monday last, and I euolo^o for the iuiormation of your 
Assooiation a report of his remarks on the occasion. 
At the close of Mr. May's address Mr. Rutherford 
Buggasled a scheme by which the estate owners of 
Ceylon wonld become, all, to a small e.vteut share- 
holders ill the Ciylon Planters’ Tea Company of 
America. He suggested that, that Oompnjiy should 
represent the Planters’ Association at Chicago and 
that the roeuiptsof the Tea Fund for a jear should 
be voted to defray erpeneos at iho " World’s Fair ” 
on condition that the .American Company should allot 
to each suhsoriber of Rs. £0/ to the Tea Fund a fully 
paid2Rs. dollar share in the Company. 
Our Tea Committee ments here on Monday next 
to discuss tlie resolutions of which I enclose a copy, 
and by next mail I will write you further on the 
subject. 
By 8. 8. “ Rowa ” I am sending you the Toa service 
for Mr. Tavlor and also some 30 packets of Tea about 
which I will also write to you fully by next mail. 
The Committee is rather at a loss bow to act us to 
further prosecutions and wishes the position to be 
made quite clear to the Standing Committee of the 
Tea Fund before incurring further expense.— I am, 
yours faithfully, (Signed) Wm. MahtIiV L£.vici!. 
Besolutions snoaESTBP hy Mu. 3. Elwood Mat. 
No. 1.— Resolved “That owing to the adulteration 
of Ceylon tea after it leaves the hands of the Planters, 
the Ceylon Association in London, in view of tho fact 
that such adulteration has rendered it necessary for 
the Assooiation to prosecute many vendors of packet 
tons, deems it desirable after hearing the explanations 
sot forth by Mr. S. Elwood May, President of the 
Ceylon Planters’ Tea Company in America, that tho 
Planters* As.sociatioa of Ceylon do give aii assurance 
that this Company was formed under their auspices 
for the sale of Ceylou tea absolutely pure and un- 
adulterated in Araeriua, and that they have received 
and accepted a satisfactory written guarantee from 
the Company to this r-ffoct.” 
No. 2.— /too/txtf “That the As‘oeiatioit, impresaod 
with the great benefit the extended market in America 
for Oeylon teas must he to the Island of Ceylon and 
to all those interesUd in it, and considering that the 
efforts of the American Oompaiiy should bo heartily 
encouraged, do strongly recommend that Mr. H* K. 
Rutherford’s proposal be approved by the Planters 
Association of Oeylon,’’ 
Mr. 8. KIwoud May said that they would have to 
bear with him as ho bad not adtiressed a meeting 
before. His iilea in coming over from America in 
connexion with the Ceylon Planters' Tea Company was 
to see gentlemen interested in the Oeylon tea industry 
and ask cliem to jpin him in forming a sort of trust 
in the American sense of the term. Such a scheme 
would take him hours and perhaps weeks to explain. 
Briefly the idea was to form such a combination ns 
would keep out, not aff competition, but competition 
when it was of the kind that had benn experienced 
in England to such an enormous extent— ho rrferred 
to the form of competition tliat consisted in advertis- 
ing and selliiig tea under tho name of Ceylon with 
vo% little Ceylou tea in it and much of everything 
else. While in Eoglaud there were Uws doilin^ with 
this matter, there was at the present time iiothn g in 
America to prevent anyboily from Felling any mixture 
with a pinch of Ceylon in it nnd calling it CeyU'n 
toa. Now, it WAS bis firm belief that i^ty or sixty 
million pounds of Ceylon tea could bn sold to the 
world pure- The Company bf'^d sold in America 
loo 000 pounds in pound packets in three mouths, ab- 
solutely pare as it left the planters, Tho identity of 
Oeylon tea whs unimpeachable ; nothing could bo 
got like it. Some of the leaders in lAOudon to whom 
he had explained bis scheme said that it could 
not he done. They in America believed that 
anijlhimf could bo done that was right, home people 
(lid things there that wf^re wrong ; there was no doubt 
about tb.it. Ho behevod he had been looked upon a 
little with the eyes of snspioion — and he could well 
understand it-^as having some idea of making a great 
combination by which the London market hliould be 
shut out. But that was absurd, for if that had been 
hi.4 intention he should have gone to Csylon direct. 
