CHAPTER II 



LARGE CONSUMERS 



WHEN we turn our attention to the countries and peoples 

 who are large consumers, we find that heading the list as 

 the greatest tea importers of the world are the people of 

 the United Kingdom. During the last few years the 

 annual import of tea from all sources into this country 

 has averaged no less than 255,112,000 Ibs., costing us 

 8,683,000 ! We are followed by Russia, which annually 

 receives about 126,000,000 Ibs., the United States with 

 81,389,000 Ibs., followed by Holland, Australia, Canada, 

 Germany and New Zealand with much smaller amounts. 



To us, as English people, a most important question 

 in connection with the world's tea industry is, to what 

 extent is the British-grown article displacing from the 

 world's market the product of our only serious rival, 

 China ? Let us consider the state of affairs in some of 

 the chief consuming countries. In the United States 

 and Canada the taste for British-grown teas appears to 

 have taken a firm hold. The quantity sent direct 

 from Calcutta to Canada in 1904 was thirty-five per 

 cent, higher than in 1903. Further, black teas from 

 China have practically disappeared from the Canadian 

 market, and in all probability the green teas from Japan, 

 which at present are very popular in America, will 

 follow them in a few years ; for since Ceylon green tea 

 was introduced in 1899 the imports from Japan have 

 decreased from eleven to four million pounds. 



The United States takes a fair quantity of Indian 

 tea, and the increase in popularity of the beverage 



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