STATISTICS REGARDING INDIAN TEA. 



199 



United Kingdom were 32, 21 8,000 Ibs. against only 28,947,000 Ibs. 

 in the corresponding half of 1881. 



The significant feature of the movement, however, is the 

 very agreeable surprise, month by month, caused by the pub- 

 lication of the delivery figures. These compare for the last few 

 months as follows : 



Deliveries of the last Four Months compared with corresponding 

 Months. 



Increase ... 779,000 969,000 733,000 1,398,000 



A continuance of similar large increases is most probable, 

 especially as we compare with the relatively small deliveries 

 of February to April inclusive of last year, when only 

 10,489,000 Ibs. were taken from warehouse, against I2,782,ooolbs. 

 in the same months of 1881 a decrease of 2,293,000 in three 

 months. Part of the decrease may be attributed to the then 

 higher range of medium and common Indian Teas. 



The net result of the above statistics is that with no mate- 

 rially larger arrivals visible, even with the liberal allowance of 

 5,000,000 Ibs. increased shipments for the crop year the 

 deliveries give every promise of showing very considerable 

 expansion, and, as we have said, threaten for the complete 

 year to more than absorb the extra supply. 



To enable anyone to check and form an independent opinion 

 on the forecast we venture to give, we present below the 

 imports and deliveries, half-year by half-year, for the four 

 seasons 1879-80 to 1882-83 inclusive, with the totals of each 

 crop year : 



