352 
'IHE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[JCov. 1, 1901; 
buys exactly what he wants, and finance is easier. 
For teas sliipped from Colombo llie liraits come 
forward by the mail in 3 weeks' time, and liave 
to be ];iid at once, wherea.s tlie teas theinseives 
are always 7 weeks on the road, sometimes loii^jor. 
Credit is much abused Ijotli in Norway and Sweden. 
The dealers have to pive their clients the groceis 
a nominal four bat f;enerally six nioiitlis' creilit. 
because private individuals pay their accounts 
sometimes once in six months, sometimes in a 
year's time. On teas bought in London the Swed- 
ish and Norwegian dealers obtain the usual 
London terms and are not calleft upon to pay for 
the teas' till long after their arrival. I called on 
the following : — 
IN STOCKHOLM. 
Firm A. General importers of colonial poods 
Avith a tea department — has imported diiect from 
Colombo and are quite satisfied with their work, 
but prefer to buy in London, Use however, 
mostly China tea and keep Ceylon only for clients 
■who ask for it, are not inclined to go out ot the 
way to push it ; think the taste is growing for 
Ceylon. 
B. Tea importers only. Ten or twelve years 
ago took np Ceylon at the instance of the Messrs. 
Seton of Preston estate, now purchase only Ceylon 
and ])ush it entirely. This firm received a grant 
from the Committee in 1897 I believe, and one 
through me this year of £100. Last year they 
expended on general ami special ad vei lisements 
8,550 kronen say £475, their travellers' expenses 
were 14,000 kronen, say £777. 
In 1901 to date they have expended in general 
cavertisemeuts, signs to grocers, 
apnisters, &c. . . 5,350 kronen =£297 
Travellers' expenses . . 10,000 ,, =£555 
They well deserve our su])port. 
Their imports in 1900 were 61,000 lb. To date 
1901 only 25,500 ib but 22,200 are on the way from 
London, Ceylon and Hamburg. They anticipate 
that they will import about 6,0001b less in 
1901 than in 1900 as they got a large quantity just 
at the end of last year, but they are buying more in 
London this year, and quantity from tiiere will be 
10,000 lb over last year and coirespoudingly less 
from Ceylon direct. 
C. A small limited Company called Ceylon 
Plantage le Depoten commenced by a coflfee 
broker who unfortunately has failed by phinging 
ia coffee. This firm has been in existence four 
years — and seems to have spent a great deal on 
advertising in many ingenious ways. To instance 
one, they liave a number of neat little match boxes, 
which they give away. Up to date they say they 
have lost money. They are supplied exclusively 
by the Lethenty Estates Company from London. 
I have promised them a grant for next year, 
and will, if I have funds, make them a contri- 
bution for this. As vouchers were not ready for 
me, their accounts are to follow me. 
D. Mr Dickson's agent has Dickson's tea and 
placards in three or four shops, but he is working 
inainly through private persons, and has only 
commenced his general propaganda. 
jy. Is a firm of lirst-chiss grocers with five shops 
in Stockholm. The head of the firm, a born English- 
man, but now a naturalised Swede has a nephew, 
a proprietor in Ceylon, This firm some three 
years ago imi)orted packet leas direct from 
Colombo, but now they have their own Ceylon 
Packets ])acketed in London. They also run a 
1)ure Indian blend— and give the preference to the 
ntlian, Ihe London lirm which supplies them 
having a branch in Calcutta naturally tiies to push 
Indian te:is in preference to Ceylon. This Cal- 
cutta firm seems to be doing a good business iu 
Norway, Sweden and Denmark. 
As we have quite enough firms in Stockho'm 
making Ceylon teas their .speciality I did not tiy 
to get any of the Gothenbur}; fiiins to take ic 
u]) specially and push it. A .special return in 
issued yeaily of Gothenburg trade which gives 
among-t other things the quantity impoited by 
each firm. 'J'he return for JOOOis not out yet, but 
in 1899, 73,CUO kilos were imported by 14 different 
firms. Two of these only are [nirely tea firms, 
the others are general Colonial produce importers, 
1 called on, the principal— entirely tea. 
F. By far the biggest importer has correspond- 
ents in Colombo, but buys now always in Loudon, 
is favourably disposed towaids Ceylon tea and 
buys about 20,000 lb. per atnum, which is about 
one-third of his total import. 
G. 2nd largest importer, total import though 
«nly 15,000 Ib. buys principally Ceylon and Indian, 
all in Loudon. 
H. Imports 12,000 lb., principal retail mostly 
China from Hambuig, uses Ceylon for mixing 
purposes. 
/. Entirely tea, imports only 2,000 lb ! all 
China— was at one time the biggest tea business 
n Sweden. 
J. (jeneral importer, buys blend.s from a firm 
in Pulnci/, London, S.W. ill 
KORWAY. 
The consumption in Norway is as follows : — 
1839. 
1900. 
From 
Kilo3. 
Kilos. 
Sweden ... 
1,656 
4,799 
Denmark 
1'0,340 
18,805 
G'irmany 
5i,a8i 
C8,57l 
Holland 
2,091 
1,640 
Belgium 
7,262 
907 
Great Britain ... 
34,030 
38,900 
East India, China and Asia 
673 
807 
Other Countries 
51 
47 
Bussia 
108 
339 
Total.. 
118,095 
l-'4 875 
Last year the consumption was 274,725 English 
pounds. The population is 2,000,000, so the 
consumption per head of 0'13 of an English lb. 
is better than Sweden, and this notwithstand- 
ing the fact that the duty on tea in Norway is 2 
kronen per kilo, or about Is 2d per ib. The Nor- 
wegian importer.s have petitionea their Parliament; 
on .sticcessive occasions to have the duty reduced. 
The justice of their demand has been acknowledged, 
but the Government cannot do without the 
revenue. The dealers say if the duty were only 
reduced by half, the consumption would be doub- 
led. I have not been able to find out through 
whom most of the tea comes, and think Hamburg 
and Copenhagen dealers must supply the retail 
firms direct. I hear there is a lirm in Bergen 
importing a good deal of tea direct from Lond'on, 
but I could only learn of five firms in Christiania 
interesting themselves to any extent in tea. Of 
these five three are general colonial produce hou.?es, 
K. A big firm, tea is a minor article with them, 
and they confine their purchases almost entirely to 
China. What little Ceylon they g§t, they buy 
in Bremen o{ Jlamburg, 
