TRADE IN THE EAST.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 639, 17 December 1932, Page 27 (Supplement)

TRADE IN THE EAST.

Interesting Observations of Tea Expert. 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 for 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 had 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 were now research bureaus 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 was due largely to the great assistance given by the Research Bureau. 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 l 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 had 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 with a firm negative. His company, he stated, would continue to use solely British-grown teas.