July  i,  1896 |. 
niK  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
57 
INDIAN  TEA  ASSOCIATION. 
CENEKAL  COMMITTEE’S  REPORT. 
Tlic  following  are  extracts  from  the  Report  of 
the  Oeneral  Committee  of  tlie  Indian  Tea  Asso- 
ciation for  the  year  ending  29th  February  1890: — 
INDIAN  ti:a  in  amkiuca. 
Mr.  Rlechyiideu  has  continued  to  carry  on  hia 
campaign  in  the  United  States,  in  the  interests  of 
Indian  tea,  with  unabated  vigour  during  the  year, 
and  has  been  working  lately  in  conjunction  with  Mr. 
Mackenzie,  the  Commissioner  from  Ceylon.  Mr. 
Blechynden  has  displayed  great  versatility  and  re- 
source in  the  schemes  he  has  adopted  for  bringing 
Indian  tea  before  the  American  public,  and  at  a 
meeting  of  the  General  Committee  of  the  Association 
in  London,  held  on  the  17th  of  March  last,  a reso- 
lution was  passed,  expressing  their  appreciation  of 
the  valuable  services  he  had  rendered  to  the  tea 
industry.  Reference  was  made  at  eonsiderable  length 
in  the  last  report  to  the  details  of  his  plan  of 
operations,  which  consisted  mainly  in  giving  de- 
monstrations in  both  large  and  small  stores  in  New 
York,  Rrooklyn,  and  Chicago,  assisted  by  his  staff 
of  five  Native  servants  who  proved  a considerable 
source  of  attraction.  During  the  past  year  he  has 
however,  been  working  on  somewhat  different  lines, 
and  has  disiiensed  with  the  services  of  the  Natives, 
who  appeared  to  be  no  longer  required,  after  a certain, 
stage  in  his  operations  had  been  readied,  although  they 
were  extremely  useful  in  drawing  attention  to  his  en- 
terprise in  the  first  instance.  Mr.  Blechynden  has  fur- 
nished from  time  to  time  interesting  reports  of  his  pro- 
ceedings, which  have  been  communicated  to  the  news- 
papers for  the  information  of  all  those  interested  in 
the  extension  of  the  Indian  tea  trade.  He  is  now 
engaged  in  calling  the  attention  of  the  American 
public,  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Mackenzie,  to  In- 
dian and  Ceylon  teas  by  means  of  advertisements, 
paragraphs  in  newspapers,  lectures,  demonstrations, 
and  by  supplying  tea  as  a beverage  in  places  of 
public  resort.  He  has  also — and  this  is,  perhaps,  one 
of  the  most  important  branches  of  the  work  at 
present — arranged  to  co-operate  with  private  firms 
and  others  engaged  in  selling  British  grown  teas, 
by  granting  them  subsidies  for  advertisement  on  such 
firms  undertaking  to  spend  an  equal  amount  in  ad- 
vertising Indian  and  Ceylon  teas.  The  London 
Committee  have  found  by  experience  that  they  have 
been  able  to  obtain  a much  larger  field  for  adver- 
tising and  making  known  the  good  qualities  of  In- 
dian tea  by  working  in  conjunction  with  Ceylon, 
and  have  good  reason  to  hope  that  the  vigorous 
efforts,  which  have  been  made  by  the  representatives 
of  both  countries,  are  now  beginning  to  bear  fruit. 
Statistics  recently  published  by  Messrs.  Gow, 
Wilson  and  Stanton  show  very  clearly  the  result  of 
the  efforts  which  have  been  made  to  obtain  a foot- 
ing ill  the  markets  of  America.  There  has  been  a 
steady  increase  in  the  consumption  of  British  grown 
tea  in  the  United  States  and  Canada  during  the 
last  six  years,  and  the  advance  in  consumption  which 
has  taken  place  in  1895,  the  figures  for  which  are 
9,28.3,144  lb.  as  compared  with  5,379,542  lb.  for  1894 
furnishes,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Committee,  striking 
evidence  of  the  success  of  the  vigorous  exertions 
made  by  both  the  Indian  and  Ceylon  Associations 
to  push  the  trade,  and  should  act  as  a powerful  in- 
centive to  still  greater  efforts,  when  it  is  remem- 
bered that  the  American  markets  annually  consume 
over  100,000,090  If),  of  tea. 
In  their  last  annual  report  the  General  Committee 
recorded  their  opinion  that  a slow  but  steady  in- 
crease in  the  imports  of  Indian  tea  into  America 
was  taking  place,  and  the  figures  which  are  referred 
to  above  show  that  their  forecast  was  fully  justified. 
