The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-05-23
TEA TRADE TRICKS.
SSWhSiesome Mixtures ImpOrtcd--Why
Inspectors ShouId be Appointed.


Inspectors Shonld be Appointed.
The determination of the Board of Trade
70 inquire fully into the matter of the intro
1uction of adulterated tea into the United
States and to memorabilia Congress, if tho
facts warrant such step, to pass the bill
prepared by the New York Chamber of
Commerce, has directed much attention to
The subject. Many consumers of the bev
srage that cheers but not inebriates are now
6nding out for the first time that they have
not been drinking the properly cured foliage
Of the Chinese camelia, but various other
things far from being agreeable. No tea.
with the exception of some few small over
and consignments, is imported direct to
Philadelphia. Almost the whole supply of
The country is consigned to New York, and
consequently the movement to restrict the
Importation of tea declared to be poisonous
and unfit for use had its origin in that city.
No opposition of consequence is expected to
be made to the proposed bill when it comes
up, because oil the leading tea importers of
the country, so far as known, are in its
favor and have signed the petition advoeat-
ing its passage The only persons, it is
said, who oppose it are a few interested
English importing houses and their New
York agents.
One of the gentlemen who is active in
favor of the bill is J. H. Catherwood, of this
city, who represents one of the oldest and
largest tea houses in the United States. The
situation, in brief, Mr.. Catherwood says, is
that the sale and importation of poisonous
teas having been prevented in Great Britain
by law, the trade has been transferred to
the United States and has already SO affected
the public faith in teas generally that the
consumption has been arrested and the price
of good teas put down to figures so near the
cost of production that the legitimate trade
is seriously affected. On grounds of expe-
diency for the protection of the public
health it is proposed to pass a bill requiring
the inspection of all tens introduced into the
United States and, in cases where the judg-
ment of the inspector as to the purity of
any particular cargo or consignment is
questioned, to have the tea chemically an-
alyzed. All poisonous artificial tea discov-
cred is to be destroyed In England, just
after the adoption of the law there, 1900
half chests were prohibited from entering
and 6,225 half chests were destroyed.
During the war, when there was q specific
duty of twenty-five cents pound on tea, it
did not pay to introduce the trashy article
into the United States, because the tea sell
ing at ten cents pound and having twenty
Ave cents added could not compete in the
market with tea selling at twenty or thirty
cents pound, with the duty added. When
that was taken of and duty of but ten
cents left on, the influx of poor teas began,
and now that the ten cents is taken off we
may look for the vilest trash that is manu-
nothing known as tea that has not sale
and that cannot find purchasers. az have
known" said Mr. Catherwood, "a cargo of
tea to be sunk and spoiled by salt water,
then raised, placed on barges, taken up the
Hudson, submitted to a chemical process to
get rid of the salt, retired to make it crisp
aid tnen soti IN 7enii.a-iptsla t~-rlost re-
spectacle dealers. Of course it was a case
where the Board of Health might properly
have interfered, if they had known.
1.-THE fact is" continued Mr.. Catherwood,
livery few of the public institutions of Phil
.delphia use ten at all, although they have
what goes by the name. 1t is simply artif-
,ial stuff the most of it poisonous and preju-
iicial to health. Much of it, when placed
n cup, with boiling water over it. will
yield not single leaf--nothing but dirty
Iediment. When there are leaves, they are
hose of various common plants, dried and
rtifcially treated and colored to resemble
;ea."
A great deal of 1t is made by simply rolling
Up masses of vegetable dust and refuse, such
powder tea and then drying and colsring it.
The amount of bird-lim and other .uimal
natter rs well as decayed vegetable SUBJ
tances substituted for tea, is enormous. If
were not for the fact that did not desire
he publicity could have pointed out some
interesting things about the tea furnished
he Almshouse for many years. 1t has been
he worst sort of rubbish and cannot have
had anything but an injurious effect upon
hose who drank the decoction. There is a
,lass of tea that comes from the Ping Suey
district which is called Shanghai packed
This is very bad and the most of it is ve-
aeered, or, as we call it, "faced." Com
mon leaves and compounds rolled with glue
INTO tea form are treated chemically, some
times with iron filings, and rolled in cylin-
der until they get surface that looks like
The finest tea. The Canton-made green tea,
which is very highly colored, is largely used
for diluting and mixing with genuine teas to
Increase the profit. In black teas the Ankoi
Oolongs are vile compounds and some of
them absolutely poisonous. A good deal of
This tea is made from laurel leaves 1t sells
At wholesale at about eight cents per pound
and is used as O substitute for tea that would
cost from twenty-five to forty cents per
pound"
"City people," continued the speaker,
care not the great consumers of tea. The
great consumption is in the country and the
farmer who only has one store to deal Of
has to take what tea he gets. Several large
profits have to be made even before the tee
reaches the country grocer. That is one
reason why city people can seldom drinl
the tea they find at country hotels. In The
city there is competition and many storeI
and If one does not get good tea ut one
store they will try another. The consump-
ton of tea in the United States is very small
as compared with Great Britain. Last year
we consumed about G5,000,000 pounds.
Great Britain consumed $50, 900, 900 pounds,
or about three times as much. While there
was duty of 25 cents on tea in THU country
the consumption rapidly increased. Since
Il has been taken off and opportunity given
for the introduction of trashy teas the con.
sumption has by no means kept pace with
the increase of population Philadelphia
Times
>.-MNs-.>
The CHEApNEss OF MANKIND. Nothing "a
80 cheap in the market of tho world rs men.
Tho very OK that is to be slaughtered to-