34 



fMg fiOPiCAL AdRietJLTURIST. 



[July 



[886. 



work with some injustice to the recipients of single 

 packages, and a representation was made to tlie 

 Customs' authorities which resulted in the amended 

 regulation of November !Hh last. It provides tliat it 

 the variation in the test packages exceeds 2 lb., the 

 whole parcel »ust be weighed gross and tare as 

 formerly. Your committee would be glad to re- 

 ceive the opinion of the members generally upon 

 the working of this amended regulation, as two 

 or three cases of gross irregularity have recently been 

 reported. An improved method of sampling tea has 

 been adopted at Butler's Wharf, by ■^hich a return 

 of fair value is guaranteed, and by the introduction 

 of the principle of payment by stamps the de.ders' 

 returns are lendered unnecessary. This, it is confid- 

 ently believed, will relieve the dealers from some 

 trouble, and no inconsiderable risk of robbery ; at 

 the same time, purchasers will, in all cases receive 

 returns, nearly, if not more, than equivalent in 

 value to the sample drawn. It is hoped other 

 warehouse proprietors will see their way to adopt a 

 similar course in this respect. The charges for 

 sampling aud carding tea at the bonded warehouses 

 have for a long time beeu considerei exorbitant, 

 and your committee, after making repeated applic- 

 atious to the proprietors for redress, h ive at last the 

 pleasure to state that these rates were reduced on 

 February 1st, the former by about 30 per cent, and 

 the latter 60 per cent. This the members will no 

 doubt consider a satisfactory step. There is, how- 

 ever, a matter in- respect to the varying rates of in- 

 surance for teas lying at the docks and Wixcehouses 

 which is engaging the attention of your Committee, 

 who expected the warehouse proprietors whould have 

 met the case liberally. Two or three, however, have 

 arranged either to piy or allow the aniouat paid for 

 insurance, and negotiations are pending which will, 

 it is hoped, result in the trade being placed iu a 

 position to be indepLuidcnt of wareliouses where no 

 allowance is made. The thanks of tne Committee 

 are again due to Mes.srs. Francis Peek, Winch & 

 Co. for the use of their room for meetings' and in 

 conclusion your Committee would acknowledge the 

 continued confidence and valuable support of the mem- 

 bers, upon whose assistance they rely to successfully carry 

 on tiic important work of protecting and advancing 

 their interests. — Signed on behalf of the Committee, 

 Charles Hilhonse, Chairman. 



The Chairman moved — "That the report and state- 

 ment of accounts be adopted, printed, and circulated 

 amongst the members." He said he thought the 

 report, as a whole, must be deemed satisfactory, in- 

 asmuch as one or two causes of complaint had been 

 met. One regarded the facilitating of the delivery 

 of weight-notes, and the other — which was still more 

 important — affected the trade in the reduction of 

 charges both for sampling and carding tea at the 

 bonded warehouses. There was a further reference 

 in the report to a matter at present in embryo — 

 a matter which must be pushed forward with con- 

 siderable energy and determination on the part of 

 the trade, inasmuch as it was of the most vital 

 importance to the wholesale man and to the dealer 

 in the country — that was the question of sampling. 

