LOCAL TRAFFIC 



CAMELLIA 



THEA 



..in thoso foreign supplies the export* (re-exports) shown above Green Tea 

 i ii is distinctly interesting to have to add tliat recent special Trefflc. 

 iln-ady alluded to) have been directed toward securing for Indian 

 i larger share in the Tibetan and Ontial Asiatic green-tea traffic. 

 ire interesting still, the re-exports of China tea to Persia have as rapidly 

 cd a- ili.- exports of Indian tea have increased. The growth of a trade 

 IVr>ia ami Turkoy-in-Asia in Indian-grown teas is one of the most satis- 



ults dt" the efforts to find markets outside the British Umpire. 



Coast Inx Trade. A study of tho amount of tea carried coastwise to and Coastwise 

 provinces of India helps greatly to elucidate tho particulars available Trade, 

 local consumption. In 1903-4 the total quantity carried by these j^ai 

 le i 4,806,674 Ib. valued at Us. 23,94,580, and in 1905-6 to 4,179,040 Consumption. 

 : .1 at Rs. 20,81,036. Of that amount, Bombay alone in 1903-4 took 

 .00 Ib., of which 3,000,000 Ib. were drawn from Calcutta and thus doubtless 

 d of Assam or Bengal teas, and in 1905-6, 2,093,516 Ib., of which 2,000,000 

 !io from Calcutta. To a large extent perhaps this represents the Persian 

 trallir. The only other item of importance manifested by tho coastwise 



nct-rned with the port of Chittagong. 



Rail mad River- borne Trade. The study of the official publications that have Sources of 

 rod under this heading reveals two important features : (a) the sources Supply. 

 ply upon wliich the great centres of the trade depend ; (6) the expanding 

 . Misiiinption. The total exports from the producing centres were in 

 as follows : From Assam, 150,841,296 Ib. ; from Bengal, 46,936,472 Ib. ; 

 from .Madras, 5,084,328 Ib. ; from the United Provinces, 1,911,912 Ib. ; and from 

 mjab, 655,918 Ib. These show a total of 205,429,926 Ib. as the exported 

 production of 1903-4; but later statistics for 1906-7 show a slight increase 

 to -~\ 873,712 Ib. It is just possible that there is in addition, however, a small 

 export traffic by road, not recorded in the above figures, more especially from 

 ill private gardens that run for special, often local markets. 



Calcutta imported in 1903-4 (from all these areas of production) a total Calcutta. 

 170,735,726 Ib. ; Bombay (town) secured 2,205,308 Ib. (from the United Bombay, 

 ivinces and Panjab, in addition to its supplies coastwise above mentioned) ; 



" as (port) towns received 4,912,292 Ib. (drawn from the Nilgiri hills, Madras. 

 Travancore, etc.) ; and Karachi 29,356 Ib. (from the Panjab and Karachi. 

 Provinces). From these receipts, by the port towns mentioned, have 

 drawn the foreign exports (already shown), the balance being one item 

 of local consumption. So in the same way the supply procured from tho 

 I towns concerned in the foreign trade (177,899,082 Ib.) deducted from the 

 l recorded exports from the areas of production would leave a balance 

 h ritlior goes into local (provincial) consumption, or is exported from other 

 towns not dealt with above, such as Chittagong. The balance in question Chittagong. 

 1903-4) came to 27,530,844 Ib. Now that Chittagong has become the seaport 

 of the new province of Eastern Bengal and Assam, its trade will doubtless 

 separately returned. In the Administration Report of Bengal (1903-4, 82), 

 observed that the running of a direct line of steamers from that port 

 United Kingdom and the through connection with Assam, established 

 completion of the Assam-Bengal Railway, have already caused a large 

 3 in the foreign trade, the total value of which was Rs. 2,50,66,000 in 

 as against Rs. 1,69,71,000 in 1902-3. Of these returns tea represented 

 c of Rs. 75,60,000 in 1902-3, which expanded to Rs. 1,02,40.000 in 

 , It is thus certain that Chittagong will in the near future play an 

 rtaiit role in the tea trade. But to conclude these observations on internal 

 .e and local consumption, a balance sheet might be given by showing pro- Ixxsal 

 ion less foreign exports and foreign imports less re-exports, and these Consumption, 

 sums would doubtless represent very largely local demands; but for the 

 indicated it often happens that the exports exceed the estimated pro- 

 duct ion by as much as a million pounds, so that we are not in a position to give 

 miy \ry satisfactory conception of India's own consumption of tea. Recently, 

 however, a special company has been organised to pioneer the Indian home 

 trade, and it is believed the results are fulfilling all expectations. 



Trans-frontier Land Trade. The trade in tea across the frontier of India Trans- 

 by land routes is not very important, though worthy of consideration. The frontier 

 most surprising feature is that (including Burma) India IMPORTS if anything Trade, 

 more than she EXPORTS. The supply comes mainly from the Northern Shan 

 States, is carried into Burma, and is mostly pickled tea. The total traffic was 



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