The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1902-08-21
TEA Blythe CAR LOAD A FINE CONVENTION.
Immense Invoice to be D spensed
From Oskaloosa.


Mr.. James r. Hopkins, of st. Jos.
eph, Mo-, representing the Western
Grocer Company, has been in the city
few days giving report or his trip
to China and Japan to Mr.. A. P. Spen'
Ger of this city, secretary of the com
pany. The Western Grocery Company
has recently t aiken upon itself the I'M
portation OF teas, the finest and most
fancy known to the trade, and Mr..
Hopkins who has general management
of the tea business for all OF the
houses in the Western Grocery Com
pany and acts as the company's agent,
was sent to the Orient for the purpose
of buying a lot of the very best goods
to be had and to get it first handed
from the original packers. Mr.. Hop
kins spent three months in Japan and
China and secured the largest impor-
tation of tea that has ever been
brought over by any company in the
United States.
This new importation business, by
the way, means mucn FOR the city of
Oskaloosa, as it win all be handled
from the Oskaloosa Office of the com
pany and all of the goods will be billed
from the general office of the COM
pany in this city, to the several houses
Ga the Western Grocery Company as
follows: The Fletcher Company
of Marshalltown; Let's, Spencer,
Smith Company. of Mason City; Let's
Spencer Grocery Company, of st. JOS
eph, Mo-; Marshall Grocery Company,
Western Grocery Company, Kansas
City, Mo-, Western Grocery Company,
of Albert Lea, Minnesota, and H. L..
Spencer Company, Oskaloosa.
Mr.. Hopkins purchased in all about
100000 worth of tea for his company
and the ship ment will make about 80
car loads. Twenty-Five car loads of
the goods have arrived at Seattle and
the remainder is in transit The goods
have been shipped to st. Joseph, Kan
sas City and Chicago, where it is plac-
ed in bonded ware houses to await the
disposition of the owners. The teas
were purchased in Yokahoma, japan,
and in Hongkong and Shanghai, China.
All the bills of lading and invoices
made out in the original and the drafts
and bills of exchange made out by the
Chinese and Japanese banking houses
come to the Oskaloosa Office and the
drafts are honored from this place.
The bills of exchange and a number OF
the original invoices of packages We're
seen at Mr.. Spencer's Office by a Her
aid reporter. The amounts Of the
goods are carried out in the currency
used in the country where the pur-
chases were made and the translating
of them requires considerable labor,
to say nothing of the trial of patience
involved. The bills and the invoices
a,.S ffrr, tai nd lNvf
IDENTIFY require much time in their pre-
paration, as they are very carefully
ruled and made out in faultless man
ner.
All of this business being handled
through this Office gives the city Of Os-
kaloosa an advertisement that it could
get in no other way. The immensely
of the business as it comes down to
the retail lines is scarcely to be COM
pretended by the average individual
The importation made was planned to
last the several houses of the COM
pany as named above for period ofone
year for distribution to the retail trade
but if Mr.. Hopkins keeps up with his
remarkable record that he has been
making in the sale of these goods it
may be necessary for him to return
for another Importation. The larger
portion of this exceptionally heavy i'm
port has already been sold in advance
of arrival.
The Tea is sent out from the ware
houses marked with the private pack
ing Label of the Western Grocery com
pany houses. The import duties paid
and the charges Tor marine insurance
on the goods reaches quite a figure
and the bill OF expense before the
goods leave the hands of the dealer
runs up to notable amo unit.
Mr. Hopkins had many lively and in
teresting stories to tell of his trip to
China and Japan and his return via
Manila, but none are more of interest
than his relation Of facts concerning
the tea country. Among other things
he states that the tea crop of Japan is
short this season on account of killing
Irosts that came when the crop was
Just in the bud The Chinese crop is
the finest that mas been known in
many years. Mr.. Hopkins has for
years been posted on teas, but he says
that this trip has been an education in
itself and one that it was impossible
to get in any other way.