As this is the time when those engaged in the business of black tea are about to make arrangements for the new crop, a few words on the positi 1 of this trade will be beneficial. China Black Tea in England is ina very bad state at the present moment, and the losses to foreign merchants during this season have been enormous, hundred of chops of black tea for which they paid Tls. 15 " 20 in Hankow only bringing Tls. 57 per picul in England, and the chief reason for these heavy losses is on account of the bad smoky flavour which nearly all teas from China developed th year. When we look back at this once profitable and flourishing trade and see to what a small compass it is rapidly falling, it behoves us one and all to try our best to remedy the evils that are killing the Chinese tea trade, for in the last three years China has lost 40% of its England, as the following figures will show; three years ago the export of black ten to England from all China amounted to 1,080,000 piculs and to Russia 530,000 piculs, while this y sar the total export of China black tea to England will only reach 650,000 piculs and to Russi 480,000 piculs, thus showing a falling off in the total black tea export of nearly half a lion piculs, represen i the Imperial revenue of about 14 millie nid a loss of about five million taels to the Chinese. In troubles like these, these interested in the declining trade should dispassionately consider the causes which have brought their trade almost to an end, and the investigation into these, which was held by the Imperial Customs and native and foreign merchants together, has shown that the principal reasons that the tea trade is so bad is on account 1.—That the quality of China black tea has greatly deteriorated in late years and is now surpassed by Indian tea. export daty, amounting to an average tax of fully 30 per cent. ad valorem, while the other competing countries—India and Ceylon—pay no export duty whatever.
Although these two causes have long been admitted as the principal reasons for the falling off of our trade, yet no attempt has been made to rectify them, the heavy duty remains the same, and the quality of the tea is worse than ever, and itis clear to all thinking men that unless something be done to alter the present state of affairs this great trade will shortly cease to exist, The writer has formant years been connected with the China tea trade and has also watched the growth and development of the Indian and Ceylon tea trade, and he and other foreigners begin to fear that Chinese teamen have lost their trade, and it is almost too late to recover it, For now the great Indian hills and gardens supply more tea to England than China does, and ae increasing every year to the exclusion of China teas.
Now all business men in China are mutually interested in preserving if possible the Chinese tea trade, and it is with this view that the following advice is given to those about to deal in tea in the new season.
Whatever hardships the export duty imposes on the black tea trade, these are not directly the cause of the present depressed condition of the trade, but at the same time itis felt that if all the teamen would together petition the Imperial Government a reduction of duty might at Jeast be granted. The chief reason of the terrible depression and low prices of black tea is the great deterioration of the Chinese article, and coming as it does now into competition with the strong and fragrant teas of India and Ceylon, it has for several years past been easily beaten by them; in this last season j the Chinese black teas were the worst that have ever been produced in the history of the tea trade, and this mainly owing to the unpleasant favour of smoke on all the second and third crop tens, caused by the use of green wood during the firing. These te are now unsaleable in England and Ri and all foreign merchants have determined that on no consideration whatever will th buy any more teas in Hankow or Shanghai unless they are absolutely pure and reo from all taint of wood or smoke flavour, It is now absolutely necessary for all Chinese teamen who intend bringing tea to the foreign markets of Hankow and Shanghai to observe the following advice unless they wish to see their trade entirely finished.
Tea buyers in the country tea districts, should not buy any lof unless it has been properly cured with good charcoal; any leaf cured with wood or straw firing should be refused, and if boughtaccidentally it must be thrown away. Before purchasing leaf from the growers, teamen should satisfy themselves that the leaf has been properly and carefully fermented, being a rich brown colour—this is most important, as only the rich brown leaf will give the neo strength to the teas which is so desire by the English consumers.
2,—Teamen should on no account mix other inferior teas with the good high hill-grown leaf, as the inferior Teaf will in a short time have destroyed all the good flavour of the tine leaf in the chop. Far better is it for teamen to content themselves with making small chops of 200 to 300 half-chaste of pure good leaf on which they can bestow great care and attention whilst packing, than by continuing the foolish practice of mixing inferior leaf with good in order to make a large chop. Foreign merchants do not want anything like as much tea this season as they bought thi past one, unless great improvement in quality is shown, but they do want good and strong tea which if sold at a reasonable price may bring the China tea into favour With English consumers once more, but it
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.