"The Cup That Cheers."

Manawatu Herald, 22 December 1894, Page 2

" The Cup That Cheers."

In a London Police Court lately, two men, While and Cahill, were charged, on the information of the Board of Customs, "with • fabricating and manufacturing certain leaves of tea thai; had been U3ed in imitation of tea,' and with selling such tea. The defendant, who pleaded guilty, . . said they had acted quite innocently, were fined £14 each, and costs £20 ■- each. Counsell thus described the manufacture :— lt was found they had a machine, and that the machine was V. used for what was called ' refining tea leaves.' It had been discovered that arrangements had been made by Cahill to buy from resfau* rant keepers the leaves of tea used by them. That refuse had baen supplied in large quantities by various restaurants and cafes. The leaves obtained were put through the machine, and by a powerful fan blowing against a large pipe heated marly rod hot. By the time they . reached the end of the pipe they had : curled again, and then thay iell as ordinary tea into a receptacle at the., end. The prosecution was prepared to prove that in the months of May and June no less that 60921 b weight of this fabricated tea had been disposed of by the defendants. The customs had been defrauded of th§ duty of 4d a lb. which would have been obtained by the sale of good teas. A tea merchant, in^ mips, evidence, 3tafced that his fii-m <ia<| bought some 18001 bof tea frdnHhr defendants. It was bought as damaged tea, which had been refined, and price paid was 6£d per lb. It was mixed with other tea "of a better brew," and when, "blended v and packed," sold by him at 9£d per lb. He understood that " damaged "tea had been injured by fire or water— not water in a teapots :T /