Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-12-04
MAY TURN FROM
LIQUOR TO TEA
Spread Of Prohibition In
creases Tea Drinking in
This Country.

New York, Dec. 4.-The market In
crease in the importation of tea into
the United States lends interest to. a
statement made by a British tea grow
err, that world consumption of tea is
not exceeding production by a of
the reduced consumption of alcoholic
liquors in many of the principal coun-
tries of the world. Prohibition, he said.
was SO increasing the consumption of
tea that the worlds demands, espe-
cially after the r%e-opening of Russia,
must far exceed any possible produce
ton for some years to come.
Whether legislation%sof this charac-
ter in the United Statesnhas or has not
affected the consumption of tea, it is
at least a factS that the tea imports
into the United States are now far in
excess of any preceding year. A COM
pilation by the National City bank of
New York shows h a the quantity of
tea imported into the United States in
the fiscal year 1918 was 151,000,O 900
pounds, against 100000, 900 in the i'm
mediately preceding year., and 49,
100000 in the high record year 1909.
The value of the imports of the fiscal
year 1918 is also SO per cent greater
than in any earlier year, aggregating
$31,000,000 in value, against an aver
age of about SIS. 900, 900 per annum in
the preceding five years:
kAllOIllCI cAIISIllSlN SlIlhlIlS CIdHS
in the tea habit" of the people of
the United States is the disposition to
look to the Indies for u tea supply
instead of the China-Japan area as in
the past. Prior to 1917 most Of the
tea reaching the United States came
from Japan and China. Out of the
1~10,000,000 pounds imported in 1916,
100000 came from Japan, 20,000,-
900 from China, 10, 900, 900 from Cey-
lon. 1000, 600 from India, and a little
Owe a half million pounds from the
Dutch East Indies. In 1917. however,
the amount from the Dutch East In
dies advanced to 10000 pounds,
and in 1918 jumped to over $4,000, 900
pounds. The receipts from India and
having been in the fiscal year 1918
45,0O0,000 pounds against 1 1000, 900
in 1917. Still more recently this new
movement was intensified, and in the
eight months ending with August the
quantity from the Dutch East Indies
was 25,0o0.o 900 pounds against $780,
900 in the same morths of 1917, and
from British East Indies 20, goo, 900
pounds against 5000, 900 in the CORE
spending months Of 1917.
The increased movement of tea
from the British and Dutch East In
dies direct to h United States is prob
ably due in part to the difficulty which
IlOSe countries uuVe recently IOunQ
in sending their teas to Europe, and
the feasibility of avoiding submarines
sending it across the Pacific to the
west coast of the United States, in
stead Of sending it to Great Britain
and the Netherlands as formerly. At
any rate. it is a fact that the Dutch
East Indies now hold the lead over
China. Japan and British India in tea
entering the United States, although
only one ear ago the Dutch East In
dies held fourth rank in the list Of
countries from which our tea was
drawn. For the eight months ended
with August tea from China and
Japan formed only 40 per cent Of the
total entering the United States, while
in the corresponding months Of 1916
it formed about so per cent Of the to-
tai imports. On the other hand, tea
from India and the Dutch East Indies
formed in 1918 So per cent of the i'm
ports as against only Is per cent two
years go. Tea exports from the Dutch
East Indies to the United States in the
first three months of 1918 were over
100000 pounds against less than