Why  should  not  the  bulk  of  this  demand  be  supplied  by  British  Grown  Tea?  If 
in  two  years  its  use  in  foreign  markets  can  be  raised  from  14  to  20  million  pounds — and  that 
at  a time  when  prices  were  as  inflated  as  during  fully  one  half  of  last  year — what  is  to  prevent 
the  chief  supply  of  these  markets  being  drawn  from  the  dependencies  of  the  United  Kingdom  ? 
Aided  by  present  low  prices,  British  Grown  Tea  is  working  its  way  more  rapidly 
than  in  the  past.  It  has  now  taken  sufficient  root  in  many  countries  to  warrant  the  belief 
that  its  use  must  become  permanent  and  that  similar  results  will  follow  to  those  attained 
at  home,  viz.,  the  gradual  displacing  of  the  poorer  China  Teas  by  the  richer  and  more 
economical  Teas  of  our  own  dependencies. 
Should  this  eventually  prove  to  be  the  case,  the  time  may  not  be  far  distant  when 
Planters  will  look  back  to  the  exceptionally  low  prices  of  the  past  six  months  as  little 
short  of  a blessing  in  disguise  ; for — with  so  large  a quantity  of  Tea  taken  outside  Great 
Britain — the  natural  result  would  be  a larger  demand  for  Indian  and  Ceylon  Teas,  if  once 
a permanent  foothold  were  obtained  in  foreign  markets. 
Much  thought,  time,  and  money  have  already  been  expended  in  efforts  to  open 
new  outlets  for  our  produce.  Results  have  been  sufficiently  encouraging  to  justify  us 
in  still  further  prosecuting,  with  renewed  vigour,  our  campaign  in  foreign  countries;  but 
time,  money,  and  energy  will  be  to  a large  extent  wasted  unless  due  regard  be  paid 
to  the  special  requirements  of  the  various  markets.  To  flood  them  with  unsuitable 
produce,  as  has  on  one  or  two  occasions  been  done,  is  worse  than  useless.  Growth 
can  only  be  gradual,  and  may  at  first  be  extremely  slow. 
Instances  can  be  recorded  where  beginning  with  pounds , the  trade  has  rapidly  grown 
to  hundreds  of  packages;  but  very  great  care  and  attention  are  required  in  the  earliest 
stage  ; the  after  development  is  then  an  easier  matter. 
Former  experiences  will  doubtless  be  of  great  assistance  in  the  prosecution  of 
future  enterprises.  We  are  confident  that  with  persistent  and  intelligent  efforts,  progress, 
though  it  may  be  gradual,  will  be  sure. 
Chicago  Exhibition. — One  of  the  most  important  agencies  in  the  immediate 
future  for  extending  the  development  of  foreign  markets  is  to  be  found  in  the  coming 
Chicago  Exhibition,  which  will,  doubtless,  be  attended  by  visitors  from  all  parts  of  the 
globe.  With  the  aid  of  a grant  from  government,  Ceylon  has  already  subscribed  a 
considerable  sum  of  money  towards  a suitable  representation  at  this  exhibition.  There  is 
even  reason  to  believe  that  her  Teas  will  be  prominently  brought  before  visitors,  and 
that  strenuous  exertions  will  be  made  to  force  the  consumption  of  her  Teas  in  America. 
India  has  as  yet  decided  upon  no  definite  course  of  action.  Without  financial  sup- 
port nothing  can  be  done,  and  an  earnest  appeal  to  planters  has  been  made  for  funds. 
Money  is  not  merely  required,  but  required  without  delay,  if  one  of  the  best  opportunities 
ever  offered  is  not  to  be  thrown  away,  to  the  permanent  loss  and  discredit  of  this  important 
industry.  Even  now  the  time  remaining  for  preparation  is  perilously  short,  and  not  a 
moment  is  to  be  lost,  if  the  best  means  for  opening  to  Indian  Tea  the  American  market — 
one  of  the  largest  and  most  promising  outside  Great  Britain  is  not  to  be  utterly  thrown 
away. 
The  Diagram  on  the  front  page  shows  that  some  of  the  chief  consumers  of  British 
Grown  Tea  are  to  be  found  in  unexpected  quarters.  One  thing  is  evident,  climate  is  no  barrier 
to  its  free  use.  When  we  find  Australia,  Persia,  and  Turkey  contributing  so  largely  to  its 
consumption  it  is  absurd  to  say  that  its  use  is  debarred  in  semi-tropical  regions,  while 
the  fact  of  its  adaptability  to  colder  latitudes  is  too  widely  recognised  to  need  advocating. 
The  following  statistics  show,  as  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  ()uantities  of  Indian  and  Ceylon  Tea 
taken  in  the  undernoted  Countries  during  1891,  compared  with  their  approximate  total  annual  consumption. 
|NI»IAN. 
0,,.., 
\*&L 
1! 
Indian. 
,,  ON 
Total 
Annual 
|| 
Australian  Colonies 
Ills.  4, 4.40.000 
J,2I  I .OOO 
30,000.000 
South  Africa 
lbs.  114,000 
1 1 1 ,000 
2,000.000 
Persia 
500,000 
South  America 
,,  04,000 
h^.ooo 
United  States 
..  CJ90,000 
744.oo<> 
Ho,  000, 000 
•Austria 
14,000 
1 56,000 
1 ,200,000 
T urkey 
1,104,000 
iK.ooo 
Arabia 
..  130,000 
Canada 
OHo.OOO 
410.000 
20,000,000 
France 
..  43.00° 
65,000 
1 ,200,000 
’Germany 
,,  i<|2,000 
604.000 
4,000,000 
Mauritius  . . 
2.000 
(>9.000 
Holland 
407,000 
1 36,000 
| 5,000,000 
Russia 
,,  2,000 
(16,000  | 
70,000.000 
II 
• Prolmbly 
most  of  the 
Trot  Kent  to 
Germany  and  Austria 
was  for  Russia 
Ai  ntkai.ian  ( oi.oniks.  It  is  not  surprising  that  Australasia  should  be  so  large  a 
consumer.  Not  only  are  its  people  our  own  kinsfolk  and  countrymen,  and  have  thus 
inherited  similar  tastes,  but  it  was  here  that  India  made  her  earliest  efforts  at  establishing 
a new  market  ; and  she  can  now  look  back  with  grateful  pride  upon  the  work  of  those  early 
days  in  the  history  of  her  Tea  industry.  Here,  too,  Ceylon  was  eager,  in  later  years,  to 
find  not  only  a near  but  an  important  market  for  the  Australians  consume  annually  nearly 
40,000,000  lbs.  ol  I ea  and  her  efforts  have  also  reaped  a rich  reward.  I hese  colonies 
have  now  become  tin  largest  of  all  markets  for  British  Grown  l ea  outside  the  United 
Kingdom,  although  the  demand  appears  still  to  be  only  in  infancy. 
