March i, 1892.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
621 
ELECTRICITY AS A POWER FOR CEYEON 
TEA FACTORIES. 
More than six months ego we penned end put 
into types some interesting information we bad 
received regarding a project for the employment 
of eleotrioity on Mariawatte estate. At the special 
request of the gentleman from whom wo bad re- 
ceived the information we suppressed our notice, as 
the matter was and we believe still is only under con- 
sideration. As usually happens in such cases, the 
local “Times” gives to the world the informa- 
tion we were requested not to publish. Eequcsls 
to abstain from publicity do not go for much 
with our contemporary. The truth is, that in plant- 
ing circles the fact of the proprietors of Mariawatte 
contemplating the transmission of electric power 
generated by water at a distant portion of the 
property to the factory has been no secret. The 
expedient of removing the factory, whore steam 
is now used, to the looality where water power 
is abundant was precluded, wo believe, by 
the nature of the building, a large and ponderous 
. iron structure. As the transmission of power was 
estimated to cost at least £1,000, we do not wonder 
at hesitation. It happens, also, that with reference 
to a property in which we are interested, the 
question of the transmission of power from the 
lower portion of the estate whore water was abundant 
to the higher where lor three months of the 
year water was scarce, became a practical and urgent 
one. The factory was built at the top of the estate 
when only a subsidiary tea cultivation was contem- 
plated, — when most planters cherished the hope of the 
survival and revival of cofiee. Transmission of 
power upwards by eleotrioity and by belting, after 
consideration, abandoned as too expensive, .and the 
factory is to be moved down to the spot where 
water power is abundant. The question is mainly 
one of comparative expense and efficiency : the 
factory in this case is not an iron one, and the 
lower position is the better in all respects. The 
time is at hand, however, we believe, when elec- 
tricity will be so cheapened as to be largely avail- 
able as a motive force and in the transmission of 
power. 
^ 
,THE CEYLON TOBACCO CO, LTD. 
general meeting. 
Minutes of proocedinga of an extraordinary general 
leetini? of tho aharehriM^rti nf 
jneeting of tho shareholders of tho CoyloiY Tobacco 
Company, Limited, hold on Eaturdav, th 
^ompany, UmiteU, hold on Saturday, the 2«th day 
°} November 1801, within the registered office of tho 
*^°hipany. No. 42, King Street, Randy, at .2 o’clock 
P hi., in tho afternoon. 
Bukiness. 
, To consider the following rosointion : — “ That the 
Leylon Tobaooo Company Ld! bo womid up volimtavily;’ 
to appoint Liquidator or Ijiqnidators ; to decide on 
he remuneration to be paitf to such Liquidator or 
iquidators; and to appoint a person or persons to 
»lject the Liquidators^ accounts. The shareholders 
F> were ; Mr. C. S. Armstrong, Chairman of tho 
Jiuaruot Directors, who presided, Messrs. A. I*. Crawley- 
oevey, D. A. Talbot, D. Held by his attorney O. 
^oiTun, A. Van Stnrrex. J. 
wlatl T"’!, ® u Waller, T. C. Huxley, D. Fair- 
aiider ‘’1’’ ''■“o^hoy J- R- Fairweather, Alcx- 
« chard 'Y- »ioSgih«on,’ T. N. 
Jliim. T-V tJrnminond Deano, .fames R. Fairweather, 
(Idecretiiry of the Company), 
gentlemen held proxies for share- 
L A- Fiuser for Messrs. W. H. 
J X IL»1 IHoSHT 
"•h‘^ Alexander Sotori, Mr. C. S. 
Armstrong for Messrs. P. E. Radlev. .lames Hill and 
I 
!‘“®TT^‘turie, Mr. A. Pliilip'torMessTs" 
78 Voliar, George Wall, 
78 
E. Dick, and Norman Wm. Grieve, Mr. If. 
H. D. Doaiio for Messrs. T. N. Christie, J. Mao 
Donald Murdoch and C. Minto Gwatkin, Mr. G. A. 
Talbot for Mr. H. K. Rutherford, Mr. ,f. H. Sproule 
for Mr. Frederick Domhorst, Mr. A. G. K. Borron 
for Mr. Jas. H. Barber and Mr. J. \V. Vanderstroaten, 
Mr. A. Tail for Mr. H. W. Ashby and Mr. G. D. 
Moir, and Mr. W. Megginson for Mr. 8. L. Harries. 
The notice calling tho meeting was read. The 
minutes of proceedings of the annual general meeting 
of tho Shareholders held at Kandy, on tho 17th day of 
April 1891, were read and were oonfirnied. 
The CiiAiUMAN, Mr. C. S. Armstrong, then ^oko as 
follows in moving the first resolution, viz : — “ That the 
Ceylon Tobacco Company, Limited, bo wound-up volun- 
tarily.” The Company was originally initiated in Jan. 
1889, by Messrs, ll. Fraser and Rntherfurd. It will be 
remembered that it was arranged at a mooting of tho 
promoters of the Company hold on the 19th January 
1889, operations should bo liegun on BandarapoUa 
estate at once under Mr. Fraser's management. Shortly 
after Mr. F’raser's departure to England tho land at 
BandarapoUa was visited by Mr. Vollor and pronounced 
to be unsuitable for tobacco and tho nurseries a failure. 
Your directors consider it is unnecessary hero to 
recapitulate the stops that led to tho final abandon- 
ment of the operations on BandarapoUa clearing, but 
would refer you to the statement of facts by both 
parties dated 22ud November 1890, and the agreement 
on behalf of tho Company also the award by the arbi- 
trators dated May 1891, together with the account 
resulting in an unforeseen loss of about R3,000. In 
tho meantime tho Company had arranged with Mr. 
Holloway to purchase lands in the vicinity of Ukn- 
welle, Wattegama and Katugastota with tho following 
results : 
Tho Katwatto estate 
Lands between Katugastota and Watte- 
f ama and adjacent to Mr. Vollars 
lugama estate viz. Polgolla 
Narangdando 
Goonapana 
Moolgama 
Land at Harrispattu near the road to 
Galegodora known as Oolanapitia 
also two small blocks known as Kengallo 
and Bocalawello . , 
Lands at Dorakumbnra now comprised 
in tho Matale estate. 
A. 
R. 
P. 
314 
3 
10 
57 
.3 
09 
31 
2 
24 
23 
2 
2B 
8 
U 
20 
121 
0 
39 
43 
1 
31 
4 
H 
27 
2 
1 
:io 
7 
1 
17 
128 
,s 
09 
aiiu aireaay negotiated 
for in tho neighbourhood of each of those lota which 
would bring any of them up to a workable acreage 
and tho further purchases of lands in tho neighbour- 
hood was stopod when tho amalgation of Mr Fritz 
MoyeFs mtorost with this Company was arranged 
““mu “f ‘■ho Company is 
R..8,27(i ->7. Iho lands were inspected by your directors 
and approved, and they consider them most admirably 
adapted for cultivation of cither cacao, tea or 
Ijiberiaii coffee. 
On the IHth Jaimaiy 1890 yonr directors favorably 
entertained a proposal from Mr. Fritz Meyer by his 
representative in Ceylon Mr. Schappe to acquire his 
soveml properties at a cost of Bfi0,275'2t> of which 
R 17,fi00 wore taken up in shares in the Company, the 
lands were as follows ; — 
A. K. P. 
Meegama adjoining Mr. Vollar s Meo- 
gama ... 88 o 0 
Katugastota lauds ... 123 3 d 
Davie’s Ferry ... 93 0 () 
Lewello ... 57 p „ 
Ukuivello 7.} >2 28 
409 2 07 
