June i, i8S6.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



863 



to the proposal (which first appeared in the Timtji news- 

 paper) to increase the duty was prepared and presented 

 by your asfociiition to the Kight Hon. O. E. (Mulders, 

 M.P., then Chancellor of the Exi;he(]Uer. This step was 

 in accordance with the views of tht; Indian Tea Associ- 

 ation of Calcutta, from whom a telegnioi was received as 

 follows: — "Urge strong representation against pro- 

 posed tea duty — are moving Government of Indiu 

 to protest." lu this petition your committee drew 

 attiution to the fact that the existing duty of (id 

 l»er lb. amounted to over 70 per cent of the market 

 value of the teas imported from all countrit'H, aiul, 

 in the case of at least a moiety of the import, to 

 as much as the prime cost of the article, ami thus con- 

 stituted a distinctively onerous tax on a couunodity of 

 such uuiversal consvmiption in this country as to be 

 justly regarded as oue of the prime dietary necessities 

 of life. It was further pointed out th:it the ett'ect of 

 the increased duty upon the Indian tea industry would 

 be seriously detrimental, while it would tend to restrict 

 the consumption of tea, and he likely to check the pro- 

 motion of habits of thrift and temperance among the 

 people. It is satisfactory to able to state that, as 

 prayed by youi" committee, the duty on tea was not 

 increared. 



lu vi<ed Ci'-stoms Herniations for H'eighmeni. — The 

 Loudon AVholesale Tea Dealer's Association having 

 expressed a desire that certain alteratious in the 

 dirertion of greater clearness should be made in the 

 rules issued by the Commissioners of H.M. Customs, 

 in September, 18S;.i. for regulating the conditions of 

 net weighment of tea. your committee havin^; duly 

 considered and approved of the proposal, a joint com- 

 munication was addressed to the Board of Customs 

 O-skingthem to sanction these alterations ; and, on the 0th 

 November last, the foil :i wing order was issued con- 

 taining the revised regulations on which Indian teas 

 are now weighed : — 



" General Order, tj5-ISS5. 

 *• Custom Hous>e, London, Nov. f, 1885. 



" Sir,— I am desired by the Iioar<l to acquaint you 

 that, in consequence of representations made to them 

 on bfhaU' of the Indian tea trade, they have approved 

 of the following regulations for ascertaining the weight 

 of Indian teas on importation in lieu of those laid 

 down in Ueueral Order 5-1S81, which is hereby e;wn- 

 celled, viz. : — 



I. — The packftgt^s on arrival to be weighed to as- 

 certain the gross weight of eavh package. 



2. — The importers to give with each entry a state- 

 ment that the teas in each break hav'i; been bulked 

 in India, ami that the chests of each break contain 

 even not weights. 



3. — In order to test the accuracy of this statement, 

 ten per cent of each break to be turned out and 

 weigiied net, but in no case are less than three chcvsts 

 to l»ie turned out. 



4. — If the variation in weight of the test packages, 

 fmm each other, he found to exceed two pounds, the 

 whole parcel is to 1>h tared. For instance, if the te-t 

 packages weigh net 7!>, 80, antl 81 lb. respectively, the 

 variations would not exceed two pounds, but if one 

 package be found to weigh 70 lb., and any other S2 

 Ih. or more, tlien the whole break to be lared;unle-s 

 the import*T and surveyor consider that an aver- 

 age tare can equitably be given, in which case the 

 tarers must not vary more than two pounds, as in the 

 cise of the net weights. 



5. — Duty is to be charged on the average weight 

 of tlie packnges weighed net, provided tliat, wheu the 

 average of the packaj^es weighed not amounts to so 

 mnny pounds aud a half or more, the half ur nioru 

 will be charged ms a fuil pound ; when the fraction is 

 less than a lialf, it m:iy be disrej^arded 



0. — All Indian teas bulked in this country are to be 

 weighed gro^s and each chest tiired. 



