The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-23
TEA TRADE ALL SPLIT UP.

TEA TRADE ALL SPLIT UP.
Retailers Calling importers Unscrupuious
Want 70 Keep the Duty On.
The duty on tea IL likely to 20 with the
rest Of the war taxes and that very quickly,
despite a vehement protest from the New
York Retail Grooers' Association against
the taking of Of the duty. This same
protest. which was made at q meeting OF
the association held q week ago and sent
to every member Of Congress has, how
ever. aroused a very bitter feeling In the
tea importers and wholesalers against tho
retailers.
The tea trade, In fact, just now is at
loggerheads over the tea duty and that is
. very sore question indeed. It is not so
much the protest Of the tea retailers against
the taking Of Of the duty as the form In
which that protest Is put and tho grounds
o N which II In framed which sngers the
Wholesalers. In substance, It accused the
importers Of swtndling the public and
making inordinats profits before he days
Of the war tar by sdulterating teas, and
asked for this reason that the tax be kept On.
In 1897, the retail srooers said. Congress
enacted q law establishing a standard
grade for all teas imported into this country.
| II was ono Of tbs best laws ever enacted
In the interests Of the health and comfort
Of tea drinkers, because 1t shut out all the
sinking and unwholesome teas imported
by INSCRIPTIONS dealers. who made this
country the dumping ground for every
thing In the shape Of teas which were re-
jocted by every other nation In the
civilized world.
But teas being admitted free Of duty
enabled dealers to mix and repsck In chests
with the better grades Of tea, the very poor
grades which were still permitted to enter
under the law, and thus to reduce their
cost while enabling them to get i~nordinate
profits at the expense Of the consumer.
Then to help pay the expense Of the war
with Spain, Congress enacted a law putting
a duty Of 10 cents a pound on all teas i'm
ported. This made it Improbable TO mix
and repack teas on account Of the fact that
the packers would have TO pay the duty
before getting possession of the tea.
It is now possible. said the retailers.
70 buy teas direct from bonded warehouses,
thus insuring against repacking n manip-
ulating, but the wholesale grocers and
some OF the importers urged the repeal
of the duty because it would enable them
TO get possession of the tea as soon as IL
was passed by the Government examiners,
and would enable dealers TO resume the
practice Of mixing and repacking.
Tea, said the retailers, is an article which
will most easily bear q duty without being
q burden on the consumer. One pound
Of IL makes over two hundred cups of good
strong tea, and the tea duty can be readily
and easily collected. Moreover, though
II had been represented that consumers
were paying the full duty on tea, they are
now using, not being able to purchase any
tea at less than 80 cents a pound, it was
conceded hat they are getting "a better
and more wholesome tea at the price they
are now paying than they were getting
before the duty was put on.
The most popular tea sold In this coun-
try, that priced at so cents a pound, the re-
tailers asserted, had not deprecated in
quality at all on account of the duty. the
difference being made up by the cheapening
of the better grades in the producing coun-
tries and the lessening the profits of the
distributors of teas in this country. On
this and other accounts. therefore, the re-
tailers believed that the duty should not
be taken of for these reasons:
l-Because it enables the dealer to get
the teas direct from bonded warehouses;,
thus ~insuring their purity ~ imported.
2-Because the duty can be- easily and read
'a-Because It f. a tax which bears very
lightly on the consumers oud which is will
ingly borne by them as II insures them pure
The repeal OF tho duty Is not asked
for by the consumer. but 40 far as. can be
found out. only by a few importers and whole
sale grocers who. IL the duty is taken Of,
expect TO go back TO the profits OF lsd5-l0
70 20 cents a pound.
For these reasons said the retailers,
Eve believe that the duty of 10 cents a pound
hould he retained on all teas, a. being a
protection to the retailers, who desire TO
sell pure and wholesome teas as well as
20 the consumer, who desires TO get teas
pure and healthy and the retail grocers of
the city of New York respectfully request
the MEMBER Of Congress to vote against the
bill repeating the duty
The importers have been aroused to the
keenest sense of indignation by this out
burst, while they say they are puzzled 10
understand why any body of retailers
should desire to keep on the tea duty. They
express themselves plainly about what
they call the perversion of the facts cited.
These fellows don't seem 10 know what
they are talking about" said an importer
Government standard keep out all impure
and adulterated teas. Secondly, instead Of
there being less adulteration of teas and a
smaller quantity Of poor teas used under
the tax there has been a great deal more.
THE retailer, 20 attract the consumer,
under the influence Of competition will
raise prices as little "a possible. no matter
what amount of duty may be put on or
h increase in cost he himself has to pay.
This 10 per cent. war tax had TO come out |
of somebody. The groccrs saw II didn't
come out OF the consumer. What did IL
come out of. then, il not In cheapening
the quality of the article?
1T is not true that tea is cheaper In the
producing countries now than IL has been
in recent years. II is on an average a cent
a pound dearer, and il is a case OF take il or
leave II.
These resolutions the grocers adopted
were sheer Grass foolishness and II Is a good
thing that Congress does not seem to be
paying any attention TO them. In the light
Of facts they will not stand for a moment
| am n tea broker and personally, / would
prefer, like these retailers TO have tho tax
retained, for as | trade ON a commission
basis, my profit Is fxed by the price of
the article and the higher tho price the
more there is In II for me.
But IL is 20 the consumers interest In
tea, as in everything else. TO cut down the
duty on IL to nothing at all whenever pos
sible. As TO this bosh about the quality
of the tea sold improving under the war
tax the fact is that since the tax WINS put
on the average price Of the tea imported
has been 10 cents n pound abroad. Before
the tax was put oil tire average price was
from IS to 10 cents a pound. Ihe Govern
mont statistics show this and l think II