Evening journal., 1897-06-17
BAD TEA BARRED our.
A Startling statement IA 10 the Poor
stun Heretofore Consumed.

stun heretofore OOuhNmGus
Heretofore more than lo,o0o,o0o
pounds of tea have been imported an
nually into this country which were
not fit for consumption. This state
ment, made recently by the head of one
Of the largest tea-importing houses IL
New York city, gives some idea of the
importance which attaches 10 the work
of the seven tea experts just appointed
by the secretary of the treasury and
busy in this city determining the stand
ard samples by which all future impor-
tatious of tea shall be judged.
"When one buys any Of this tea un-
fit for USE" continued the importer,
che is lucky if he gets tea at all. He
may get very poor grade, but what he
buys is more likely to be willow leaves.
doctored and colored with nobody
knows what, or exhausted tea leaves,
from which all the good has been ex-
tracted and of no more strength than
so much sawdust
This tea, so called. which sells at
auction at from five to eight cents a
pound, is bought by some retailers at
that price, and sold at from 25 to so
cents a pound, an exorbitant profit"
There have been regulations here
tofore governing the importation o.
teas, but they have fallen far short Of
accomplishing their object.
Under the new law all tea viii be
examined at the port of entry by tho
tea examiner He will compare it with
the standards which the seven experts
are now determining. and there ought
not to be, in the vast majority of cases,
any difficulty in his determining
whether or not the tea Is admissible. If,
however, there is a protest, the tea in
question shall be passed uponby board
composed of thJee United States gener-
al appraisers, chosen by the secretary
of the treasury, and their decision shall
be final The law is very careful to
make such provisions that this board
shall have no way of knowing whosetea
is under consideration.
"The price of tea to the consumer will
not probably advance at ALL" said the
importer, "as plenty of good teas can
now be bought at wholesale as low as
ten cents u pound. We are at present
able 70 get the best values in the world
in tea right here in the United States
Russia has an enormous duty and Eng
land a moderate one.
'phe best teas in the world come to
the United States, but heretofore the
retailers have dealt in them only to 6
limited extent, preferring TO buy teas
at from eight to ten cents o pound anC
make an enormous profit rather thar
tc buy a fine grade at from 25 to 81
cents and make a good profit.
1.-The choicest grades OF Congou tea
commonly called English breakfast
green tea, Oolong tea and Japan tea, re
ceived by this country every season, d,
not cost, laid down, over 80 cents
pound. If these teas were retailed a
75 cents the consumers of the UniteC
States could drink the choicest tea
grown at this moderate price. A poun,
OF good full-strength tea will MAX
about 200 cups.
THE tea best adapted to the climat
of our country and the nerves of GU
people is called Fornosa Oolong. 1t ha
more flavor than the other China tea
and is free from any deleterious quality
} 1t is grown IN the Island of Formoss
} the soil of which is new as compare
with the rest of China, having been cul
tivated for tea only about 25 years.
Thereafter green teas will be foun
to be free from the injurious effects pre-
viously attributed to them, as it is ceI
, tain that large quantities of this de
scription of Pingsuey tea, which cor
tains a large amount of coloring mattel
e will be excluded from the country ur
der the new law.
"The popular superstition agains
green teas on account of their bein
: prepared on copper is erroneous. TIL
: food grades, those which will be az
mitted hereafter, are prepared withoI
any injurious combinations whatever.
1T is curious fact that when III
average cost Of importing teas was
pound, as was the case during the wa
when duty of 25 cents in gold was in
! posed, and they were retailed at frol
Sl.5O to SO a pound. the consumption pc
capita of our country was as large Z
: it is to-day, when the same grade of t.
costs to import only about 20 cents
: pound. Tea is the cheapest beverae
/ known to-day. Its price is about Il
/ same as that of coffee, but pound of
-. will go five times as far as a pound {
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