February r, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



595 



physical and mental 8tandard of men of uur own 

 times. If we were to follow his argument to its logic- 

 al end, we should not be surprised to find that the 

 use — or abuse — of the popular beverage through so. 

 many years had by its debasing and destructive tend- 

 encies, in virtue of the process of natural selection, 

 caused the tea-drinkers to go to the wall, or set 

 each man against hii fellow, and brought Macaulay's 

 New Zealanfler to contemplate the ruins of St. Paul's, 

 or Campliell's last man to bewail the infatuation of 

 his sacrificed ancestors To fix the ills and misfort- 

 unes of race and individual upon one or other be- 

 setting fault, such as excessive tea-drinking, is as 

 unreasonable as to ascribe the brain disease of a 

 madman to his insane acts. We would not for a 

 moment be held to countenance the abuse of what 

 in moderation is undoubtedly a tranquillizer of the 

 temper, and a pleasunt and harmless stimulant. Times 

 enough we have directed attention to the injurious 

 practice of laking strong tea to excess, and cap cially 

 upon an empty etoniHch, and to the harmfulnees of 

 ingredients such as artificial colouring matter, em- 

 ployed for sordid gain. But there is a medium in all 

 things, even in those where the worst is not very 

 bad or the best very good. Hardworked minds and 

 fatigued bodies are often the better for some gentle 

 stimulant that rouses into gentle activity the nerves 

 which minister to animal life and com'ort. Tea has 

 its uses and abuses, like most other things; but we 

 are incli-vd to th)uk that the latter are an insigni- 

 ficant set-off to the former. 



TEA DOCK CHARGES. 



There has for a long time past been great discontent 

 in the tea trade as to the dock charges, the method of 

 sampling, and the way in which the teas are delivered. 

 This feeling has culminated this week in a meeting of 

 the trade, at which thirty-five of the leading firms were 

 represented, and at which great unanimity of feeling 

 prevailed. The committee of the Wholesale Tea Dealers' 

 Association have, for some time past, endeavoured to cope 

 with the evils complained of in detail by taking up the 

 questions with any new warehouses that may be started ; 

 but this policy has hitherto had little effect, and to many 

 appefft-s an undesirable way of approaching the question. 

 The bold and general movement pointed at in the second 

 part of the resolution submitted to the meeting, appears 

 to be what is required. Even five of the larger bouses, 

 firmly united, have conquered far greater obstacles than 

 those involved in obtaining a complete reform in the 

 dock and \vh:xrf charges of London ; and with the un- 

 animity of feeling shown at a meeting of uo less than 

 thirty-five firms, there ought to be uo difficulty about 

 obtaiuiiig juster treatment from the docks and wharves. 

 It seems most unfair that the tea dealers should pay 

 heavily increased charges, in order that the wharfingers 

 and dock companies may pay increasing secret discounts, 

 which have risen up to 50 per cent to the tea importers. 

 The practice in itself is highly undesirable, as is clearly 

 shown by the secrecy with which it is conducted, and 

 it Ls certainly impossible to see what good purpose it 

 serves. With reference to the question of tea delivery 

 and warehousing, there is no doubt that no reform will 

 be really effectual which does not entirely alter the war- 

 rant, weight-note, and deposit system, with all its anti- 

 qated absurdities and formalities; but if the tea dealers are 

 not prepared for so complete a change, a material re- 

 duction in the dock charges is, uo doubt, an alteration 

 which all can work for. 



