April 2, 1888.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
at Shanghai. The whirligig of time brings about 
some strange revolutions, but never has it effected 
a moro complete one than is here indicated. The 
despatch is now recommended, of " a number of 
intelligent and practical Chinamen " to learn the 
modes of cultivation and ouring in vogue in Ceylon 
and India ! " so as to become touohers to their 
fellow-countrymen on their return." Sid transit ! 
Well may Eogozin argue that the Yellow llace has 
shown itself capable of originating nearly everything, 
and of carrying its inventions to a certain point — 
but no farther. China was the liret to introduce 
tea to the knowledge of the Western world ; but 
the Chinese grower has not only been left behind, 
but has retrograded in the struggle for existence. 
Apart from the natural incapacity of the Chineie 
for the thoroughness which foreigners bring to 
bear on any given pursuit, we should not be sur- 
prised if this question of taxation were really at 
the bottom of the whole difficulty. May not tax- 
ation be in a great measure responsible for the 
deoadence ? Drivon to compote somehow, under 
a heavy handicap, with teas that are almost free 
from taxation, have not the Chinese tried to 
produce cheapness by skipping labour, — with the 
inevitable consequence of inferior production ? 
The mandarins will of course be apt, if remon- 
strated with on the subjeot, to reply with a /// 
quogue, by pointing to the heavy import duty in 
England. But that has nothing to do with the 
question. The (3d. a pound is levied here on all 
alike — India, China, Java, and Ceylon. The 
handicap is at the other end — whore Indian teas 
start free, and China leaf is weighted with an 
average 30 per cent, duty : for "the average price 
of Shanghai Congou, this season, has been (we 
are told) about Tls. IdJ duty paid," and " duty 
and Ifkhi amount to Tls, 1.10 to Tls. 5.40, ac- 
cording to distriots." How is it possible for the 
Chinese grower to compete under such disadvant- 
ages? "It is an unchallengeable axiom that a 
trade gravitates to tho country that can produce 
the cheapest article, and in the instance of tea wo 
find it going to" the countries that are most lightly 
taxed. The black tea trade is going to India, 
Coylon, and Java ; the green tea to Japan." For 
the cheapest article, it may be remarked, does not 
necessarily mean the lowest-priced, but that which 
affords bent value for the money.' And this oonolu- 
sion brings us baok te our suggestion that the 
Chinese tea has become so bad, because the grower 
has been trying to meot his handicap by lessening 
the oost of production ; overlooking — driven possi- 
bly to overlook tho fact that in so doing he was 
slowly killing the goose. And tho curious point is 
that the thing originated — or at any rato assumed 
its grievous form— through an initial blunder. Tea 
was intended to boar, like other articles, a 5 per 
cent advnlartiu duty; but the "value" was fixed 
at an abeolutoly unheard-of rate; so thai, inBtoad 
of bearing 5, it really paid a 10, 12, or 15 per 
oent tax, according to district and quality. And 
then aarao tekin to aggravate tho ovil I Foreigners 
have, then, a tiol id stunding-ground in rooom- 
mending that a roduciion in export duty be 
tttlectod, by lowering tho tariff to the actual value ; 
and we oan only truat that a gleam of com- 
mon Dense may convince the authorities of 
the necessity of relieving the leaf from If kin also, 
unlee; thuy aro willing to leave tlnmsolvos 
eventually with no trade to tax. 
The Chinese Government hua appealed to foreigners 
interested in thu trudu, for a i . ; anil advice 
has In'. in irunkly given. In this maltor of luxation, 
the remedy is dourly and dimply in their own 
hands, for " the people " would certainly not object 
to relief from impost | It in equally within ihei 
power to press home the recommendations of the 
Foochow Chamber about more careful cultivation 
and packing, and the oognate suggestion of the 
Shanghai merchants about smaller chops. It is 
easy to understand the deterioration of leaf and 
mixture of qualities that result from an effort to 
produce a 1,000 or 3,000 chest chop, and the 
superior advantage of the Indian practice of making 
the day's pickings into a 100 or loO ohest chop 
which comes out, naturally, of even quality. 
Whether it would be equally easy to enforce the 
suggestions about foreign machinery, foreign super- 
vision, and foreign planting, is another question. 
We have had some experience of the difficulty of 
introducing machinery into English agriculture in 
days when population was less dense than at present 
and we have heard, lately, th i opinion of more 
than one competent observer, of the risk that 
might attend the experiment in densely populated 
China. Tho displacement of labour by the intro- 
duction of tea-rolling machinery might not be very 
great, but the Chinese would probably not take it 
quietly ; and the Government, though strong to 
oppress the individual, is weak tocontrol the masses. 
All that, however, may come in time. There is, 
as we have said bofore, more urgent and less 
dangerous work ready to the official hand. The 
moment is not opportune for remitting tax- 
ation, in face of the heavy demands for money 
arising from the Hwang-ho inundation but the 
necessity is pressing ; and the Government has been 
so startled by the deficiency of 30,000,000 lbs. in 
last season's export, that we have some hope of 
its realising the faot. It is equally within the 
power of the officials, if thoy choose, to stop 
fraudulent packing ; and it should not be without 
the power of foreigners themselves to impress on 
Chinese dealers tho wisdom of preparing smaller 
chops, of more even quality. When these objects 
have been attained, we must possess our souls 
in patience till time and circumstances bring 
about " cultivation on scientific principles," and 
till every process (in tea preparation) become as 
clean as human care and invention can make it." — 
L. d- V. Express, Feb. 24th. 
INDIAN TEA DISTRICTS ASSOCIATION : 
Meeting tc Open pp Mauket kob Tea in America. 
As brielly stated in our last, a largely-attended meet- 
ing of the members of this representative body was 
held on Thursday, Feb. 2Jrd, to consider a scheme 
proposed by Mr. A. E. Allies for opening up a 
market for British-grown tea in America. 
The Chairman then introduced the subject and 
dwelt specially on thu importance of opening up to 
British produce tho large held for tea in the United 
States, rccommeuding that the tea should bo retailed 
in small packages or packets, and sold through agents 
at a fair price, but not too cheap. 
Mr. George Williamson referred to tho urgent need 
of lindmg new markets which, he said, wo mast 
try to open, as we could not look forward to any 
very great further expansion of consumption in the 
United Kingdom. Tho Anglo-Saxon races were those 
to whom we should dr-it look, A movement of this 
kind demanded perseverance and continued support, 
and he thought the method of that support shouM In- 
pecuniary and not simply in kind, lie thought that 
probably the object in view would he best nerved hy 
forming a small limited company or syndicate. 
Mr. A. G. Stanton (Oow, Wilson and Stanton) 
supplied nome interesting statistics as to tho con- 
sumption of tea iu the I'uitod States v.', \ hes.il 
wi>< only 1 ll>. per head, while ill Canada it is $\ lb. 
per head as compared with 5 ll>. per head in the 
United Kingdom. Chlnjl ami .lapnii ~ iiipl) the bulk 
of th- - tea used in the Tinted States, lie further 
adduced figure* to show the steady and pretty rapidly 
;acr««A»in^ ». jusuinpt'on in the Stall » 
