174 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



the 7 per cent, bank rate coming suddenly 

 at the busiest period of the year con- 

 tributed to make results worse. Unless there 

 is a general recognition that the retail prices 

 of all grades of Tea are to include a fare 

 allowance for the risks and expenses of busi- 

 ness and a reasonable profit in addition, some 

 of the middlemen and many of the small re- 

 tailers will be forced out of the trade. 



Consumers. 



While the producers got Id. per lb. on the 

 average in London over the price of 1905, and 

 the Chancellor of the Exchequer Id. per lb. less 

 than in moot of that year, the consumer was as 

 carefully as possible prevented from recognising 

 that any changes had taken place. The ever- 

 foolish distributer benevolently kept the 

 balance even. The struggle to continue offering 

 a retail Tea at Is. per lb. continued to the end 

 of the year. In the lower grades the quality 

 was probably the poorest that could be pro- 

 duced by sweeping up the remnants from all 

 the great Tea ports of the world, but the rela- 

 tive fall in the better grades enabled much Tea 

 of good type and character to be retailed at 

 prices hitherto unknown. 



The rate of consumption per person (6'21 lb 

 per annum) is the highest on record for the 

 United Kingdom, and it is exceeded only in the 

 Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of 

 New Zealand, and in the somewhat doubtful 

 case of Tibet. 



The marked prosperity of the working classes 

 especially, and of the community generally 

 throughout most of the year, doubtless accounts 

 for the great strength of the demand, and it is 

 satisfactory to note that the increase in the 

 home consumption has been accompanied by 

 similiar increase in the use of cocoa and coffee. 

 It is not so satisfactory, however, to record that 

 there have been increases also in the amount of 

 importation of foreign wines and spirits and in 

 the home duties collected from spirits, all of 

 which had boen for some years previously appa- 

 rently diminishing in consumption. 



Indian Tea. 



The displacement of London as the centre 

 of distribution continues with tea as with many 

 other classes of goods, and although the total 

 importations into the London warehouses de. 

 c lined only about 10 million lb. as compared 

 wit the previous year, the offerings there at 

 pul lie auction were very much less, being in 

 fact the lowefct at any time during the last six 

 year Part of the falling off arises from the 



fact that many teas are bought " ex ship " or 

 imported by blenders for immediate use, and 

 that many now go direct upon arrival to country 

 bonds for distribution from there. The largest 

 factor in the diminution of quantity, however, 

 has been the fact that some 60,000 packages 

 more had up till Christmas been sold in the 

 Calcutta auction than were disposed of there 

 in the same part of the previous season. The 

 strength of the Russian demand (which has 

 largely been transferred from the London market 

 to those of Calcutta and Colombo) has now 

 become the determining factor in price, and it 

 is somewhat surprising that more teas have not 

 been offered abroad rather than in London. 

 The Calcutta market has during the year shown 

 an improvement in value of about 27 per cent, 

 on the average price for 1906, while the average 

 price in London advanced only |d. per lb. 

 or about 10 per cent. It is unfortunate for the 

 shareholdera in certain Companies which seem 

 committed (possibly by arrangements with 

 warehouse-keepers, brokers and others) to ship 

 all their Tea to London, that the full benefit 

 cannot be obtained of the alternative market. 

 Were the Calcutta market more fully supplied, 

 it is probable that it would be supported even 

 better than now, as many English buyers prefer 

 the more practical conditions of buying there 

 and importing to their own warehouses, without 

 the necessity of incurring the costs that fall on 

 all teas offered at public auction in London. 

 They are also able to buy in Calcutta on the 

 more reasonable basis of bids advancing by 

 l-12d. per per lb., instead of as in London by ^d. 

 per lb. 



It will be seen that although the imports to 

 the United Kingdom were 171,390,000 lb. or a 

 decrease of about 12^ million lb on the previous 

 year, the deliveries for home consumption and 

 foreign trade were some 7 million lb in excess 

 of the importations, being almost up to the 

 figure of the previous year. This is most satis- 

 factory when it is held in rememberance that 

 during the new season up till Christmas the 

 Russian buyers took direct from Calcutta about 

 8i million lb more than the very large total 

 they had taken in the previous year. The yield 

 for the season seems to have been a most 

 uncertain one, some estate stopping early 

 and giving short crops, others holding 

 on and giving large increases, but it 

 appears probable that it will wind up 

 with a slight deficiency upon the record crop of 

 1906, Dooars is the only district in which there 

 was a general short outturn. The quality gene- 