A meeting of the tea trade was held at the Commercial 

 Sale Kooms, Jlincing Lane, on the 14th December, 

 Mr. Hillhuuse (of the firm of R. Hillhouse & Sons) in 

 the chair. That gentleman having explained the cause 

 of the gathering, Mr. Francis Peek (of the firm of 

 Francis Peek, \Viuch & Co.) made remarks to the fol- 

 lo^ving effect : — 



You will remember that some time ago the Wholesale 

 Tea Dealers' Association appointed a Committee to act 

 in their behalf in all matters affecting the interests of 



the trade, especially in regard to the opening of new 

 bonded tea warehouses, the multiplication of which in- 

 volved a serious increase in both trouble and e.'ipense to 

 to the trade. The Committee, acting under this authority 

 have prevented the addition of one warehoii.se which 

 they consider unsuitable, and have enforced a reduction 

 from the excessive charges for sampbng, etc., on two 

 other warehouses which have changed hands. A ware- 

 house has recently been opened uuder fresh ownership, 

 and the proprietors decline to give that abatement iu 

 charges which has been agreed to by the two to which 

 I have just alluded. Louder these circumstances it was 

 thought desirable to call a meeting of the trade, iu order 

 to ascertain, by an expression of their opinion, whether 

 or not they are still of the same mind as when they first 

 gave the Committee authority to act in their behalf. This 

 is the first question that you, gentlemen, will have to 

 decide. But in additon to this, the irienihers of the 

 Committee also desire to obtain from you the power to 

 act in your behalf, and not in your behalf, only, hut in 

 behalf of the entire wholesale and retail trade of the 

 country, iu an endeavour to obtain an alteration. In the 

 charges and the regulations affecting the jjurchase and 

 delivery of tea, which are at present considered — and 

 rightly considered — a great grievaucc. First, let us take 

 the question of sampling. I do not think I speak too 

 strongly when I denounce the present system of sampling 

 the most clumsv, the most annoying, and the most dis- 

 honest that could well be contrived. You all know how 

 it is carried out. A purchaser is supposed to have an 

 unlimited supply of all kinds of tea in his possession 

 and, on receiving a sampling order from a broker, to 

 send equal value to what he is about to draw, to bo 

 substituted in the package from which the sample is 

 taken. Practically, of course, and necessarily, the pur- 

 chaser has nothing of the kind, and simply sends what 

 he has. Let me give one instance of the result. The 

 firm which I represent purchased twenty half-cliests of 

 fine Indian tea, costing 33. 2d. per lb. A customer in tho 

 country wrote up, complaining that in one half-chest of 

 this parcel which had been sent him there were 5 lb. of 

 common tea. I accordingly had the remainder of the 

 parcel examined, and found tliat altogether there were 

 24 lb. of tea worth about Is per lb. In other words, 

 the purchaser of twenty half-eliests would lose about £2 I2s. 

 I would ask you, is this an honest system ? Is it not 

 rather a disgrace to the trade ? Must it not be altered ? 

 The export tr.ade in tea of the country, as no doubt you 

 are aware, has considerably fallen off. Jlay not the cause 

 be found in the fact that anywhere Init in England they 

 do not understand why, when they purchase a che-t of 

 tea, they should find two or three pounds of inferior 

 (piality inserted iu it. The warehouse-keepers have been 

 applied to, to remedy the evil. They are very willing to 



ilo anything, but and this " but " stands, and will 



stand, in the way, until you.force them into compliance. 

 The next grievance is the condition in whic:h package.') 

 are delivered. Often the tru is simply running through 

 them. Abroad they have a tei iii for teas coming from 

 England. You may occasionally see teas ulfered " Jn £/!;/• 

 li^fh Ordet',^^ which means simply in a disreputable condi- 

 tion. It is useless to appeal to the warehouse-keepers 

 on this point. They say they cannot afford to employ 

 more men. I now come to the ijuestion of charges : I 

 should think ours is the only trade, in tho world in which 

 the owners of property cannot inspect that property 

 without paying 6d per package for doing so. He cannot 

 sample his own property without paying 6d for obtain- 

 ing the sample. He cannot have a card nailed with a 

 tin-tack on a package witliout paying Id for tho oper- 

 ation. These charges, you will remember, were not very 

 long ago raised to their present amount on the plea th;it 

 the cost of labour had increased ; but, strangely enough, 

 within a very short time, we heard that the merchants 

 were receiving an extra 15 per cent discount on the 

 charges on teas which they placed in the hands of tho 

 warehouse-keepers. And this is really the key to the whole 

 position. The warehouse-keepers pay no r<!gai-il to tho 

 wishes of the dealers, they charge them exorbitant rates, 

 they treat their complaints with indifference, simply be- 

 cause they believe they are powerless: and it is for you, 

 gentlemen, to say whether you are content to remaTit iu 



