The San Francisco call., 1897-10-01
TEA STANDARD
MUST Be HIGH
Importers Are Fully in
Accord With the Re-
stricting Law,
Deny the Assertions That They
Do Not Want Inferior
Grades Barred Out.
Mr.. Toohey's Rejection of Certain
Samples Not Upheld by the
Committee.

The tea importers are up in arms over
the statement which appeared in ye,ler-
day mornings Examiner to the effect
that the merchants are opposed to e law
restricting The importation OF teas of in
teror grades. They brand the article as
an absolute misrepresentation of the
facts and emphatically assert hat in
stead of being at variance with the Gov
eminent on this point they are fully
in accord with the provisions OF the law.
They deny that there is any organized
effort on their part to secure the admls-
sion of impure tea and claim on the con-
trary that they are using every effort in
their power to see that only the purest
articles are allowed TO enter at this port.
Every importer seen yesterday stated in
the strongest terms that it is the general
opinion of all the merchants that the
standard adopted by the Tea Commission
is not 100 high and that instead or wish
ing it lowered they would prefer TO have
it raised. 1t is further contended by the
merchants hat there is not the slightest
trou bic existing between them and Col
lector Jackson. The meeting OF the i'm
porters with the Collector Wednesday, a
comp etc account of which was given in
l.
Jackson, who desired TO get the views Of
the tea men as to whether Mr.. TOohey's
opinion in regard to the rejected tea was
a correct one. Mr.. Toohey's decision that
the tea was not up to the standard had
been appealed from to the appraisers at
New York and they had reversed it. The
local inspector still claimed that he was
right and wanted tea experts here 10
test The samples.
The committee appointed at the meet
ing Wednesday met yesterday morninG,
and after thorough test of the samples
found that Mr.. Toohey was not justified
in refusing entrance to the tea. To lay
man this decision looks like a boomerang
Tor the tea ins spector, as he seemed to ex-
pect Wind cation at the hands Of he COM
mittee, and it was supposedly at his sug-
gestion that the importers were called in
to give their ideas on the subject. The
mem bers OF the committee hold that there
is no reflection on Mr.. Toohey on account
Of the result OF their investigation and in
sist that his mistake in refusing the lea
was one which any expert might have
made.
The report of the committee, which will
be gwen TO Collector Jackson to-day, is as
follows:
The com mittee of five, appointed yesterday
for the purpose OF examining certain teas
which were rejected by the inspector at this
port and upon appeal rece. we'd by The Board o;
General Apprai ers at New YORK beg leave TO
report as follows: We have carefully exam-
ined the twenty-nine samples submitted in
com parson with the United States Govern
mem standards. The committee was unani-
nous in approving the action OF the Board OF
General Appraisers respecting all the above
mentioned sampes with the exception OF two.
AS to these the committee differed in opinion,
and upon vote being taken three OF the COM
mittee were in favor OF upholGing the Board
of General Appraisers and two were of the
opinion that the inspector was ustitied in re-
jecting the same.
A nun Der of the prominent importers
were seen yesterday and expressed their
opinions on the matter as given below:
NJ. ]. Brandenstein-The tea merchants
OF San Francisco are in favor of uphoiding
the standard tea. They want the best Cnl-
nese and Japanese teas that are in the
market. and it was really at the instiga-
ton OF the importers that the law was
and thasa s1a nd q rds ,rha Z