Nov. 1, 1899.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
341 
LONDON CHARGES OF TEA COM- 
PANIES -II. 
{The Investors' Review, Sept. 23.) 
THE TKA CLEARING HOUSK. 
In this article we propose to deal exclusively 
with the warehouse and dock charge upon tea, 
about which there is so much complaint, and to 
start with cannot do better than quote the sche- 
dule of rates supposed to apply to every package 
of tea that goes through the Tea Clearing House. 
This is as follows : — 
CHARGES ON TP:A. 
To apply to all parcels by ships reporting on and 
after July I, 1888, 
Per package, weighing 
gross 
130 lb. to 90 lb. to 80 lb. to 
159 lb. 129 lb. 89 lb. 
s d s a a d 
Landing and housing rate .. 1 10 1 6 1 4 
Management rate ... 2 3 1 10 1 8 
Bulking and taring _ ... 1 8 15 13 
Bulking, taring, or weighing 
net separately . . 1 3 1 0 0 11 
Kent per week ' . . 0 0 0^ 0 0^ 
The above charges will be subject to a discount of 10 
per cent to importers only. 
For determining the class under which the 
break is chargeable, the average gross weight 
must be ascertained. When the fraction of the 
average weight is half a pound or more, the 
dock companies or warehouse-keepers take the 
benefit. 1 bus, the average of a break being 79^ lb 
gross, the whole break will be rated at 80-89 lb, 
but the average being less than 79^ lb, the whole 
break will be rated at 60-79 lb. 
For the sake of bringing the table into manage- 
able shape, we have deleted tiie rates upon 
certain exceptional sizes which are seldom 
used by importers. The general size of the pac- 
kages is from 90 lb to 129 lb, and in all calcula- 
tions made in these articles we have taken the 
rates upon these weights as our basis, allowing 
the usual deduction of 23 lb for the weight of the 
tare. The charges of most importance to the 
importer are " management rate" — i.e., the work- 
ing of the tea— '* bulking and taring," and " rent." 
The management rate includes the landing and 
housing rate, and a large importer has defined 
the services rendered for this charge in the follow- 
ing terms : — 
" Landing, wharfage, conveyance to warehouse, 
housing, sampling for importer and broker, sort- 
ing to marks and desciiplions, weighing, examin- 
ing for damage, laying down for broker's inspec- 
tion, and attendance on broker, laying out in show- 
room for public sale, attendance while on show 
and sampling, adjusting to weights after sale, 
coopering, nailing down, trucking and piling for 
delivery, reveighing and delivering to land con- 
veyance. The rate also includes furnishing war- 
rants and landing accounts." 
SAMPLING AND SORTING. 
Although this sounds formidable, an examina- 
tion will prove that the greater portion of it re- 
presents work which is quite superficial. For in- 
stance, in " sampling for importer and broker" 
only one chest in a break is sampled, and when 
it is considered that a break consists more often of 
fifty chests than less, it is apparent that this entails 
no great amount of work. " Sorting to marks 
and descriptions" is for the convenience of the 
wharf in delivering. " Weighing" is only 
weighing the chest gross as it arrives. "Ex- 
amining for damage, laying down for broker's 
inspection, and attendance on broker, laying out 
in showroom for public sale, attendance while 
on show and sampling," are quite small items in 
dealing with a large number of chests. *' Cooper- 
ing and nailing down" applies to the sampled 
chests only, and although the rate includes fur- 
nishing the warrants, it does not include the war- 
rant stamp (3d per warrant). 
BULKING AND TARING. 
"Balking and taring" are rates that do not 
apply to every package. Teas are not infre- 
q\iently bulked on the estate, and when this is 
done they are very rarely rebulked. In re- 
gard to taring, according to the Customs re- 
gulations, a certain number of chests in every 
break must be tared from the gross weight 
of the package, in order to ascertain the 
amount of duty to be collected. Should 
there be a variation of more than a couple of 
pounds in the weight of tlie chest, nails, and 
lead — i.e , the tare — each chest of the entire break 
must be tared, involving the heavy charge of Is 
per package throughout. In regard to " rent," 
all teas are sold on a " three months prompt," and 
rent is charged for these thirteen weeks, le^s five 
weeks, the rent for which is included in the " man- 
agement of rate." In most cases buyers take deli- 
very of the tea within two or three weeks of the 
auction ; but, however soon they may do this, 
the eight weeks' rent charged upon the tea, to 
make up the three months, has to be paid by 
the importer. 
THE LONDON RING. 
We have been at pains to explain the actual 
charges complained of by producers, and will now 
proceed to point out why they are considered 
onerous, but before doing so must first draw at- 
tention to the fact that the whole of tiie bonded 
tea warehouses in London are in a " ring." Treat- 
ing the London and India Docks Joint Committee 
as one body, there are nineteen tea warehousing 
firms in the Tea Clearing House, which clearing 
house has a large number of subscribers, includ- 
ing all the principal buyers and brokers in the 
trade. According to the rules of the Clearing 
House, " No subscribers shall be entitled to 
warehouse or deposit tea with, or employ in con- 
nection with tea, any dock company or tea 
warehouse-keeper who is not a member of the Clear- 
ing House, or to purchase or sanrple any tea from 
the warehouse of any non-member." The " ring," 
therefore, is most complete, for should a dissatis- 
fied body of importers attempt to start a co- 
operative warehouse of their own, they find that 
they have tlie whole of the tea trade banded 
against them under the rules and regulations of 
this clearing house. We shall have more to say 
about this matter later on. 
THE MANAGEMENT RATE. 
Returning to the subject of the charges, it ig 
clear, both from internal and external evidence 
that they are excessively high as consideration 
for the services rendered. First we will deal with 
the internal reasons that lead us to this conclusion. 
There is a charae, not given in our table, but some- 
times required, for ''reshovving for public sale" 
of Is 4d per package, and if this is added to the 
" landing and housing rate" of Is 6d per package, 
we get a combined rate of 2s lOd per package for 
performing exactly the same services as those 
