TEA SUPPLIES.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 190, 12 August 1919, Page 7

TEA SUPPLIES.

lIIfiHER PRICKS PROBABLE. Many contributing causes are having a very serious effect on the tea position in New Zealand, and the recent forecast of lowest retail price of 3/ per lb eeems likely soon to be realised. The Australian maritime strike has held up large quantities in Sydney and Melbourne, and blenders throughout New Zealand are seriously feeling the shortage. It is rumoured that more than one wellknown packing house is very hard pressed to execute orders even on a reduced scale.

Turning to the producing centres, it appears that very large orders are steadily pouring in from Europe, and the position there would have been stronger if freight had been available to lift the purchases. This difficulty has now been overcome, and latest cabled advices indicate that ample homeward freight is offering. Another point is that supplies are now much smaller from the estates, nnd whereas a. week or two ago sales of over three millions were the rule they nre now reduced to 1$ to 15 millions. One big shipping house, writing to a local blending firm, gives it as their opinion that they would not be in any way surprised to see a big boom in tea. Orders are being received from all quarters of the globe, and in nianv cases where supplies have not been made for some years past. It seems apparent, therefore, that consumers in Xew Zealand must be prepared for a steady increase in prices. This is evidenced by the fact that it is a regular thing now to learn that purchases just made in the producing centres are costing from Ud to 2d per lb more than the teas shipped n week or two earlier. If the strike in Australia continues even to the end of this month the position will unquestionably be very serious, and as there is an enormous con-1 irestion of general goods lying waiting transhipment in Australia it will take many weeks to clear up those ports before the teas now arriving there can be lifted. It will thus be seen that from fill points of view the outlook for the tea trade is a serious one as far as Xew Zealand is concerned. I