ABOUT TEA AND TEAROOMS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8832, 19 January 1907, Page 3

ABOUT TEA AND TEAROOMS.

("Tit-bits.") Tea is woman's great beverage, since, by its mildness and by its peculiar nature,, it is the best of all adapted for her. fine organisation. An eminent military hygienist (Dr Parkes) says that tea "should form the drink par excellence of the .soldier on I service," and Lord Wolseley, when on active service, made it a rule to sub- ! stitute a double allowance of tea for the spirit ration. Compressed tea was issued to the troops during the Ashanti Campaign of 1873-74, and was almost exclusively used during the Arctic Expedition of 1875-76, in both cases giving great satisfaction. The amount of tea consumed per head per annum varies greatly in different countries. • In England it amounts to over 61b, but in Germany to not more than Jib. Australians are the greatest tea-drinkers, their consumption averaging 81b per head per year. The United States and Russia average about l_lb each, while all other teadrinking countries are less than a pound. Two hundred and eighty million pounds' weight of tea -is annually imported into London. Of this 90, 000, 000 lb is grown in China, while from India we get 130,000,0001 b; the remainder comes chiefly from Ceylon and Java. Retailers of tea in the United Kingdom were formerly obliged to take Out a license for its sale, which varied according to the rental of the house in which they lived, but this wae entirely abolished in 1869. Chinese names , of teas are derived from their appearance or place of culture. Thus, Pekoe is from pecco, " white hairs," because the young leaves- from which this tea ls made bear a white down upon them. Bohea is derived from the hills of that name /where the plant grows. Hyson, from yu tsien, " before the rains," or hichun, " flourishing spring," because the leaves are gathered early in the year. Souchong, from sian chung, means " little plant." The sale of tea in beverage form is one of the most profitable enterprises in the world. Tlie shops of Messrs J. Lyons and Co. are known all over London. The firm owns about 100 depots, in which 3000 girls are employed; it also employs 13,000 agents selling its packet teas in London and the surrounding districts. The capital of the company is £900,000. The*"British. Tea-table Company, and its coadjutor, Pearce and Plenty, with a conjoint capital of £300,000, have eighty depots, in which they employ 1500 girls. A recent development of this company is the British Restaurant, where the wants of the poorer classes are being carefully and economically provided for. The Aerated Bread Company, with a capital of £250 ; Q00, has 120 depots and employs 2000 girls. Lockhart's, with a capital of £220,000, owns severity depots, in which 350 girls are engaged. It ako employs 270 men as waiters. The wages of the' whole of these girls average about 10s per week, besides which they receive free meals. The Aerated Bread Company starts its girls at 10s. The actual cost of the materials for a cup of good tea amounts to the modest sum of id. It follows, therefore, that where Id, 2d, 3d, or even 4d (as at railway restaurants) is charged, large profits are realised. Against this, of course, must be offset the oost of cooking, lighting, rent, management, e tc- __________________