 There were very few days in the week in which 

 wme of them did not receive some notice as to the 

 quantity or quality (>f tea in chests forwarded to 

 iheir customers. The plan that had been adopted 

 at one wharf of making payments by stamps Jiad 

 inaugurated a principle which had occupied the 

 attention of the trade for some years, aud they 

 hoped that the system at Butler's Wharf would be 

 permanently adopted at all warehouses. It would im- 

 prove the returns, and insure the recipient of the tea 

 that quality which he had a right to e.xpect. With 

 regard to insurance, it was a very broad and ditficult 

 question, but it was within the knowledge of the trade 

 that the rates of insurance liad been considerably en- 

 hanced lately, and the committee thought they had a 

 very fair claim on the dock companies, looking to 

 the charges that the trade was subjected to. The 

 committee, therefore, asked that the trade might be 

 met to a certain extent in the extra payment. The 

 Pfoj^Ktotif <jf yue war«l;ioub« bad altogether ajreud to 



pay the extra charge, and from the proprietors of 

 another a satisfactory answer liad been received ; but 

 with regard to some of the larger warehou.ses — thost 

 belonging to the East aud West ludia Docks and 

 general warehouses — tho committee had not made the 

 progress they had hoped for. They were still, how- 

 ever, having interviews with gentlemen interested, and 

 he hoped that before long they would be able to get 

 those gentlemen to see the force of the reasons 

 actuating them. In reference to the accommodation 

 for the bonding of tea the committee felt that, with 

 the large increase in the importation of tea which 

 had taken place in the last twenty-five or thirty years, 

 since the abolition of the charter, there was not suffi- 

 cient accommodatiou for the trade, and an applic- 

 ation had been made to the Customs to sanction an 

 increase of bonding facilities, which they did not 

 seem at present inclined to grant. They had referred 

 the Committee to the Treasury, and a deputation 

 would very shortly wait upon one of the Lords of the 

 Treasury on the subject, because the Committee felt 

 that if they could get more bonded warehouse 

 included in the Customs bond they would be able 

 to bring more power to bear on the warehouses, 

 which at present had a control over tea which 

 amounted almost to a monopoly. If there were 

 other warehouses to which preference might be given, 

 an outside force might be brought to bear on 

 the companies, so that the trade would have a 

 chance of carrying its point. He hoped the members 

 of the trade would consider the report satisfactory. 



Mr. Worthington seconded the motion, which was 

 agreed to. 



Mr. Pearse proposed Mr. Jones seconded, and it 

 was resolved : — " 'That the members of the Committee 

 and the Honorary Treasurer be re-elected for the ensu- 

 ing year; and further, that the thanks of this meet- 

 ing be tendered to them for their eflScient »ervices." 



On the proposition of Mr. Peek, seconded by Mr. 

 S. Edwards, it was resolved: — " That inasmuch as the 

 importation of tea has increased nearly 100 per 

 cent since the present bonded wharves and ware- 

 houses were licensed by the Customs authorities, 

 aud as the limitation of bonding accommodation has 

 tended to combination and exorbitant rates to whole- 

 sale dealers, this meeting requests the Committee to 

 take such steps as may be necessary to secure addi- 

 tional bonding facilities." 



Mr. S. Edwards moved— "That the experiment of 

 having sample returns placed by warehouse proprie- 

 tors in the packages in their keeping, selected from 

 standard qualities, having proved to be practicable 

 and an act of justice to buyers, this meeting requests 

 the Committee to urge the general acceptance of this 

 principle." 



ThSs was seconded by Mr. Lowcock, and agreed to. 



The Secretary, referring to the recent fire at Hay's 

 Wharf, said he visited the premises the day before 

 that meeting. The system that had been adopted 

 where tea was stored three packages on one 

 making a pile of four pickages, and the water came 

 through from the uppar tloor, was this— they treated 

 the toj) and bott)m pickages as damaged atid 

 the two intervening ones as sound hence iu 

 the lists exhibited in the warehouse, the numbers 

 ran irregularly. The proprietors ot the wharf in- 

 formed him tiiat if any dealer wished to have the 

 teas inspected be could send down, and the tea 

 should be laid out for inspection without any ex- 

 pence to the dealer. It was impossible for them to 

 tell with certainty in all cases which packages were 

 damaged aud which were not, and it was very de- 

 sirable in the interests of the wholesale dealers that 

 the teas should be inspected before they were sent 

 away from the wharf, since the liability of the ware- 

 housekeepers ceased upon the teas leaving the bonding 

 warehouse. He had a list, made up to 11 o'clock 

 that morning, of the teas destroyed by the fire, 

 and a long list of those damaged by water, but the 

 proprietors of the wharf had not yet been able to 

 furnish a complete list of all teas burnt, or damaged 

 by water or smoke. 



Mr. Harrison asked what assurance dealers would 

 Uavt that teas uot iucludcd in tUe list really wer« 



