South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1873-12-26
Tea and Coffee.
What Importers and JoJJers Hare 10 Say
From -ne New York Commercial.

When there is an opening for ap advance
OF prices In the necessaries of life, retail
dealers are tue FIRST to take advantage of it,
and the poor aud sslaried men, those who
are compelled 10 buy small quantities at u
time, are the first to feel the effects of il.
As soon as there was talk ia Congress
OF an increase of duties on tea and coffee,
up town grocers and small dealers in the
drinks that cheer but do not inebriste, ran
up their scale of prices, and laid the fault
upon the Legislators at Washington. In
some cases coffee was sold yesterday at As
cents pound, which could be bought a
week ago for 30, aud in other cases the ad-
vance was smaller, but there seemed to be
general consent TO take advantage Of the
crisis, even though it should turn out to be
false alarm
y reporter Of the Commercial started
out this morning to make inquiry of some
OF the leading importing aud jobbing hous-
es IN the tea and coffee trade, in relation to
the present condition of the market. AT
Nlessrs II *. THURBER & Co., No. 173
Chambers street, who have one Of the larg-
est grocery houses III tho city, he was told
that the tea market was but slightly Affect
ed as yet, though the advance had not been
felt by jObbers to such an extent as to JUS
tify IN increase Of thirty per cent in the
retail price Of the article. For the last two
months thore has been n steady advance in
coffee, which was due 10 the fact tha, the
importation of Rio aud Java were smaller
than usual, bctokening a falling off in the
crop. Further advance in the cost Of these
staples may DO looked for.
PuPKE & REID, Nos. 200 Washington
street and 100 Water street, are large i'm
porterss Of coffee and teas, and do very
heavy business in grinding cofFees and mix
ing them with chlcory) for the jobbers in
and out OF town. This firm say that coffee
was already high when the proposition to
increase the duty on its importation was
made. OF course, should Congress put on
the additional tax, IL will advance to q still
higher figure. Either direct tax or an
initiation of tho currency would affect tea
and keep speculation busy, since much of
1t has been selling at from 25 to so per
cent below the cost of importation; bu, cof-
fee would only be affected by making the
duty heavier.
A singular effect of the advance in coffee
has been the larger ADD increasing demand
Tor mixed or adulterated coffoes. The mills
owned By PUPKE& REID are KEEP. constant
~ at work in supplying this inferior arti.
Gle. They are now selling twenty pounds
OF mixed Cor, as it is termed 10 the trade,
ground coffee where they sold one
pound month ago. Western jobbers
write that people say the times are dull,
work is slack, they are poor, and cant't af-
ford TO drink pure coffee. Yet they must
have something liquid at their meals, so
they drink the adulterated article and are
happy. Ia consequence of this increase in
aduiteration, chicory has advanced so per
cent IN the past month. The available sup
ply of this article has been already used up
and bought in, and it is sold to arrive In
large lots. In the last few weeks the price
has gone up from 81 gold to 8 gold per
pound. This extensive use of chcory will,
10 time, produce a Reaction. At present
1T has reduced the consumption of pure cof-
fee 90 per cent, and this will tell upon the
market sooner or later The adulterGted
article will become scarce, aud there will be
glut OF the genuine, aud this, OF course
will result 10 decline in the price Of the
latter
Ives, BEECuER & Co., who are extern
sivo importers of tea, at No. 9S Front street,
say that tea has advanced already FIVE cents
a pound, and will probably 90 still higher
No doubt there will be considerable specu-
la'ion in 1t, as opportunity is offered They
do not think, however, that Congress will
legisIate any addition to the existing duties.
Inquiries elsewhere show a general ex =
pectation Of q rise iu quotation of tea and
coffee But there is nothing as yet to JUS
tify the large additional price levied by
retail dealers in these household staples.
Mn RnnNtUzy 4.