July 1, 1903,] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST, 
INDIAN TEA IN SOL'TIl AOTJCA. 
MR, CBAMNEYS KKPOUT. 
The followina report is pubii-^hed in tlie A|iril 
Proceedings of th?. Assam Bra;ic!i, Indian Te.i 
Association :— ' 
From Mr. M Chatmey, to the Secretary, Iridiaa 
Tea Association, dated Johannesbartr, Isfc Fe!i, 1903. 
Tiie tei-producing capiciiy of South Africa is 
coiifiaed to the Colony of Natal, wiiere the plant 
is found flTdrishing in ihe hot humid tracts a 
little inland from the Eastern Coast. 
Natal. — The area at present under cultivation 
is not much over 3,000 acres, but owing to the 
favourable condition.s at present ruling, ibis area 
is being e.\'tended. In spite vi a .^hort rainfall 
and weak labour force, the yield is high, the 
average oultarn per acre being abnve that of India. 
But tlie quality produced is inddi'erent, and labour 
to work the plantations being almost entirely 
imported from Madias and Upper ludij, at great 
cost and high wages. Natal as a ])ro.iucei wonld 
bave no chance in an open n)ark.?t, where the 
industry wiiuld be most unremunei alive. A heavy 
imp.-»rt duty, however, of sixpence per pound on 
all foreign tjas affords ample protoctioii to the 
Colony, Si that the little industry is fiourishing 
and the crop easily disposed of locally^ where the 
community have acquired a taste for its peculiar 
'hay' flavour. The balance of tea consumed in the 
Colony co'.nes mostly from Ceyion, very lit.le 
Indian being imported ; but the v. hite populxtioa 
of Natal being small, and the tirld for enterprise, 
owing to the conditions mentioned, being conBneJ, 
I will say uo more about it at present, but will 
pass to consideration of the Transvaal, where the 
position is totally differenc. 
TraNSVAATj.— Here the duty imposed in NataJ 
on foreign teas does not a)iply, only a small tax of 
three shillings for each 100 pounds of tea being 
levied for passing the tea over the i>fatal Govern- 
ment Railways. Ihe Transvaal duiy is 5 shillings 
per 1001b., plus 74 per cent ad t'ci?, — the latter 
being calculated on the invoice value, p'us 20 per 
cent, of such value. Thus a tea purchased in 
Calcutta at 9d would pay 7J per cent, on lOf l 
instead of (he 9d it cost. Still the due.s levied in 
this triple mariner amount in all to less than 2d 
per pound, against 6d per pound in Natal or in 
JEngland. 
Small Consumption.- In spite of t!ds, however, 
the con.'-umption of tea in South .Africa is still 
small. I have not got complete ligures at my 
disposal, but I doubt if it is much over three 
pounds per head annually of the white population, 
which, in view of the richness of the country 
and the comparative smaliness of i h ; infant or 
non-consuming population, is a very indifferent 
record. The following cable will show tiie anioiint 
and value of tea imports into the Transvaal tor 
some years past : — 
Year. Weight in pounds. Vtilue in Equiv. 
SLerling value 
(Au Val., per 
plus 20 p.c.) pound. 
1897 997,000 1b. £39,308 9Jd. 
189S 990,730 ,, ^3(5,370 S^J. 
1899-00 .. ., Yeaia (.if war 
1901 596,733 „ ±-26,147 lOJc!. 
First 10 months of 1901, compared with fir.st 10 
months of 1902. 
Jan. to Oot. /Ol i91,G.55 lb. £21,512 lO^d. 
Jan. to Oofc. /02 1,200,675 „ £5G,d71 Hi 1. 
From this it be seen that the records for 
the past year are not yet complete, but I am in- 
formed that they will probably w.ork up to some 
1,7oO,000 lb , imports being heavy towards close of 
tJie year ; and although this amount is greatly in 
excess of that of any other year in the Transvaal's 
history, it is still far below what it might have 
been or is likely to attain to. 
Future PKOSPECTiS.— The small annual con- 
sumption shows this country to be a eieai- field 
for enterprise in pushing the sale of Indian Tea, 
and the general high cost of living prevailing at 
present should tend towards fostering its use,"f.)r 
even at Transvaal prices tea is much more 
ecoaoufiical than alcohol, wiiich is largely con- 
sumed in South Africa. Whiskey costs 7s, a bottle, 
and it is retailed in drinking-bars and hotels at six- 
pence an ounce or 14j per bottle, while beer is six- 
pence for a small glass. Even locally manufac- 
tured soda or aeratetl water costs sixpeoee per 
bottle, and in the depressed condition of the 
country it is not .virpri.sing to find that tea-rooms 
are springing up all over the city and are doing a 
large and profitarble business at a charge of six- 
pence per cup. Already there are some 70 tea and 
refreshiuent rooms exclusive of restaurants and 
hotels, and their use is spreading. The city is 
supplied mostly by eight tea " merchants " only, 
but some of the larger grocers import their own 
requirements. The present white population of 
Johannesburg is, within the Municipal limits, 
65,000, but it is rapidly increasing, and the influx 
of new blood — tea drinkers from Englantl and the 
Colonies— is certain to advance tea consumption 
beyond all normal rates of progress. Unfortunately 
for India, she has so small a say at present and 
Ceylon and Ceylon-China blends so strong a hold 
tjiat unless she puts her foot down at once she will 
enjoy very little of the advance. 
Requirements for an Indian Tea Campaign. 
What is wanted is a constaat supply of 
from 5:0 to 1,000 half chests of about 60 
lb. each of Indian teas previously blended 
iu Calcutta. I would suggest its comprising, say, 
40 per cent, of flavoury Assam Pekoe, 40 
per cent of tippy whole leaf Oran?;e Pekoe from 
Cachar and 20 per'eent of flavoury Darjeeling 
Pe^ioe, which .should bear in the blend a cliarae^ 
teristic whole leaf appearance, and Ascloss a mild 
and flavoury liquor in cup. Such a blend could be 
made up, I presume, for 9d per lb. rn Calcutta, 
and I believe it would .serve best to educate tlia 
taste of the community here towards Indian tea, 
against which there i« now some [irejudieebecau.se 
of its supposed " rasping " flavour. The tea should 
be called Pure Indian Golden Pekoe, and be 
packed in 60 lb. cases (Venestas preferred), with 
the exception of 100 out of each challan of 503, 
which should be packed in 1 pound tin canisters 
(60 canisters to one case) of a kind similar to the 
sample sent to you today. In Durban au arrange- 
ment would have to be made for receiviivg a^d 
forwarding the tea, there being no through 
booking. Here in Johannesburg a responsible 
Secretary would be required, a storehouse suffi- 
cient for 1,000 half chests, and a small office, with 
perhaps an ofliee boy, who would also act as 
siore keeper. Arrangements would probably be 
necessary for delivering the tea by cart and rail. The 
tea would be advertised and canvassed, the object 
being to create a ta^te for it by supplying at the 
lou-est po.-sible cost to the consumers and smaller 
retailers— the restaurants, clubs, hotels, and tea- 
rooms and police, m l tary a id constabulary messes. 
