OCCASIONAL NOTE

At the last meeting of the Indian Tea Cess Committee Mr. Newby drew attention to the large and increasing quantities of tea which were being imported into India via Bombay.

“I do not want to suggest,” added Mr. Newby, “that the imports of foreign tea should be stopped. That would be fatal, unless railway traffic westwards is made easier for us; for business on the Bombay side would then be at a standstill and the trade would be killed.”

Mr. Newby did not refer to a possibility touched upon by a correspondent of the Madras Mail, who inquires whether the Government of India, in permitting the import of Java tea, have considered the fact, which he gives with some assurance, that “some at least of the estates in Java are German-owned, and even if under Dutch control are managed by Germans, and a large percentage of the shareholders are Germans.”

He suggests that the matter should engage the attention of the Indian Tea Association, and, if the facts are as stated, it will doubtless be taken up.

It may be pointed out, however, that if the cessation of imports from Java under present conditions would paralyse the work of the Tea Cess Committee on the Bombay side, it might be found convenient to allow the Java gardens to foster the Indian demand for tea until normal conditions are resumed, after which the Java growers, might, and doubtless would, receive the short shrift which they are said to deserve.

AGED PRIEST CHARGED WITH MURDER

Before Mr. A.H. Clayton, officiating Commissioner of the Chittagong Division and ex-officio Sessions Judge of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and two assessors, Keijai Thakur, a Buddhist priest aged 84, of Sonaichari monastery, stood charged with murdering a Buddhist student aged 10, who resided in the monastery.

The accused when arrested stated before the headman that he mistook the boy for a dog and struck him with a dao. The prosecution has not been able to assign any motive for the crime, but four boys of the monastery deposed that while the deceased was writing the accused approached him from behind and murdered him.

One of the assessors found the accused not guilty while the other assessors found him guilty. The Commissioner found him guilty and sentenced him to transportation for life.

ANCIENT SYSTEMS OF MEDICINE

The Legislative Council reassembling today, the Hon. Mr. Rangachariar moved a resolution asking for the encouragement of the Ayurvedic and Unani systems of medicine by giving grants-in-aid to existing institutions, translating and publishing oriental medical texts and instituting research into the value of indigenous medical science, and for starting schools for teaching the Ayurvedic and Unani systems of medicine and according facilities for the training of students in anatomy and physiology in Government medical schools and colleges.

Sir Alexander Cardew opposed the motion. He was surprised that a progressive of progressives like Mr. Rangachariar should urge the Government to go back several thousands of years and adopt this archaic institution. As a matter of antiquarian interest, the Government would help in the publication of those ancient texts.

The Government had agreed in order that there might be no charge of want of sympathy on their part of endeavour to ascertain what were the drugs which would be of value to Ayurvedic doctors. In pursuance of this object the Government had taken away from the Medical College one of its most trusted professors to carry on that undertaking.

CONTROLLERS OF RAILWAY DESPATCHES 

It is understood that the Government of India have decided to appoint Controllers of Railway Despatches to be located at the headquarters and other important centres of the principal broad gauge railway administrations, such as Bombay, Calcutta, Lahore and Madras.

They are to act under the Controller of Traffic, in close touch with the railways, to co-ordinate the work of the various despatching authorities and speed up the clearing of traffic, thereby enabling better use to be got out of rolling stock.

The measure is one of decentralisation, and amongst other advantages should reduce the difficulty which arises in India at present owing to the great distances and the time that communications between the Controller of Traffic and the railways take to come through.

NATIONALISTS AND SINN FEINERS

It had been announced that Nationalist and Sinn Fein demonstrations would be held simultaneously in Omagh yesterday. Mr. Dillon arrived and replied to addresses of welcome, afterwards heading a procession to the Nationalists meeting-place, where he found two hundred troops drawn up. Mr. Dillon told the people to disperse, as he did not wish to expose them to violence from the forces of the Crown.