The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-07-20
A TALK ON TEA.

The Product of Ceylon and India In
 Active Competition With That of Chi
 ma and Japan-scientific Manufacture
 Ahead of the Old Hand Rolling Pro-
 cess-Recent Tea Legislation to Keep
 Out Spurious Teas.
 MT. Fred c. Williams, who is known as a tea expert, had this to say in 3. re- cent interview on the condition of the tea trade, and the effect of the recent legislation passed by congress In the interest of pure teas. He said, among other things, that the practice of send ing impure teas to the markets of America had resulted In ourtailing the consumption of the article, and he was glad of any legislation that would keep them out. The difference between the mode of manufacturing tea in Ceylon and India and China and Japan, he said, was very material and had been shown in object lessons which had been printed in the best papers in the coun- try in the shape of advertisements. Some of the Japan and China tea deal CTS had pronounced these advertise ments untrue but he would refer these dealers to che department of agricul- ture's report, which gives plates show ing the methods employed in those countries. It was from that report that the feptures in the advertisements were taker.
 NJ. Williams said that it was unnec- essary for him to make statements, but flat he would simply quote from the Japan Gazette" of April 29, published in Yokohama, which Is the. organ of the tea trade. The extracts are from speeches made at a meeting of the To- kohama Tea Traders Guild MT. Otani Kahei, the president of the, guild, said: "As you are aware, India and Ceylon teas having found their way into the United States of America-the largest consuming markets for Japanese-are now keenly competing with Japanese teas. If this state of things be allowed ito continue we shall probably lose our markets. We tea traders, being greatly concerned at this, lately adopted plan of defense and petttioned the govern ment for assistance in carrying out the plan The petition was accepted and we have now been granted an annual subsidy of several thousand yen for seven years. We understand the Amer ican government has issued regulations for preventing the importation of im- pure teas, and perceiving the necessity of giving warnings at this moment wei urged the local producers to improve their teas"
 Commenting editorially on the tea question, the Japan Gazette" of the same date says: India and Ceylon are making, strenuous efforts to capture the tea markets of ths world. Their plant CTS are persistent%in endeavor, scientific in their culture and studious of taste. In consequence a great falling off has occurred in the consumption Of China teas, and now the stronghold of Japanns markets is seriously threatened. Japan sees the danger and is anxious to avert it. Japan need fear no com petitor solong assshe maintains or rais- es her standard; her exports will de- cline if,she adheres to methods that are obsolete and aims at increasing quan- tity at the expense of quality.
 aSon1e people have waxed highly in- dignant at certain advertisements In Canada, but there is enough truth in the assertions made to justify Japan in at once improving the process Of tea culture"
 MT. Williams then sadd that the peo- ple' most interested in the culture of Japan tea admitted all the facts charg- ed by the planters of India and Ceylnn, and the United States government re- port on tea corroborated every state n1ent made. "It is a case of an abso- Iutely pure article manufactured i'll a scientific way, against an impure and adukterated article manufactured In an mclean and unscientific manner" said he. 'rghe people of this country are be- coming educated up to the fact that pure food products are the best and, judging from the enormous increase m the sales of India and Ceylon teas, they proposeto have the best and stsonce the most economical"
 Regarding the duty question. he said he hoped tea would be included in the tariff bill as finally passed, as it would prevent any attempt to bring in impure and cheap teas, and while the consum- CTS would have to pay a trifle more, they would reap the benefltin better tea