484 
THE TROPICAL A'CHflCULTUmST. 
[January i, 1891. 
THE CUSTOMS’ liEPOHT ON THE TEA 
THADB. 
The annual report of the Oommissioners of H M. 
Customs for tlie financial year, ending March 31 st last 
will be interesting reading to those who are interested 
in the growth and development of the tea trade of 
India and Oeylou. ITom this report it appears that the 
gross amount of duty received upon tea was £4,490,695, 
a decrease of £139,621 upon that received in 1888-89" 
The report says : — 
It had been so generally anticipated in the first quarter 
of the present calendar year, whioli corresponds with the 
last quarter oi the financial year 1889 90, that a reduc. 
tion would be made in the tea duty, that merchants and 
dealers became very cautious in effecting their clear- 
ances for Home consumption. The effect of this caution 
has been very apparent on the yield of this head of duty, 
and ihe decrease shown is more than accounted for by 
the difference in the amount of tea cleared in the 
quarter ended March 31st, 1890, as compared with 
the same quarter of the preceding year. This differ- 
ence amounts to 6,000,000 lbs., equal to £150,000 in 
yield of duty. It thus appears that bad it not been 
for the surplus of revenue which it was evident 
before the close of the financial year 1889-90 would 
be at the disposal of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, 
and upon which the anticipation referred to was 
founded, the receipt from the tea duty in 1889-90 
would probably have only exceeded the actual re- 
ceipt of 1888 89 by rather more than £10,000. This 
result cannot be said to be satisfactory from a revenue 
point of view, especially having regard to the im- 
portance of the tea duty as one of the principal 
sources of receipt, on account of the Revenue, under 
our charge. It is no doubt, however, to be traced 
to the displacement of Obinese by Indian and Ceylon 
teas, to which we have in recent years called the 
attention of your lordships in our annual reports, 
which has continued in an increased degree in the 
year 1889. It is not possible to trace with ahsolv.te 
accuracy the rate at which consumption of the various 
kinds of tea has proceeded in this country, because 
the official accounts have not hitherto been kept with 
a view of affording information on this point, but the 
following table shows the proportion contributed by 
China, India, Ceylon, and other countries, respectively 
towards each 100 lb. of tea imported into this country 
during the last twenty-five years. It must be borne in 
mind in examining this table as bearing upon actual con- 
sumption, that Chinese tea inrportad into this country is 
to a large extent exported again, whilst the bulk of the 
Indian tea imported is consumed in the United 
Kingdom, 
Of Each 100 lb. Imported. 
Other 
China 
India 
Ceylon 
countries 
contributed. 
contributed. 
contributed, contribute 
Per cent. 
Per cent. 
Per cent. 
Per cent. 
1861... 
92'55 
2-S4 
4 61 
188.5... 
93 
2-60 
4-50 
1866... 
98-74 
3-88 
2-38 
1867... 
91-81 
6 07 
2-12 
18t:8.,. 
91-77 
5-89 
2 34 
1869... 
90-86 
8-07 
1 08 
1870 .. 
89 00 
9-17 
1-77 
1871... 
88-25 
8-9L 
1-84 
1.872... 
80-80 
8-89 
4-31 
1873... 
63-81 
11-23 
4 91 
1874... 
81-98 
10-12 
0-30 
6-90 
1875... 
80 31 
12 87 
0-08 
0-74 
1870... 
84-03 
14 9!l 
O-05 
0 93 
1877... 
82 C5 
16-.-.0 
0-85 
1878... 
80-88 
17-23 
1-8.3 
1879... 
76-91 
20-70 
0-07 
2-23 
1880 .. 
76--18 
21-81 
0-08 
1-68 
1881... 
77-;j-'i 
21 -KO 
0-08 
0 93 
1882... 
72-88 
25-13 
y-24 
3-45 
Ifcbi... 
70.27 
to 
0 
0-90 
2-17 
1881... 
07-22 
1 - 0:1 
2-20 
188.5... 
6.0-.', 1 
oO’S') 
2-00 
1-81 
1880... 
62-99 
VA-Hh 
;i-io 
2-06 
1887... 
.oi-oo 
.'58* IT) 
5-39 
1-96 
1688... 
10-10 
2-10 
1889... 
