No. 3 (1921) MANUFACTURE OF FISH OIL AND GUANO 205 



quality ; the text-books and technical journals also report that 

 full hydrogenation removes the odour, taste, and most of the 

 colour of common fish oils. It is probable that such oil, if properly 

 prepared in the highest classes by the coastal factories, might 

 have a good market for hardening purposes in the production of 

 edible fats, while the ordinary oil generally could be hardened for 

 technical purposes, e.g., to take the place of tallow in soap making. 



This indicates one more important reason, apart from mere 

 price, for vending effort towards the manufacture of good class 

 oil rather than low class, nauseous oil ; oil of good initial charac- 

 ter, free from acidity, would be a cheap and excellent basis for 

 hydrogenation. For instance, it is obvious that if fish oils 

 average £l2 per ton and the hydrogenation process costs 

 much as £8 (£5 is mentioned in Europe and America), such 

 hardened oil would compete very favourably with ordinary tallow 

 at £35 per ton. 



Refuse stearine and oil has been utilized in making lamp black 

 but the manufacture has not been developed. 



97, Prices. — The prices of menhaden oil are noted in paragraph 

 42 supra. According to the Imperial Institute Bulletin of April — 

 June 1914, the price in 1913 was about l.v. 2d. for crude and \s. 

 6d. for " white bleached Winter " oil. But in 1919 the prices were 

 at and above 35. ^d. and i\s. 2d. respectively, or, with the 

 rupee at Is. 4d. as at present (April 1921) Rs. 2-8-0 and Rs. 3-2-0 

 per United States gallon of about 7% lb. oil. 



On the West Coast the market price as originally obtained was 

 about Rs. 160 per ton of 250 gallons or slightly over 10 annas per 

 gallon of crude oil-cum-stearine. Since that time it has greatly 

 fluctuated owing mainly to war conditions ; prices in recent 

 seasons have been subject to wide fluctuations : at one time in 

 1919, ordinary brown oil was unsaleable at Rs. 75 per ton or below 

 5 annas per gallon. During the season 1920-21 it is stated that 

 the prices ex factory were as low as Rs. 100 to Rs. 125, but no 

 reason is assigned for this slump in price. It is true that no 

 superior oils were made or demanded, but such oils were never 

 made in such quantity as seriously to affect the average level of 

 prices; possibly [the want of demand for guano (paragraph 79) 

 may have led to carelessness in the manufacture of oil, with the 

 result of an inferior article. 