Tho price obtainod for tea in America was so good 
that profits would bo from 60 to 300 per cent. Of 
the 100,000 pounds sold by tho Company no part 
realized less than 60 per cent profit, and some yielded 
as much as 200 per cent. To show what large pro* 
fits were made by combinations like the one of which 
ho bad been speaking, he might mention the Btandard 
Oil CompA* y of America, which In eight years bad 
paid l0O,0o0 000 dollars in dividends. He and other 
members ot m o Ceylou Planters’ Tea Company had 
been speudirg their time iu educating the cousumers 
of America. The Company dui not believe that the 
dealer, or the broker, or anybody else in America 
WAS of the same vital importance as the consnnier. The 
idea WAS to get the coonumers to demand the Com- 
pany’s brands, an I that would force evertbing. Tho 
Company sold a lea called “Bad” — really the tips 
of tho Ceylou louf, as ho understood it. They charged five 
shillings per pound for it retail. It oi st the (Jumpany 
only 40 cuneg, it w<<h scid to the grocer at 80 cents, 
and ho made a profit of 45 cents out of his ciHtomers. 
Jieferring again to the oi^mbination which ho (Mr. May) 
bad hoped to form be might say at once that at the 
requeNt ot several gentlemen whom he had met iu 
Koglaud be bad dropped that part of bis soheme, 
although he bad heard no argnmout that had changed 
ins mind at all as to the advisability of taking such a 
step. Ue had stndied the queatiou for foot years aud 
had not spruug the pr oposal upon them. It had re- 
ceived bis most onroful thought aud oonmderatiun, 
and had bneu passed by m»ny of the best heads in 
America. If such a combination should ever he fioated 
in tho tntnre, the Loudon ooutiugeot, even to the 
smallest broker, wonld be represented. Tho old Com- 
pany had made a failure- Americana called a concern 
n failure when it showed no resnlt. The books were 
not of such a character as to bring iu new iuvo'^tors. 
Well, he was brought iu and made Freaident of the 
Oompany, and he had devoted all bis time and energies 
to finding oat wbat ooold be done with Ceylon Toa 
in America. He found that America did not liko 
the teas Iri'in Japan and China. The Consul of 
Amoy had sttid to the American Secretary of 
State that tho tea sent to the United States was the 
worst stuff that it was possiule to get in tho world. 
He and his friends also discovered that the Ceylon 
U a they had sold was used to carry off the rubbish 
from other countries. He was nuw in this position. 
The Company ouuUl get investors, but conll they get 
people who had faith in the movement, and, perhaps, 
in himself V Everybody who came into the ofUce said, 
it was A good thing, buc they asked if there were 
really any Oeylon pUuters in it. They wanted to 
know if it wa-i expected that tho American people 
would pnt money into a concern to be worked for tho 
sake of the Oeylon planters, who would yet take 
none of the risk. lie did not see his way, either, to 
bring in only American pot ple to make a market that 
anybody outside might come into aud spoil. He 
wantFd to edui^ate the people of America to appreciate 
Ceylon tea, pure. But in came sueh people as Jieivrley 
ik Tooge with their “Coyliuig” and other brands; 
mixtures with very little Oey'on tea in them. This 
was teacliiog the people to detest Ceylon tea. The 
Aratriosn never went half way iu anything, and if ho 
got the nothin that the tea he took was Coylon aud was 
not good, he would have no moro of it. Ue (Mr May) 
wanted the planters lo aid him in letting the American 
Tea Company show wbat a splendidly largo market 
there was in America for pure Oeylon tea. In order to 
give some idea of the kind of assietauoe lie wished fo? 
