638 
THE 1ROPICAL AQRICULTURF8T. 
[March i, 1892. 
goine to oonviot the defendanS And if the prin- 
oipAl did not oomo down from CauIou witirn a 
reasonable time be wonld order the sale of tho ten. 
Mr. Kwens said ho did not cai’o whether hia 
Woialiip convicted or not, ro long aa they retained 
posnesaion of the lea 
Mr. Wiao (to Mr. Pollock) — If yoa don't produce 
the real owner I must tell the tea. 
Mr. Pollock maintained that hia Woreliip had only 
power to forfeit the tea after conviction. 
Mr. Wise — Oh, no. Are you going to find tho 
owner ? (a laugh). Under tho circnmatances I will 
diacharge tbia man, bat what I propose doing now ia 
to give you time to produce the real owuer. 
Ohu Yu Tin (re-called) atated, in anower to Mr. 
Pollock, that the trade mark of hia firm had never 
been registered. 
Mr. Wise — I don't mind telling you my opinion of 
trade marks in this Colony. Ifegiatration of trade 
marks is abaolutely worthleas for trade purposes or 
otherwiee. However, all I am going to do just now 
ia to aoqnit your olient. I auppose you will not 
raise any objection to that. 
Mr. Pollock — Oh, no, but I want the tea bnok. 
Mr, Wise— But I will not give it to yon, 
Mr. Pollock— My objection is that as tho trade 
mark is not registered in Ibis Colony the tea onghi 
to be given back. There is no charge in respect of 
the tea itself, and therefore the police cannot detain it. 
Mr, Wise — 1 overrule that objection. 
This oenclnded the proceedings. 
A RETROSPECT OF THE TEA MARKET, 
It is well that planters should sometimes see the 
position of tea as dealers view it, and we, therefore, 
give at some length the following- summary of the 
tea market as it appears in tho Grocer : — 
“Tho world is full of Bui-prises, and seldom, if over, 
has this trade shown such fluctuations in value as 
in 1891, or such au upset in calculations as to stock 
at the ond of the season. Wo began the year 1891 in 
tho best of spirits as far as the market and import- 
ers were concerned. Trade was good, and delivories 
for both liomo consumption and also export were oil 
the increase. Supplies from Cliina were mucli cur- 
tailed. Tho Indian crop 1890-91 failed to give tho 
estimated extra 10 luillioulh., and instead wo received 
only 100 million lli., or sivy one million lb. leea than 
the previous season. Everything seemed to favour a 
big rise and absolute scarcity of supplies, as the 
retailors nearly to the end of 1.S90 laid been only 
buying Indian teas from hand to mouth. 'I'he opening 
of tho market in .Tamuiry, 1891, was buoyant at a 
material advance over rates obtained before Cliristmas. 
Jly the end of .January a telegram was received from 
India ttiat the exjiort would be under 100 million 
111,, and prices went up witli a bound. Quotations 
for Cliina tea soon went up to 8d, and Indian tea to 
lOid per lb. in tlie spring. All dealers’ stocks were 
being bought up, until they refused to sell any more of 
their Indian stock. Importers were eager sellers all 
through, and many ooiiltlnot imdorstand it, ns it looked 
as if tliere would not bo enough tea to go round up to 
the ond of the season. Some largo • bear ' sales of 
China tea soon broke that market, the ‘ bears ’ import- 
ing some big lines of Moiling from America. Unluckily 
for China tea, export orders, wliieli liad been so good 
for the first half of tho soason 1890.91 (.Tune to Decem- 
ber), fell off from January to June, 1891, to tbc extent 
of nearly -1 million lb., and this fact, together 
with tlio extra supplies from America, helped to 
weaken tlie position of China terminals, flominon 
Congou itself was scarce, but bettor teas had to be 
forced off as the end of the scaBOii drew near, so 
that Canadian shippers got teas at their own price, 
and the trade wore able to fill tlieir most modest 
requirements at fairly low rates. Indian teas were 
however considered to be in a far bettor position, 
and holders wore ciuito confident that the trade 
would have to take tneir stock, as Indian teas could 
