Vol. V. No. 114. 



THE AGE [CULTURAL NEWS. 



287 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



Drugs and Spices in the London Market. 



The following report on the London drug and .spice 

 market for the month of July has been received ivom 

 Mr. J. R. Jack.son, A.L S. : — 



In reviewing the general character of the drug and spice 

 markets during the month of July, it may be stated that, 

 considering the season fairly begins with the month, the 

 general tone of business has not been lowered to the extent 

 that is often found at this season of the year. Ginger, 

 •especially Jamaica, and sarsaparilla have occuijied much 

 attention, advanced prices being noted for the former, and 

 a sudden drop to nearly one-half its previous values being 

 recorded in the case of the latter. 



OISUEE. 



At the spice sale on the 11th., 38-5 packages of Jamaica 

 were offered and about 200 sold at increased rates ; good bold 

 realizing 82«. per cwt., fair to good bright, 70s. to 75s., and 

 ordinary to good ordinary, 58s. to 62s. A week later some 

 540 packages of Jamaica were offered, and about 125 sold ; 

 3 barrels of fine bold bright realized 105s. per cwt., 

 whilst good bright fetched 81s., fair bright 7-l:S., and common 

 ■to good common 58s. to 60s. There was no demand for 

 Cochin or Calicut, of which small supplies were offered. 

 Limed Japan was bought in at 26s. There was scarcely any 

 change at the last auction in the month, a few sales only 

 being made of Jamaica at steady rates, including dullish 

 washed at 62s. to 65s., and common to good common at 

 57s. 6d. to 60s. 



NUTJIEOS, JIACE, A^'D PIMENTO. 



For the first two there was a steady demand at usual 

 rates. At the close of the month 'West Indian mace sold at 

 Is. bd. to Is. 6d. for palish, and Is. id. to Is. 5d. for fair 

 mixed. Pimento, at the first sale on the 4th., was firm at '2^ld. 

 [jer lb. for fair, which price was maintained to the end. 



AEEOWEOOT. 



At the spice auction on the 4th., 100 barrels of 

 St. Vincent sold at 1|(?. to l;^r/. per tt). for good manu- 

 facturing, which was practically the whole of the sales 

 in St. Vincent during the month. Twenty-eight cases of 

 .Natal were offered at auction on the 18tli. and bought 

 in at 3|rf. 



SAESAPAEILLA. 



At the first drug auction on the 5th., 56 packages of 

 .grey Jamaica were offered, 41 of which found purchasers at 

 a reduction of id. to 3c/. on previous prices, the first 21 bales 

 fetching 2>;. 2d. to 2s. 3d for good sound, and Is. 9d. to 2s. 

 for sea-damaged ; the quotations for the remainder being 

 2s. Id. to 2s. 2d. for sound, and Is. 2d. to Is. 7d. for sea- 

 damaged. Four bales of native Jamaica sold at 9(7. to lOld. 

 for common dull to mixed red sea-damaged. A week later 

 the re)jorts were that native red was scarce and would readily 

 fetch Is. 4f/. to Is. 6c/. per lb.; and at the usual fortnightly 

 sale on the 19th. the quotations were much lower. Two new 

 arrivals of grey Jamaica, the first 21 bales being bought in 

 at 2s.; 36 bales were next disposed of at a decline of about 

 6(7. on previous rates. Is. 7c/. being paid for 1 bale, after 

 ■which the prices dropped by degrees to Is. 4c/., the qualities 

 being in some cases equal to the higher-priced lots. 



KOLA, TAMAEIXDS, AND CASSIA FISTULA. 



One half-barrel of good fresh Grenada kola was ofi"ered 

 on the 4th. and disposed of at 9d. per lb., and on the 18th. 

 -2 bales of good dried Grenada realized iid. Two tubs of fine 



West Indian tamarinds from St. Vincent were sold at the 

 first sale at 15s. per cwt. At the close of the month good 

 Barbados in bond were (juoted at 18s. to 20s. Of Cassia 

 Fistula good fresh pod from Dominica sold towards the end 

 of the month at 15s. 6c/. to 16s. per cwt., and fair at 15s.; 

 good bold has fetched 17s. 6d. 



LIME .lUICE, QUASSIA CHIPS, AND OEANliE PEIiL. 



There has been a quiet but steady demand for lime 

 juice, good pale fetching from Is. 3c/. to Is. 4(/. per gallon. 

 Throughout the month. Quassia chips have been realizing 

 higher prices, 13s. to 15s. being asked for ordinary driec^ 

 and towards the end of the month as much as 20s. per cwt. 

 has been asked, in consequence, it is said, of the tree.s 

 becoming scarce. Darkish Tripoli strip orange Deel has been 

 sold at ihd. per ft., 6c/. being asked for fair. 



CENTRAL SUGAR FACTORIES IN 

 MARTINIQUE. 



The following' article appeared in the Louisiana 

 Plant&r, of August 18: — 



The French Government has for many years given 

 preference in the way of duties to sugars coming from her 

 colonies. On this account the sugars produced in Martinique 

 and Gaudeloupe are generally sent to France and rarely to 

 any other of the world's sugar markets. This preference acts 

 as a bounty to the producers of these sugars, vvithout which 

 the sugar planters of Martinique and Guadeloupe would have 

 had much greater difficulty in meeting the exigencies of the 

 sugar market during recent years. 



La Sv.n-erie Indigene et Coloniah has given a report 

 recently of the Usine du Marin. At a recent meeting of the 

 stockholders of this factory a report was made for the season 

 of 1904-5, during which 9,669 tons of cane had been worked, 

 the factory paying for the same §3-26 per ton. The average 

 sugar yield was 799 per cent, or about 160 ft. of sugar per 

 ton of cane. The yield of molasses and rum was an impor- 

 tant factor in the total proceeds of each ton of cane consumed. 

 The capital stock of this factory is §170,000, and it is 

 estimated that for the season under consideration the total 

 losses were §6,045. This is not a very good showing for the 

 year under consideration, when the prices of sugar throughout 

 the world were higher than usual. 



During the same year the Usine du Francois, one of the 

 most prosperous in the colonj', worked 29,231 tons of cane, 

 costing .$3-28 per ton. The total yield of sugar was but 6-64 

 per cent., or 133 ft. per short ton. In this factory also the 

 molasses and rum formed material parts of the proceeds of 

 manufacture. The capital stock of this factory is about 

 .?265,000, with a reserve of about •'790,000. This factory 

 cultivates no cane for its own account, but loaned out some 

 160,000 to cultivators, whose produce came to the factory, 



A notable feature of the report of these two factories is 

 as to the cost of the manufacture of a ton of cane in each of 

 them. The Usine du ilarin reports this cost at ■'?1'42 per ton 

 while Usine du Francois reports the cost at §U37 per ton, 

 These costs are presumed to cover the entire cost of manu- 

 facture up to the time that the produce is in shipping order 

 and ready for export. While the costs of manufacture should 

 perhaps not include such fixed charges as interest, it ought to 

 include all taxes and salarie.s, and also the cost of repairing 

 machinery and maintaining it in effective condition; to this 

 may be added also insurance. Unless the items of cost of 

 manufacture were given in detail, it would not be known 

 whether or not the costs of the process in these two factories 

 would be comparable. 