29 ->3 
14-70 
2-49 
The year 1861, with which the preceding table com- 
merjces was the last year of the old rale of duty (ff la 
j»fcrlb,,aud iu that year the total importation of tea 
was 124,359,243 lb. In 1865 the duty was reduced to 
6 per lb., and in 1866 the total importation of tea rose 
to 139,610,044 lb. In this increvsed importation India 
fully maintained her po.sition. The importation from 
that dependency rising from 3,534,509 lb. in 1864 to 
5,41.3,583 lb. in I860, has continued to prog’ress with 
rapid strides until, in the year 1889, she contributed 
nearly 43 per cent of the total importation of tea into 
this country. But the growth of the culture of tea in 
Ceylon has progres.'ed iu a manner even stili more re- 
markable. It is only within the last ten 5 ears that this 
culture has been carried on to an extent appreciable in 
the export trade of the colony, and it was not until as 
recently as 1884 that .she contributed 1 per cant of the 
tea importation into the United Kingdom. In that 
year the contribution of Ceylon amounted to 2,210,983 lb. 
audit has since mounted up year by year by “leaps 
and bounds” as shown by the accomp'anying details ; — 
lb. ■ 
1885 
4,242,244 
1886 
7,144,313 
1837 
13,062,0-10 
1888 
22,509,564 
1889 
32,673,294 
We may 
also point out that this advance both in 
Indian and 
Oeylou teas has been arrived at in face of 
the fact that the average price of these teas is consider- 
ably higher than the average price of Chinese leas. In 
1889 the great bulk of the tea imported from China was 
Congou at an average price of 7gd per lb., whilst Indian 
tea averaged lOJd and Ceylon lid per Ib. ’Whilst, how- 
ever, the displacement of Chinese by Indian and Ceylon 
teas has acted injuriously upon the Revenue, owing to 
the greater strength inherent in those grown in the 
latter couotries, it would be incorrect to assume that tea 
beverage is decreasing in popular favour. The following 
figures show the consumption per head of tea leaf by the 
population for each of the last ten years : — 
1880 
«•* 
4-57 
1885 
6-02 
1881 
4-58 
1886 
4-87 
1882 
• •• 
4-67 
1887 
495 
1883 
4-80 
1888 
4 95 
1884 
4-87 
1889 
4-91 
The figures for the calendar year year 1889, which 
were not disturbed by anticipation of the Budget to 
which reference has been already made, appear to 
indicate a fall in consumption of leaf, and to bear 
out our anticipations on the subject last year ; but 
inasmuch as it requires a smaller amount of Indian 
or Ceylon tea-leaf than of China leaf to produce a 
given measure of tea beverage, and as the demand for 
Indian and Ceylon leaf is increasing, there is no reason 
to suppose that less tea beverage is, or it likely to be 
consumed. 
Bogus Tea. 
The Commissioners of Customs have often had their 
attention called to the sale of tea at prices so low that 
it is manifest that the tea could cob legitimately have 
passed through the hands of their officers; and in 
tracing out the history of aiioh tea it has been as- 
certained, on fairly trustworthy evidence, that it has 
been obtained from the sweepings of warehouses, and 
sifted on the premises of the remover. This sifting is a 
somewhat laborious work, but, nevertheless, it is done 
by very o'neap labour, and the sale of the tea, though 
at a very low price, yields a fair profit. So far as the Cus- 
toms regulations go, no such tea in any quantity ought 
to leave the warehouse, because all spilt or damaged tea 
discernible is collected and thrown into what is called 
“ the damage hole,” for destruction. It is, however, 
necsssary for the merchants and warehouse-keepers to 
clear the warehouses of wood, paper, nails, lead, and 
other refuse, and this is done by sale to carting con- 
tractors. In moving this refuse it is difficult, if not 
impossible, to prevent a quantity of tea from being taken 
up at the same time ; and, iu spite of all the care which 
the Customs officers may exercise, there is no doubt 
that a considerable quantity of tea in the course of the 
year does so leave the warehouse, and, of course, leaves 
without any duty being paid. Iu one or two cases where 
it was found that this tea was being largely trafficked 
in, tho Board of Customs directed its seizure, and ex- 
pro, sad a desire that tho person sifting and selling it 
might be prosecuted ; but, on the whole, it was thought 
