Sept. i, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
193 
THE CHINA TEA TEADE AND ITS 
PROSPECTS. 
Although we do not hear muoh from the China 
ports on the subjeot— probably because it is too 
late to do much this seiRon ; yet, we must not 
suppose that China tea-dealers are not aware of 
the advantage they have with a cheap dollar. Here 
are two views of the Foochow Tea Trade from our 
latest files which show how the wind blows :— 
THE FOOCHOW TEA TRADE. 
To the Ettitor of the Daily Press. 
Sir,— I perused with some interest the reproduction 
in your caper dated 21st inst. of a letter to the Foo- 
chow Echo on this subject from a correspondent. As 
if in rpply, London, dated 16th June advises :— 
"Wo hear that sbipments from the North and Foo- 
chow to date ere too larRS for our requirements ; 
what we are to do with them we do not know ; they 
will have to be dealt with in a most retail manner, 
or a rniuous scale of prices will be the reeuU." 
As I take the trade to be in the Uuited Kingdom, 
Ceylon and Indian teas are the baBis they work upon 
and China congous, with the exception of really fine 
quality, are mostly u?ed by blenders as a stopgap, the 
demand and price for which varies in proportion to 
the export from India and Ceylon being in excess or 
dimioutioa of trade requirements. 
This being so and the fashion having set in for 
Ceylon and Indian teas, I do not, unless the quality 
shows most phenomenal improvement on previous 
crops of former seasons, look to a quantity of Foo- 
chow teas, such as could be bought from Us 7Jd to 
15 per pioul, reversint; the now established order of 
things at home. On the other hand, it in excess aud 
not required they may only serve to depress China tea 
still further and the trade all round. It would ap- 
pear that if Foochow wishes to advertize her trade 
into some of its former position on the London market 
it would best be done by the exceptional quality and 
strength of her teas, together with a restricted ex- 
port, and not by quantity even though at a low price. 
It must he remembered that the same cause wh ch 
brought about a demand for China congou for price 
at the cl-'se of last season raised Indian and Ceylon 
rates most m»terially for lower grades. It was not 
a revival of feeling in favour of China tea by aoy means 
the Want of tea from all producing centres was felt 
not Foochow in particular. — Yours faithfully, 
P. O. S. 
Macao, 24th July 1893. 
A correspondent writes to the Foochoiv Echo 
SB follows: — 
There is a feature in our tea trade this season which 
I look upon as distinctly cheering. It is this, that 
instead of the falling off of supplies which has been 
going on uninterruptedly year alter year for nearly 
ten years past, we have now an increase. This I trust 
will be henceforward progressive. The dwindling 
away was a great misfortune. Had it continued, our 
trade would before long have been a thing of the past. 
The statistical year of the London Tea Brokers 
Association ended on the 31st May, and their interest- 
ing statement of imports, deliveries, and stocks for 
the year is now before us all. We look aghast at the 
figures of the twelve months deliveries of China con- 
gou as compared with those of the previous year 
and of other earlier years in order, but what was to be 
expected ? How could the London dealers buy and 
take delivery of what was not there for them to buy? 
They have taken all China could manage to send 
them, leaving but a miniuum of stock, and it is only 
fair to suppose that more would have been taken had 
it been shipped for them to take. The more we retire, 
from the London Market, the more we may retire. 
Wo have been simply bowing Indian and Ceylon 
into a position we ouf;ht never to have sur- 
rendered, ;and probably never would have surrendered 
but for the high cost price which had grown up 
in Ottr timQ prosperity, aud, so to speak, bo- 
came normal obliging us to be cautious and limit 
our shipment. 
We are, however, I think, on the eve of a 
change— indeed it commenced, I consider, last 
year when the teamen "went for" the growers to 
cheapen the first cost, in which they succeeded, 
and they, as well as foreigners, made money. 
The growers certainly lost, but they are contented 
again this suason, the teamen having agreed 
to pay them about ten per oeut advance on last sea- 
son's prices which tbey could well afford to do and 
yet mate money, ap, indeed, they have done, wliilo as 
far as foreigners are concerned they have still been 
able to lay down their teas at the same reasonable 
prices, exchange) having favoured them to the extent 
ot the higher tael cost. At tliese prices, the shipments 
that have gone forward may be considered '• fair 
merchants' risks," that is to say, there is every promise 
of a profit and at worst uo room for more than n 
minimum of loss. In a word, we have, last year and 
this, got prices down to a level at which we may send 
tea freely forward to Londoa to meet its fair share of 
the large consumption in the United Kingdom without 
being careful to heed our riva's. Whatever general 
trouble the adoption of a gold currency and the fixed 
value of the rapee in In<lia may bring about, our te» 
trade will not suffer. On the contrary, it will be to 
onr advantage, just as it will be against India anj 
Ceylon, on the olher hand, in the matter of laving 
down their teas, through their being handicapped in 
exchange. 
Altogether 1 look upon the prospects of the Foochow 
tea trade as improving, but we must keep our tt-as 
well advertised by soudiug pleuty ot them — not too 
much at a time, which woold depress pricjs — but 
spread over the to ison as much as possible ; and, 
certainly, on no account allow the business to dwitidle 
Bway as it has done for so many years up to the present 
tiu'e, if it can possibly bo helped. 
'Ifae point of my argument applies equally to the 
Australian market-. The export to that quarter of the 
world dropped from 21 millions in 1889 to 15 millions 
in 1890, thereby leaving a direct opening for the produce 
of India and Ceylon. 
Although not apropos of my subjeot, I can never 
touch upon the 9ub]ect of tea without referring to the 
cruel heaviness of the China export duties. More than 
half of the Congou settled, so far, this season, has 
cost from Tls. 7i to Tla. 15 per picul, the duty on which 
is 20 to 30 per cent. With only a partial reduction our 
trade would, 1 do not hesitate to say, double in extent 
in two or thiee years. 
ST. HELIERS TEA COMPANY, , LTD. 
M nutes of First General Meeting held at the Offioa 
of the Company, No. 11, Queen Street, Colombo, 
at 12 noon on Tuesday, 8th August, 1893. 
Prcseiif :— W.H.Figg, Esq., (in the Chair); E. M: 
Shattock, Esq.; W. B. Kingjbuty, Esq. ; Stanley 
Bois, Esq. 
Notice convening the meeting being read, and 
there having been no previous general meetingj it 
W6B proposed by Mr. W, B. KrNGSBURY, seconded 
by Mr, VV. H. Figg: " Th.xt the Report and accounts 
be pasatd and that a dividend of 17 per cent for 
the past year be paid forthwith." 
Mr. E. M, Shattock drew attention to the falling- 
o£f in the make of recent breaks of tea, and 
suggested that the attention of the Superintendent 
and of Mr, W, S. Thomas be drawn to the matter 
with a view to maiutaining a higher standard. 
The Secretaries then read Mr, W. S, Thomas' 
report on his visit of llth July. 
Proposed by Mr, E. M. Shattook aeoonded by 
Mr. W. B. Kikgsbury: — That all the Direotors be 
re-eleoted. 
Proposed by Mr, W, H. Fioo seconded by Mr. 
W. B, King:=i-.ui!y:— That Mr. E. M, Shattook bo 
appointed Auditor ou » foa of Rupees lifty, 
