EMPIRE PACKING COMPANY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 9668, 10 April 1893, Page 2

EMPIRE PACKING COMPANY.

[From ihe "Evening Post I '] The aphorism that half the world does not know how tho other moiety lives, is as applicable to tho city of Welliagton as it is to any other largo community in tho universe. When the immense and continuous stream of humanity wHch flows into Wellington every morning between 8 and 9 o'clock is "on^iderod, one wonders how all these men, women, lads, and lasses manage to find employment Yet they do, and not a few of thorn obtain their livelihood in some factory or another in Wellington, Of these local industries tho Empire Packing Company, the proprietors of which are Messrs W . and G. Turnbull & Co,, is by no means the least Tho huge and familiar brick four etc-ey warehouse of the firm stands on Customhouse quay, to which it has a frontage of 175 ft by 100 ft in depth whilst the frontage of the stores" to Foatheiston-street is 175 ft by 90ft. Tho interior of tho building is a veritable hive of industry, but as it is necessary at present only to describe that portion of tho establishmon which is devoted to the Empire Pucking Company's operations, wo will pass through tho olKce, and by turning down a passage leading to the right hand past the clerks' desks, wo find ourselves in tho wholesale store. Ascending two flights of stairs, the senßO of smoll is strongly attracted by the pungent odour ot tea. Tho floor is devoted to what is known as the tea department. On knocking at a gla6s door, tho genial manager is in evidence. This is Mr F. M. Bhortridge, the tea " expert " of the firm. Quito an important character is tho •'expert" in a large concern like the Empi re Tea Company, and, as a man in his onerous position should be, ho is a bit of an autocrat too. Mr Shortridge has boon connected with tho firm of W. and G. Turnbull & Co. for the past sx year*, or since they commenced the p eking brunch of their big business. The tasting room is a fine latge, airy, and light apartment, having a wide bench running ita whole length under the windows, and on this bench are arranged upwards of a dozen peculiar-looking little white china teapots. These diminutive teapots are the blender and taster's iofusors. But in addition to the teapots there is a small number of cups about tho size of ordinary tea cups. These are tho implements with which tho tea blender prepares his feats of magic. For that ho does perform a specieß of magic and transformation is a fact. Ho will show you a sample which may be weak or Btrong, rough or smooth to the palate, as the case may be, but by mixing various kind? and qualities of leaf togother ho produces a fragrant and delicious cup of tea. Mr Shortridgo confirms the goneral impression that Chinese tea is being crushed out of the market of tho civilis d world by the superior flavoured leaf from ladia and Ceylon. Of courso the superiority of Ceylon tea is accounted for by tho fact that the toil of the latter has not undergone siuh an exhaustion as that of China for countless conturioa has been subjected to, and then again the growers in India and Ceylon have brought the most improved machinery to their aid in the drying and packing of the loaf. The blonder shows the visitor some dozen or so of different qualities and prices of teas which tho Empire Tea Company send out to the trade, from a good wfiolo3omo, finely flavored Ceylon blond retailed in very ban Jsomo lead packets at 2s per lb, to the more superior blend, at 3s the lb, and known as tho Dragon and Iloudah blends. The tea packing-room is on tin came floor, and hero 14 men and bays are packing tins, loads, and packets as if their lives depended upon tho operation, as, indeed, they do so depend.