Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-01
BY CHARLES M. PEPPER.

TEA is on the list for a war rev.
enue tax 1t takes it's place
along with coffee.
q consumption tax of ) cents
a pound on tea. as has been suggested.
would not yield as much revenue as
cents pound on coffee. nor will
double that rate bring it up to the
coffee figures. yet it would prove
very convenient source of income.
Imports into the United States range
from 90.0O0,O0O pounds annually up to
110,O00.000 pounds. dependent on the
carry-over stock and on other COM
mercial conditions. 1t may be assumed,
however. that there would be 1O0,-
O00.0 pounds to be taxed eaS year
during the continuance of the war. 80
that the revenue to be derived from
that source can be easily determined
by multiplying 1o0.o00.0o0 by the rate
which may be fixed.
There may be the customary objec-
ton of the politicians to taxing the
food of the people," and something may
he heard of the necessity of maintain
ing the free breakfast able. but there
Is no more economic weight in this
argument than in the same argument
urged with reference to conee ana
sugar. AS regards tea. 1t Is the free
supper table. rather than the free
breakfast table. which would be af-
fected- In many parts OF the country
where supper is still the evening meal
tea is the favorite beverage. although
II is also breakfast beverage. Mid
day tea at lunch. or social afternoon
tea, does not mean much In the way
of consumption.
There is something Of a delusion
that tea drinking is a vanishing Amer
ho
generation really knows anything
about tea. Personal observation as to
the apparent diminishing quantity now
drunk. as compared with that wnlcn
were young. lends to this delusion-
Yet the statistics Of Imports and con-
sumption when examined dispel it.
Wide variations are shown in the
United States at different periods. 1ao-
lated years might be taken. and from
them the conclusion drawn that the
American people have almost ceased to
,tfon shows that the imports go up and
down like other commodities. yet
maintain a fairly normal average.
IN the decade between 1880 and 1870
much more than half pound. In the
Following ten-year period II exceeded
n pound, and though 1t dropped to
three-quarters of pound In the civil
al.
ing decade above one pound per person.
nven reaching a pound and a quarter,
and maintained that average until the
early years of the present century.
once Or twice since r,sr 1900 D, IT non has
again. but the average has been about
one pound.
1916. the consumption OF tea was about
one pound and one ounce per person. or
approximately hve and half pounds
for q family of five persons. With a
consumption tax of 10 cents pound
assuming that the dealer would be able
20 pass the whole tax on to the con-
summer, this would mean only So
cents per family. and at cents a
pound II would be just fractionally
over the price of six street-car tickets
10 the people of Washington. This is
not a heavy burden on the supper table
the breakfast table or the afternoon
social tea.
Import prices vary. but taken In their
whole range there seems to be very
= and the price which the consumer is
compelled to pay when he buys his
pound of tea at retail, and very few
people buy more than one pound at a
time. because tea goes long way as
compared with coffee.
Yet, as in the case of sugar, the i'm
port prices of tea have decreased since
the civil war period. 1t was then from
IS to % cents pound, and later
mounted above 80 cents. In 1900 it had
dropped as low as IL cents. During the
last few years 1t has ranged from II
to 10 cents a pound for the sommor
grades.
Not improbably, in estimating ths
basis for the revenue tax, Congress,
will consider 20 cents a pound a!
the wholesale import price that I,
likely to prevail while the war lasts
The war itself does not interfere with
production. since its ravages extend Il
none Of the countries in which tea Il
raised. but It interferes with trans