not 1)0 replaced by any other kind. Mixers and 
rglftilow a©cide4 otaerwisoi aud Ueyloua coiuiug in 
freely and at a lower range of pricae, they were so 
freely nsod that their cousumption increased nearly 
11 million lb. for the first five months of the now 
year, whUo Indians fell off considerably. Dealers, 
therefore, got hung up with some very dear Chiua 
and Indian stock, and their losses have been very 
of fbe new season 
(1891-92) supplies have been coming in so heavily 
from all three countries that they have far out- 
stripped demand, and, whereas wo commenced tho 
season with 8 millions leas stock than in June 
1890, yet as tlie yoiu- closes we have 10 to 12 million 
It), mote. China has sent us tliis season a full 
supply from Hankow of very high-cost Ningchows ; 
ttie trade took a little, with a fair quantity of Kin- 
tuckS’ but nuluokily the Kusaiaii famine has stopped 
all buying of high-priced teas from this market, and 
tlio conseqneuco has been siuaah-ont sales of all tho 
good and choicest Ningchows at losses of from (id 
to Is 6d per lb. to tho importers in many cases 
or cent per cent on dealers' early purchases, some 
of which they still hold, whilst Kitilucks can now 
bo bought at a drop of 4d to 8d per lb. It will 
thus be well understood why tho wholesale dealers 
are so depressed, coupled with tiie fact that 
tliey are losing a very large portion of tho retail 
trade, owing to the enormous husiuess some of tho 
packet and co-oponitivo societies are doing, and who 
buy direct iroiii the iiuirket. * Out of evil coiiiesgood,’ 
they 8ay, and if only the low prices of fine China 
teas the public attention, it may be the means 
of rehabilitating China tea for liome use. Our most 
eminent doctors recommend it for nervous people or 
digestion, and on the strength 
of «ir Andrew' Clark s Icctux'e many of the leading 
retailers find this a favouj'able opportunity to intro- 
duce a fine China canister at a moderate price It 
mav succeed witJi the few, but no doubt the ‘niilUon’ 
will continue to prefer tlie stronger Assam and 
Ceylon growths for some time to come.'* Speaking 
roughly, we may say we have had, from all quarters, 
inferior teas to deal with this year ; and this, together 
with the heavy supplies up to date, accounts for 
thQ_ very low rates that are now ruling. Home deli- 
veries for tho last few months have been splendid 
with increase upon increase throughout tho year. 
Hxport, which showed an increase at tlie end of 
tho year 1800, fell off from January to June 1801 
some 4 million lb. ; but, curious to relate, this 
second ban of tho year, which takes in the 1801-02 
crop, is very little behind wlieii compared with the 
Bimilar period last year, although there is supposed 
to ho no deiuaiul tor Jiussia, wliile tlio Continent 
has also wanted less owing to larger direct imports. 
f'^i^Nov /'f from Juno 
1 to Nov. .U), wo find from AJessrs. Gow, Wilson, and 
? ^ of I»dian lias increased 
UX)(J,()(W lh., and Ceylon f;i)o,iltK.i Ih., or nearly double 
difficult "ro If is "lost 
‘ ahead, or try to give any advice. 
Puces aie very low and look as if they must have 
i "overtheloss stock ia rather heavy, 
and Ceylon promises to give us a further laruo 
increased supplios from 
thn t Coylon are at the expense of quality ; but 
the trade do not want all this common rubbish. 
_, Chi.na Tf.a. 
1°^ tl'o season is 
S tf ^[1 "'illioii Ih., or 10 millions 
less than liwt season. No doubt wo shall require it 
all, and still bo able to use up some of tho old 
18.10 to May dl 1891. At tho rate we are now 
doliyermg, wo must reckon a falling off of some 12 
million lb.’ thus showing a need of siiy 69 million 
lb. for the season ending next June. 'J'otal stock on 
lb "in 1890 ^^’ tflaihst 106 million 
Indian Tea. 
Consuiiiptioii was very much checked by the 
hi gh rat es ruling for the first six or seven months 
•And for all lime- Persons of oemmousense know 
ro u* t“80<d for them bettor than docs an uttercr of 
rash rubbish like Dr. Andrew Clark,— Ed. T , A . 
