TRADE IN THE EAST

Taranaki Daily News, 22 December 1932, Page 14

TRADE IN THE EAST

VIEWS OF DUNEDIN BUSINESS MAN That business conditions in the East are more or less on a par with those in occidental countries, was the opinion of Mr. W. H. Shepherd, director and tea expert to the Bell Tea Company, who has just returned to New Zealand from a comprehensive tour of the Far East. Mr. Shepherd’s mission to the teaproducing countries was to investigate the very latest methods of tea manufacture and blending, also to order supplies of suitable tea for his Company’s New Zealand requirements. He was enthusiastic over the great improvements that have taken place during the last few years, not only in the actual growing of the leaf but also in the manufacture. In Ceylon and India there are now research bureaux entirely devoted to the tea industry under the direction of specially trained chemists and tea experts. The better quality of tea now turned out by many estates is due largely to the great assistance given by the research bureaux. Modern machinery is also playing a great part in the improved manufacture of tea.

Despite this improvement in the quality of tea, and also the slightly increased world consumption, there was still a great excess over requirements of tea being grown, and on account of this tea planters in all the producing countries were experiencing very difficult times. Questioned about conditions of trade generally in the East, Mr. Shepherd said that most industries that have dependence on the Western world were more or less hard hit. He cited the rubber industry, and mentioned having seen many plantations practically deserted and going back to , jungle, whilst others were employing merely sufficient labour to keep the weeds down, no tapping at all going on. The outlook for the rubber industry in the meantime was very black indeed. ■ Mr. Shepherd’s itinerary took him through Burma, the Federated Malay States and. Java, the latter country producing very large quantities of tea. Asked if he seriously considered , the increased use of Javanese Tea for the New Zealand market, Mr. Shepherd replied in a firm negative, his, Company having determined to continue to use solely British-grown teas.*