May 2, 1904.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
741 
CEYLON TEA ON Till-] CONTINENT. 
THE Ki: PORT FOR 1903. 
Mr. J. H. Kenton's Annual Report of his 
Tea campaign on the Continent is year by year 
looked forward to with interest and a desire 
to see how far the "Commissioner" policy 
is meeting with results commensurate with 
the money ■=pent. We do not suppose any 
one more suited for his office could be 
found than Mr. Renton himself, or one 
who wculJ devote himself with equal care 
and eaiiiestness to the tasks that fall to 
his lot. But we must say, looking at 
the figures he has lo show us elsewhere today, 
thixt tlid increases in the quantity of 
tea taken from Ceylon all roimd have 
not been very high : in Germany, in fact, 
distinctly rii-.ippointing. In North Germany 
Mr. llcntnti's efforts were frustrated by 
the local inen in various towns, whom he 
had induced to handle Ceylon tea, being 
beaten out by Hamburg competitors coming 
in with tea— so-called " Ceylon "—apparently 
composed of blends with a good deal more 
Indian than Ceylon, where British tea 
was used at all. In South Germany a good year 
was witnessed and with several fresh tea rooms 
in busy Stuttgart especially (where the well- 
known Colombo firm Messr.«. C. and A . 
Bohringer, by the way, are particularly acti\ >- j 
considerable advance has been made. In 
Germany altogether the tea imported had 
decreased by about 320,000 kilograms, the 
Ceylon decrease being 12,100 lb. and the 
only increase noticeable that of "British 
India" by 140,140 lb. Better results have 
been seen in Austria, where the Colombo 
firm Mr. G. A. Marinitsch (in Vienna especially) 
is also doing much to Viush the Ceylon article, 
and a total increase of 9,000 lb., however 
much we might like to see it bettered, is 
not to be despised. The verdict on Scandi- 
navia, where Mr. Renton made several trips 
during 1903, is favourable, if not as a whole, 
at any rate with special regard to Ceylon — 
our island tea being now taken where other 
tea was preferred before- The remarkable 
extent of the field Mr. Renton has to deal with 
will be seen from the fact that he has gone as 
far South as Naples and (though he is unable 
here to give details) no doubt a sufficient 
start has been made there and at other 
Italian centres. In Switzerland, tea is already 
well liked in French centres, e.g. thanks to 
Messrs. Rogivue & Co. at Geneva ; hence 
it is especiii.lly satisfactory to note that 
' among the German Cantons something is 
being done now, by one who has been for 
8 years handling Ceylon tea. In France 
most marked activity has been shown 
and it is pleasing to observe the variety 
and vigour of the means and efforts 
put into operation ; Mr Renton makes 
special comment on the increase in tea taken 
i from "French Colonies," but it is scarcely 
all produced there— perhaps ? "Russia" is 
'handled in the last paragraph — a shadow 
of its former self, as far as shedding lustre 
j on a Commissioner's work can be concerned : 
'but note is duly taken of the latest events 
and while the desire to increase traffic on 
jthe Siberian Railway is emphasized, as 
1 regards the recent increase in tea duty, it 
' 94 
is usefully pointed out that Java and China 
still have the advantage of British tea by 
Id per lb. Mr. Renton's report was too late 
for the annual Kandy meetings this year ; 
and there is little sign at other times of 
the Planting authorities comparing results 
with expenditure on their " Commissioner 
Policy," and discussing its value as a whole. 
But within a year or two, shall we say, this 
policy ought not to be held as traditional and a 
law of the Medes and Persians, but be squarely 
faced from a business point of view. Mr, 
Renton himself is a model Commissioner ; 
and with such excellent weapons the un- 
responsiveness of the field to faithful culti- 
vation, on the present lines, can therefore 
be the better judged. 
CEYLON TEA COMMISSIONEE 
EUROPE. 
REPORT FOR 190.3. 
In 190.3 the work and grants have been confined 
mainly to Germany, Austria, Scandinavia and 
France. A very small sum has been spent in 
Switzerland and Italy. The greatest care has 
been taken to spend as little money as possible, 
and only when we were in hopet, of obtaining 
good results. I have this year made two trips 
tb-'^ngh orerraany, two in France, but have visited 
oi. y the centre and south of the latter country, 
besides Paris and Havre. I have alro visited 
Prague and Vienna, and have been again through 
Norway, Sweden and Denmark. 1 have spent a 
good deal of time in Bremen, Berlin and Paris, 
am pleased with the results in all the countries 
except Germany. 
GERMANY, 
I have to confess that I am disappointed with 
the progretiS in Germany. In the south, that is in 
the beei-drinkiug countries, more particularly 
Wurtemherg and Bavaria, we have made distinct 
and good progress and tiiose who are work'ng for 
us report an increase of 30 to 40 per cent in their 
sales'. But in the north, in Holstein, Pomerania, 
etc., there has been a falling off, The firms there 
attribute this to the efforts of Hamburg houses, 
who have offered Ceylon tea much cheaper than 
they were able to. The firms on the spot complain 
that they have spent their money and time in 
opening numerous depts, and inducing the retail- 
ers to stock Ceylon tea. On this becoming 
known through the advertisements in the local 
pipers, and tlnougli window placards in shopi, 
their Hamburg competitors have stepped in and 
supplanted them. Although I am extremely sorry 
that our friends have not been able to retain their 
clients, it is quite immaterial to us through whom 
the tea is supplied, as long it gets into circulation. 
But I fear 
WHAT HAMBURG SUPPLIES IS IN SOME CASES 
INDIAN OR JAVA, OR BLENDS WITH CHINA, 
in which Indian tea played a greater part than 
Ceylon. But Hamburg is not alone in this respect. 
Packets of blended tea from London are freely sold 
by the retailers as pure Ceylon, simply because 
an En£;lish name, and the names of some Ceylon 
estates are on the labels. Tiie German law as re- 
gards the sale of any article of consumption under a 
false description is very strict, the onus of proof 
of origin lying with the vendor, and my Solicitor in 
Berlin advised me, that I should have no difficulty 
in obtaining a conviction on sereral pnrchftsea 