** I am t<j add that the importers ate to be h1- 

 Inweil the option of having teas dcidt with under Ilie 

 above regulations or under the general regulations on 

 thi« subject laid down in General Order, 19-1882. — 

 I am. Sir, your obedient servant, 



** II. Murray, Secretary. 



Factury Bnlkiny. — With reference to the bulking 

 of te.is in India, so as to send the crop forward in 

 a condition to be sold on arrival in London without 

 the delay incurred by having to perform that oper- 

 ation in this country, there is still room for much 

 improveuunt, many invoices, as noted recently in a 

 trade circular, being marked as '* bulked '* which, on 

 inspection, prove to be so uneven that re-hulking 

 here, to make the tea merchantable, is irnperativi-. 

 It cannot be too strongly urged upon managers (tf 

 tea estates that to reap the full benefit of bvilking in 

 India and net weighing here, the necessary conditions 

 must be rigidly adhered to, viz., thoYontfli hufkhii/ at 

 ike utirdcHy and an ri'in quantitij ixxcktd in eiwh chrst 

 of tht hreaiif otherwise the labour and cost of bulking 

 at the factory will have been to no purpose. 



London U'(trihoiL<e Rates. — The inereased rates for 

 warehousing tea imposed by a jointcommittee of dock 

 compai;ies and warehouse keepers, at and from the 

 first July last, without notice to your committee were 

 made the subject of correspomlence, and your com- 

 mitte were informed that such increased rates were 

 to last until the SOth .June nexfc,any alteration in the 

 enhanced rates being a (juestinu fur the consideration 

 of the dock companies and warehouse keepers them- 

 selves. Yom- committee have to report that tiie dock 

 companies and warehouse proprietors have issued a 

 revised scale of rates and charges for warehousing 

 and working Indian teas, to take effect from 1st July, 

 188(3 ; tlie reductions to be made in the present charges 

 are equivalent to about seven per cent., but as the 

 warehouse proprietors will allow only five per cent, 

 discount from first July next, instead of ten per cent. 

 as at present, the actual reduction in charges on teas 

 in private warehouses will amount to only about two 

 per cent, from 1st July next. Under these circum- 

 stances your committee have completed satisfactory 

 arrangements with the proprietors of Butler's Wharf, 

 Southwark. for warehousing aud working Indian teas 

 on reasonable terms which will be communicated t-o 

 the members, on application to the secretary of this 

 association, and it may be stated that the Wlndesale 

 Tea Dealers' Association give a preference to teas lying 

 at liutler's Wharf. 



iionns to Coolies. — Your committee have approved 

 of t he revised rules framed by the Indian Tea 

 Assoeiation of Calcutta, for regulating the rates of 

 binus to be given to coolies on their leaving one 

 garden for another, by which it is hoped that 

 economy may be promoted and disputes avoided. 



Coloni'd and Indian E.vhihilion, 1880. — A Colonial 

 and Indian Exhibition will be opened by her 

 Majesty the Queeu en May 4. Your committee 

 have arranged with Messrs. H. S. King aiul Co., 

 who act as a;jents for the Itoyal Commission, that 

 they shall perform the executive duties connected 

 with the Indian tea exhibit in co-operation with a 

 sj)ecial sub-committee of the association. Samples 

 of teas from different estates will be exhibited in n 

 uniform manner. Selected teas from the various 

 district.s, in attractive packets, will be on sale. 

 Infused tea, c-irefuUy prepared, will be offered to 

 the public at moderate prices. The careful manner 

 in winch the arran;^ements are being carrieil out, will, 

 it is believed, have the effect of popularising Inli.iu 

 tea both at home aud among colonial and other 

 visitors. 



FrQuh iMarkets for hdian Teas. — Your committee 

 are glad again to report that the tradi; with Australia 

 and New Zealand C'Uitinucs to sliow a satisfactory 

 rate of progress. The exports from Calcutt.i to thi"^e 

 countries for the period, January I to December 31, 

 1885, have been 1, 8t)7,«25 lb., against 1.020,l(i:j lb. for 

 the same period in 18M, and O0fi,47ii lb. for tlie same 

 period in 188:5. It is to be regretted tli;it the trade 

 with America does not 'i)rogress in the same satis- 

 factory m-nu'r^ hit yo'ir committee stdl believe that 

 patient, persevering efforts to open up this large field 

 will eventually meet with sncces.s — and also that a 

 field will be found on the Continent for Indian teas. 

 T<:a Stati.itics.—Thi: imports and deliveries for home 

 consumption of Indian tea (including Ceylon) in the 

 Cnit^Mt Kingdom for the last nine seasons have been 



