598 



The Supplement to the Tropica] ' A griouliurist 



were not suited to the Coi tinental taste and 

 that Indians or blends with Indian would do 

 better. But it is gratifying to see English 

 dealers alive to the fact that a trade has been 

 opened for them on the Continent, and I am 

 pleased to see that the well-known (irm of Messrs. 

 Brooke, Bond & Co. kindly acknowledge in 

 their Annual Report that this trade is due to 

 the persistent efforts and the sacrifices which 

 the British Planter has made. 



It is true the direct exports from Ceylon in 

 1907 are less than those in 1906, and this is the 

 case specially in the exports to Germany, where 

 the short-fall amounts to over 452,000 lb.— the 

 total decrease for the year to all Europe, ex- 

 cluding Russia, being 670.363 lb. Complete 

 figures for the Re export from Great Britain 

 are not yet available, but as far as yet ascer- 

 tained, they also show a small decrease. There 

 is a small increase to Holland and France, but 

 the decrease to Germany is 25,000 lb., and there 

 is a decrease to the rest of Europe. Though 

 there is a decrease in the Exports to Germany, 

 the Customs returns show in the quantities 

 cleared for consumption, an increase of 170,500 

 lb. of Ceylon Tea, and of 102,740 lb. of Indian 

 Tea ; and this, notwithstanding the fact that 

 for 10 months of 1906 all teas imported from 

 Great Britain were classified under their country 

 of origin, whereas in 1907 the old system has 

 been reverted to, of entering those teas ex- 

 ported from Great Britain as belonging to that 

 country. And if we credit India and Ceylon 

 with a third each of the quantity imported from 

 Great Britain in 1907, the increase in each case 

 will be an extra 80,000 to 9!), 000 lb. The total 

 increase in the case of Ceylon must, therefore, be 

 say, 260.000 lb. and in the case of India 190,000 

 lb. The consumption of Java and China sorts 

 shows for the first time a decrease, which 

 amounts to 36,000 and 299,640 lb. respectively. 



The returns for the Custom clearances of other 

 countries in Europe are not yet available The 



DECKEASE IN THE EXPOKTS TO THE CONTINENT 



must be attributed to the high prices for 

 medium and common teas, which formed so 

 marked a feature in the second half of 1906. 

 Dealers did not anticipate that the advance in 

 price would be maintained throughout 1907. 

 The orders passed direct to Ceylon were small 

 and mostly at limits which prohibited their ex- 

 ecution. Dealers anticipated a fall in price 

 which never came, and the consequence has 

 been a larger hand-to-mouth supply drawn from 

 stocks in first hands. At the same time there 

 has been an increase in the use of all the poorer 

 sorts. In Fiance, Annam Teas have been em- 

 ployed, and in the rest of the Continent China 

 sittings, thus enabling the Retailer to sell his 

 blends at the old price without loss. 



The conscientious vendors of Ceylon teas have 

 found competition very difficult to meet. They 

 have not been able to raise their prices, as ven- 

 dors of other sorts have not raised theirs. The 

 plea that, as the first cost has increased, more 

 should be paid, is of no avail, because the pub- 

 lic have always been able to purchase so-called 

 Ceylon Teas at the old rates from less scrupulous 

 suppliers. This is especially the case in France; 

 a glance at the figures giving the quantities 



cleared for home consumption will show how 

 greatly the consumption of Annam tea has in- 

 creased. Inl899 — theyearprior to the commence- 

 ment of our campaign— the figures of consump. 

 tion were as follows : — 



From China direct .. 523,064 Kilos 



,, British India .. 124 098 „ 



,, Annam ... 46,015 „ 



whereas the latest figures available (those for 

 1906) give the following : — 



From China . . Kilos 478,390, baing a decrease of 8 per cent 

 ,, British 



India . . „ 223,096, an increase of 79 per cent; 

 ., Annam.. ,, 273,970, an increase of 475 per cent. 



It is the Propaganda in the interests of 

 Ceylon tea which has mainly helped this 

 enormous consumption of Annam. Little or 

 no Annam tea is sold under its own name, 

 while a still less quantity is sold pure. 



In 1900 and 1901 the French Importers 



endeavoured to push 



ANNAM TEA, 



but owing to the wretched quality of the 

 deliveries they were badly hit, and the principal 

 firm in Havre, as well as the largest in Paris, 

 assured mo they would have no more to do with 

 it. I suppose circumstances have been too 

 strong for them, as owing to the cheapness of 

 Annam tea, due to its poor quality and 

 to the differential duty in its favour, they 

 have been compelled to follow their com- 

 petitors and to uso Annam largely in 

 their blends. The fact remains that Ceylon 

 blerded with Annam is sold all over 

 France as Ceylon tea, and that Annam blended 

 with China is also sold as Ceylon. The good 

 name of Ceylon is being used to push Annam 

 tea. The French public does not ask for Annam 

 tea and does not know it as such. 



It is therefore somewhat vexations to see the 

 efforts made by the French Authorities to dis- 

 credit Ceylon in favour of Annam. I would call 

 your attention to a paragiaph which appeared 

 in the "Illustration'' of 18th January, being a 

 quotation from a Report made to the "Aca- 

 demic des Sciences" by Monsier Dybouski. I 

 quote the original as it appeared in the "Illus- 

 tration ': — 



"Le bon the de l'lndo-Chine possede un arorae si dellcal, 

 qu'on lui fait subir un triage minntieux : les meilleures 

 ftuilles sont utilises pour parfumer les thes de Chine el 

 de Ceylari : selilesles feuilles inf£rieures sont vendues sans 

 melange ?" 



The importance of this statement is evident 

 when it is remembered that Monsieur Dybouski 

 is L' Inspecteur-General de L' Agriculture Colo- 

 niale and is an official of the Ministere des 

 Colonies and "works,'' as the French say, "for 

 his Parish." Immediately on the receipt of the 

 paper containing the para. I caused a represen- 

 tation to be made to Monsieur Dybouski to the 

 effect that his report was what Mr Churchill 

 would call a "terminological inexactitude." He- 

 indignantly denied that he had said anything of 

 the sort and protested, that he was not respon- 

 sible for what a journalist might write. He ad- 

 mitted that he said in France, Annam teas were 

 used to flavour (Jeylon teas and referred me to 

 his Report which has not yet been published. I 

 have reasons to believe that the Report will be 

 altered before being made public, but Monsieur 

 Dybouski is convinced that Annam teas are much 



