Reading the Tea

In a high-ceilinged amphitheater on London's Mincing Lane last week, veteran Auctioneer A. B. Yuille stepped up to the rostrum and pounded his gavel. He was offering for sale 18 chests of tea from Ceylon. From among the 400 brokers came cries of "Far! Far! Far!" as the bids rose a farthing at a time. Finally, at five shillings one farthing a Ib. (about 70-c-), the first lot went to George White & Co. In 3 1/2 hours Auctioneer Yuille sold 11,524 chests containing 1,250,000 Ibs. of tea. For the first time since 1939, London's tea market -- once the world's greatest -- was open for business.

Started nearly three centuries ago, the London tea market flourished until World War II, when the government stepped in and became Britain's sole importer. At war's end when brokers tried to get their old trade back, their hopes were dashed: because of the tea shortage, the Labor Government decided to carry on with its bulk buying program.

But it was not the government's dish. As it concentrated on quantity, the quality dropped, since the government could not gear its prices to the numerous varieties of teas that are needed to make good blends. British tea lovers were bitter, and brokers loudly grumbled that they could do a better job, even under rationing and retail price controls. When an all-party committee of Parliament also agreed, the Ministry of Food gave in. "Government purchasing," admitted the Ministry, "does not, on the whole, give consumers the widest possible choice of teas [or] assure adequate supplies."

Did that mean that the government had learned its lesson and would give up its bulk buying of meat, fruit and other foodstuffs whose quality and quantity have also dropped because of the purchasing system? Certainly not, said the Ministry. Nor will the tea change necessarily give Britons a better brew. One reason: other markets have forged ahead of London, and now get first pick of the best teas. Nevertheless, as Mincing Lane's brokers began to blend and taste their first purchases, they smacked their lips with satisfaction. Said one: "This tastes better already! What a change from Socialist tea!"

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