The  American  and  Foreign  Tea  Committee  of  the 
Indian  tea  Association,  London,  who  have  the  control 
and  direction  of  Mr.  Blechynden’s  work  in  the  United 
States,  recently  published  an  interim  report,  in  which 
they  expressed  the  opinion,  that  having  regard  to  the 
very  large  extensions  which  arc  coming  into  bearing 
both  in  India  and  Ceylon,  it  would  bo  a grave  error  to 
leave  at  present  entirely  unaided  the  extension  of 
8 
consumption  in  the  United  States,  and  stated  that  it 
was  es:e;itial  that  there  should  be  a levy  for  the  season 
189(1  on  the  same  basis  as  in  the  last  year.  On  the 
above  report  being  presented  to  the  General  Com- 
mittee in  London,  on  the  17th  March  last,  a reso- 
lution was  unanimously  passed  in  favour  of  making 
an  effort  to  carry  on  for  at  least  another  year  the 
work  of  pushing  Indian  tea  in  America,  and  a fur- 
ther levy  on  the  same  terms  as  in  1895  was  decided 
upon  for  this  purpose.  The  General  Committee  here 
are  fully  in  accord  with  the  views  of  the  London 
Committee  on  this  matter,  and  thej'  have  accordingly 
issued  an  appeal  for  support  not  only  on  the 
grounds  of  the  success  achievel  in  exploit- 
ing the  American  markets,  but  also  in  view  of 
the  vital  necessity  which  exists  for  finding 
new  outlets  for  the  annually  increasing  crops  of 
Indian  tea.  The  estimate  of  the  Indian  tea  crop  for 
1896  amounts  to  over  144  million  lb.,  or  nearly  9 
million  lb.  over  the  actual  outturn  of  the  crop  of 
1895,  and  this,  of  itself  is  a proof  of  tne  necessity 
for  opening  up  new  markets  wherever  possible.  In 
response  to  the  Committee’s  Circular  of  20th  July, 
1895,  the  sum  of  1192,545  was  coutributed.  This  re- 
presented a production  of  nearly  80  million  lb.  of 
tea,  and  included  liberal  contribution  from  the  two 
Planters'  iVssociations  in  Travaucore,  which  have  all 
along  taken  great  interest  in  the  American  campaign. 
The  General  Committee  trust  that  in  view  of  the  in- 
creasing necessity  for  finding  outlets  for  tea,  a much 
larger  sum  will  be  raised  during  the  present  year. 
If  the  ratio  of  increase  of  consumption  of  British- 
grown  tea  in  America  can  be  maintained  for  a year 
or  two  more,  the  trade  will  probably  be  in  a posi- 
tion to  take  care  of  itself,  without  the  aid  of  special 
efforts,  such  as  the  present,  and  the  Association  will 
then  be  able  to  turn  their  attention  to  the  opening 
up  of  new  markets  in  Russia,  South  Africa,  and 
other  parts  of  the  world. 
MITIGATION  and  PEEVENTION  OE  INSECT  BEIGHTS. 
This  important  -matter  formed  the  subject  of  a 
somewhat  lengthy  paragraph  in  the  last  report 
closing  with  a reference  to  the  deputation  of  Dr. 
Geo.  Watt,  C.I.E.,  Reporter  on  Economic  Products 
to  the  Government  of  India,  to  Assam,  to  make 
special  enquiries  as  to  the  value  of  the  Adhatoda 
Irtstca  plant  as  an  insecticide,  and  also  to  prosecute 
any  further  investigations  on  points  lying  within  his 
sphere  of  work,  which  might  be  suggested  to  him, 
and  might  be  of  service  to  the  tea  industry.  Dr. 
Watt  remained  in  Assam  some  three  months,  the 
time  allotted  to  him  by  Government,  and  his  report, 
which  is  shortly  expected,  will  no  doubt,  prove  of 
the  greatest  interest  to  all  connected  with  tea, 
although  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  he  was  not  able  to 
devote  more  time  to  his  investigations  udiile  in 
Assam,  and  the  Government  have  not  since  seen  their 
way  to  allow  him  to  return. 
EXEMPTION  OF  TEA  MACIIINEEV  FROM  DUTY. 
In  consequence  of  representations  received  from 
members  of  the  Association,  the  General  Committee 
addressed  the  Committee  of  the  Bengal  Chambers 
of  Commerce  on  the  26th  March  1895,  with  papers 
in  support  of  a reprosontation  the  Committee  of  the 
Chamber  were  making  to  Govorrment  in  favour  of 
exempting  all  machinery  used  in  connection  with  the 
manufacture  of  tea  from  duty,  and  were  subsequently 
favoured  with  a copy  of  the  letter  addressed  to  the 
Board  of  Revenue  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Chamber 
on  the  subject.  The  result  of  the  Chamber’s  action 
was,  that  orders  were  issued  by  the  Covernment  of 
India,  exempting  all  tea  machinery  from  duty,  and 
tlie  General  Committee  tendered  their  best  thanks 
to  the  Committee  of  the  Chamber  for  the  part  they 
had  taken  in  bringing  about  this  desirable  result. 
MANUFACTURE  OF  THEINE  FROM  REFUSE  INDIAN  TEA 
LEAVES. 
The  Committee  have  had  some  interesting  official 
papers  placed  at  their  disposal  by  the  Government 
of  India,  containing  eorrespondonco  between  Messrs, 
Ihomas  Christy  A Co.,  London,  and  Her  Majesty’s 
Board  of  Customs  on  this  subject,  and  they  are 
