Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-01-16
TO GUARD TEA-CADDY
EXPLAINS HOW IMPURE TEAS WILL
BE KEPT OUT OF THE COUNTRY.
GOOD NEWS FOR EVERY ONE.
willy Merchants of the Orient VIII
No Longer BE Able TO FOist Their
Worst Teas on American Con-
sumers.
dor the Dlspatch.l
suIllers.

For the Dispatch)
The following article was written by
Thomas A. Phelan, chairman Govern
ment Committee Of Tea Experts for Es-
tablishing Tea Standards.
Very few consumers Of tea in the
| United States know that the government
| guaranteed that from May 1, 1897, no
tea unfit for use should be allowed to
enter our country. This means that after
| the supply which was in the country
| prior TO last March has been consumed,
| the most ignorant consumer in the United
States can go to any retailer from the
| Pacific to the Atlantic coast and be sure
that he viii not have foisted upon him
a, tea which is in any degree adulterated
or impure. The tea merchants, there
fore, naturally expect that the consump-
ton Of tea will be increased from the
present ratio Of one and a half pounds
per capita to at least four pounds within
a very short time.
AS there IS no duty on tea, pure ar
ticle can now be bought at retail for %
cents per pound, in which there are about
800 cups Of tea, making the cost per cup |
about one twelfth Of a cent, and there |
fore, at the rate Of twelve cups for a |
cent, it is the cheapest beverage known 1
next to water. During the war Ovhen /
the duty consisted Of p cents in gold per |
pound, these very teas which now retail |
al - cents per pound brought from 81 10
$50 a pound, but none less than 81.
Three or four years ago the same grade
retailed at 30 cents. but owing to the de-
cline in silver, which is the metal used
for its purchase, IL now retails at % cents.
AS the best tea can be bought at u cents.
which is at the rate Of four cups for
cent, it IS within the reach Of all to use
only the best.
The law which guarantees to every con-
sumner that they shall be offered in this
country none but pure teas was intro
duced into Congress last winter, and was
signed by President Cleveland March 2.
1897. Mr. Lemuel =. Qugg and Serene
T.. Payne champiOned the bill I'm the
House and Robert Il. Hill. Stephen VI.
White, and Knute Nelson in the Senate, !
but both houses passed the act without a
voice.
In the first place. the bill provides that
tea can be brought only into the United
States through four different ports
namely, San Francisco, Tacoma, Chicago.
and New York, at each Of which an officer :
who is an experienced tea expert Is sta :
toned. All tea arriving at this port is 7
at once taken possession of by the gov {
eminent until these tea experts issue 7
permit for its release, which they only C
10 after a careful investigation Of each J /
sample. Should a tea be rejected by | {
hese officers, the importer has the privi- c
eye of appeal TO the United States Board Z
If General Appraisers, which comprises o
he Supreme Court Of the custom house, n
md whose members are appointed for u
ife. They call in expert testimony re- q
Xamine the tea, and finally decide upon | d
IS admission or rejection. II the tea is q
elected, it must be shipped away from "
he country within six months, or be o.
estroyed by the government. e.
Under this new law about 1900 to 1900 "
hests Of tea have been rejected since tt
he ist Of May last, and the importation
as ceased of about 100000 pounds of tC
,w-grade tea, which had previously come p'
1 for century past. AS a guide 10 u
lese officers at each port, the law pro-
ides that a committee consisting Of
even tea experts, one chosen from San ~
francisco, two from Chicago, one from
one from Boston, and two III
ON New York, shall meet together once &c
very year and establish standards for ~
lery kind of tea used. These standards 20
re then bought by the government to De
le extent OF about twenty-five packages
each description, and distributed TO
] importers OF the United States. who
nd them 10 their correspondents in 2
nina, Japan. India, and England. with tu
structions that no tea poorer than these ,
andards shall be shipped to this coun- ii =
y. The standards are eighteen In num- ser
r., and are as follows: /
formosa Qolong. Annoy Oolong, North Tn
ina Congou English breakfast. Cey- !
4 tea, country green tea young Hyson) Ia
pan tea, pan fired; Japan, basket fired: ~
snted Orange PekOe Canton tea. Foo lar
ow Oolong. South China Congou. India Wis
/, Pingsueys green tea, country greenJ v
/ Qyson); Japan tea, sundried; Japan In'
st or fannings, capers. scented Canton N,
! dan
cry Few understand the enormous Jur
rieties OF tea For instance, II the con- ter.
ner is sufficiently informed to ask for
Oolong. or an English breakfast. he @
unaware that Of Oolong there Cor
three essentially different descrp- and
ls-pameiy. Foochow. Formosa, and be