The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-08-28
CEYLON TEA.
"A L1RGE INCREASE IN CONsU.MP-
II0N AGAIN THIS YEAR.

Tho Agitation for Pure Food Products
Hns shown the Consumer That NO
Foreign Substances Are Used Either TO
Color IL or to Make 1t More PalatabIe-
Gradually Driving "Doctored' Teas
Out ofthe Markets of This Country.
The phenomenal increase in the con-
sumption of Ceylon and India tea in
this country has become very striking,
and those interested either from the
standpoint of the seller or the consumer
naturally look for reason for the grad
ual change from teas that our people
have been using for years to a tea that,
prior to the Chicago Worlds fair, was
practically unknown here.
In order to throw some light on the
matter, a representative of this paper
interviewed Mr.. Fred c. Williams of
New York. who is in town, and who
has been intimately connected with the
introduction of the tea in this country.
When asked how he accounted for the
unusual showing, Mr.. Williams said;
There are several reasons, but para
mount among them is the merit of the
article. It's long story, but I will give
you a short resume of how the consump-
ton in little more than a decade has
gone from thousands of pounds up to a
million. When the Worlds Fair was
dia tea, who had already absorbed the
markets of Great Britain, and were
making inroads on Russia and other
European countries, saw the opportun-
ty to bring to the attention of the peo-
pie of the United States the merit of a
tea produced on virgin SOIL manufac-
tured by scientific machinery and sold
to the consumer uncolored and unaduI-
terated and when the fair opened a
part of the Indian eXsibit was devoted
to tea, and thousands of our people were
served with the cup that cheers but
does not inebrate This was under the
management of Mr.. Richard Blechyn-
den, who, by the way, is now the New
York representatives of Messrs. Vital
& Co., of Colombo one of the largest
houses in the tea business
1.-THE work of introduction has been
continued, and each year the consump-
ton has shown a decided increase over
11pti1 what 6
practically an unknown commodity is
known far and wide.
1.-THE main object has been to show |
the consuming public that in using this |
tea they were using tea that was not |
only more economical as compared with |
other teas on account of its greater i
strength, but tea that was not colored |
with any poisonous or deleterious sub
stance but was sold with only the at
tributes that nature gives it. The con-
slant agitat ton regarding adulterated |
foods !, fortified by pure food laws in
many of the states has unquestionably |
made the housewives ponder over what
they have been serving on their tables,
and as the facts bore out every state
ment that was made regarding Ceylon
teas converts have been many.
''Not pound of this tea has ever
been rejected by government officials
in their enforcement of strictest inspec
ton laws. What other tea is there that
has such a record?'
HAS advertising helped us? OF course
it has. But advertising has only been
a means to draw attention to the merit
of the article Without merit the best
advertising cannot sell anything for
any considerable time"
''Can tea be grown in this country?"
was asked of Mr. Williams, He said
that there were several states where the
climatic conditions We're such that good
tea had been raised, but labor here
was far too high to compete with tea
growing countries; but he added that
he had heard expressions of opinions
from several practical tea planters re-
garding the raising of tea in some of our
recently acquired possessions. The con-
census of opinion seemed to be that it
was quite possible that tea would in
that way become one of the products of
this country.
In conclusion he said that in reading
the papers the other day chronicling
the reception to Admiral Dewey at Co
1ombo, where the admiral and his crew
were presented with some of this pure
tea, the thought occurred to him. what
a contrast there was between that tea
party and the other one in Boston har-
Dor in 1776, and how indicative it was
of the change of sentiment between the
peoples of the two great Anglo-Saxon
nations.
BUILDING NOTES.
The Greist Manufacturing company |
are to further enlarge their already ex-