422 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[September i, 1903. 



BRITISH IMPORTS OF GUI I A PERCHA. 



'T"MIE official returns of Guttapercha imports into Great 



1 Britain— the country which still ranks as the l.u 

 consumer, by far, of this material — though presented in much 

 detail, are unsatisfactory owing to Ralata, and p ther 



gums, being embraced under the same heading. To take the 

 figures for five years past, it is certain that the items of imp 11 ts 

 herewith, included in the official return, cannot relate to Gutta- 

 percha [the figures indicate hundred weights]: 



M— I900. 



Hutch Guiana 521 — 1,276 756 



Colombia 154 475 53 '74 685 



Venezuela 28S 1,597 9,616 2,639 



ih Honduras.... 2 — 47 — 



British West Indies . . 1,223 919 3.722 2,437 3.394 



Hritish Guiana 4.S55 2,942 6,053 I 8 7.S60 



Total 7,043 5.933 20,767 ; 15.334 



Total in lbs... 78S,8:6 664,496 2,325,904 1,238,048 1,71; 

 These figures, which relate undoubtedly to Balata, do not 

 even give a full statement in regard to this material, since some 

 of the imports of Gutta-percha credited to Rotterdam and 

 I limburg probably also are of Balata. The following details 

 also appear, which cannot refer to true Gutta-percha : 



Niger Protectorate cwts. 112 1,716 1,820 2,249 82 5 



The next figures show the amounts of Guttapercha credited 

 to Singapore and to all other countries — including the details 

 above— for five years [weights in pounds] : 



Singapore.. 5,445.216 7,(310,512 10,704,096 7,438.704 5,S22,76S 

 Allother... 1,637.440 1,629,152 3.354.5"2 2,466,352 3.572,800 



Total 7,082.656 9,239.664 14, 1 iS, 60S 9,905,056 9.395,56s 



The import values of the Guttapercha may occasion some 



surprise among those who hear all the time of the high price 



of this article. It is evident, from the official return, that much 



of the Gutta-percha used is not of high grade. The British 



figures for the imports from Singapore work out as follows, in 



values per pound, in the different years, to which is added the 



equivalents in United States money: 



1898 is. 11 '.£</ =47.6 cents. 



1899 2... 3 l ;<:. =^5 5. 7 cents. 



1900 2i. 6 : ! 4</. = 62.4 cents. 



1901 2s. U %d =72.5 cents. 



1902 2.f. 11 ;.,"''• — 72 5 cents. 



The extent of consumption of Gutta-percha in Great Britain 



is indicated by the following comparison of imports and exports 



of all kinds [in pounds] : 



Imports.... 7,032,656 9239,664 14, Hi. 60S 9 9">5,os6 9,395.568 

 Exports.... 1,151,136 S3o,2?4 1,739,792 1,224.832 1,19 



Net Imports 5,931.520 8,359,440 12. 408,816 S,6So,224 8,204,684 

 The last comparison to be given here relates to the import 

 values, per hundredweight, (1) for Gutta percha imports from 

 Singapore ; (2) from Venezuela ; and (3) from Bi itish Guiana — 

 the last two items relating, of course, to Balata : 

 Years. .pore. Veaezi 



1898 £10 17 9 £ 9 12 8 01 



1S99 12 17 2 10 1 8 



1900 14 75 10 



1901 16 13 8 13 6 2 14 1 



1902 16 14 o 12 16 



VlLMORIN-ANDRIEUX f.t Of.., 4. Ouai de la Me 

 Paris — established for more than a century— send us a priced 

 list of tropical plants, including Caoutchouc of the following 

 kinds: H tilloa elastica. CeaiA and Pernaml: 



and species of Landolphia. Both seeds and plants ai 



RUBBhR GOODS r-UR SOUTH AMERICA. 



IT is not possible, from the official statistics published by the 

 South American republics, to form an estimate of their im- 

 ports of India-rubber goods, and the statistics of exports from 

 the various manufacturing countries supply such information 

 only in part. It appears that the exports of rubber goods from 

 the United States to South America during the past ten fiscal 

 years have been in value as follows: 



1S93 $ 



53.094 



1895 53.400 



1S96 66,834 



1S97 63,878 



109S $60,173 



1899 69,378 



19JO 73, 2 42 



19 >i 80,865 



1902 74,199 



British imports of similar goods, specified as for South Amer- 

 ican ports, for seven years, have been [values converted at $5 

 to the £ ] : 



1896 $551,925 1900 $425,910 



1897 395.370 1901 264,170 



1898.. . 421,080 1902 288,350 



1899 407,760 



It is probable that the figures for the last two years do not 

 include all the exports to South America, since the customs 

 returns do not give so many details now as formerly, but note 

 only the countries to which the larger shipments go, and lump 

 the remainder under the heading " To other countries." 



Germany gives details respecting the trade in rubber goods 

 with different countries only by weights instead of values, and 

 then specifying only a few countries which figure most largely 

 in her trade. With respect to South America we are able to 

 obtain details respecting Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, for two 

 important classifications of rubber goods — and not all rubber 

 goods — and the values given herewith are obtained by presum- 

 ing that the average value per kilogram exported to South 

 America was the same as the average for all exports in the 

 same class. There is thus made possible the following compar- 

 ative summary for three years : 



' ["HE UNITED STATES. 

 To — 



A:gentina S 13.905 



Brazil 19.394 



Chile 12,246 



Total $45.5-15 138,657 *i34. C'6l. 



i;i;ai BRITAIN. 

 To— 1900. 



Argentina $153,265 



Brazil 170,205 



Chile 56.54; 



Total $380,015 $236,525 $254770 



EXPORTS FROM i I KILOGRAMS). 



To — 1900. 



Argentina 86,300 



64,100 



ill 71, 900 



71.310 



Total 222,300 



Value $472,387 



Colonel Louis H. Aymk, of Chicago, has been appointed 

 United States consul at Pata. Brazil, to succeed Kavanaugh K. 

 Kenneday, who has held the position since January, 1S98. Col- 

 onel Ayme goes to Paia from the consulate at Guadeloupe, 

 which he has held also since January, 1898. This change is in 

 the nature of a promotion for Colonel Ayme. The salary at- 

 tached to the Paia consulate is $3000 a year, in addition to 

 which there were fees during the fiscal year 1901-02 amount- 

 ing to $i6Si. 



