February i, 1909.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



167 



The Past Year in the Crude Rubber Trade. 



THE London I 

 rnbbcr niai 



PEVIEWED BY LONDON HOUSES. 



firm of Lewis & Peat, in their review of the 

 market for 1908, devote particular attention to 

 the increased volume and increased regularity of the sup- 

 plies of plantation rubber, which they believe to be used now by 

 practically all manufacturers, large and small. In regard to the 

 situation generally they say : 



"With the greatly enhanced values of fine Para and the enor- 

 mously increased consumption shown by the heavy deliveries 

 to all parts, consumers turned their attention to medium grades, 

 and the whole of the enormous accumulated stocks disappeared 

 and went into consumption. These facts speak for themselves 

 and show the very healthy state of the rubber trade generally, 

 notwithstanding the constant complaints of bad trade and slack 

 business. Nine months ago we had enormous stocks and low 

 prices ; to-day we have exceedingly small stocks and excellent 

 prices and a good demand. 



"One result of the very heavy decline in the values early in 

 the year of medium grades and wild rubbers (other than Para) 

 has unquestionably been to enormously decrease the production 

 and collection of a great many sorts, and hence our stocks have 

 not been replenished by them, and it is very doubtful if they 

 will be, if supplies of Plantatioti are available and sufficient to 

 meet the present large and ever increasing demand 



"It is impossible to give any forecast as to prices in the fu- 

 ture, but we are of opinion that fluctuations will not be heavy for 

 some time to come, and we look for a continued good demand 

 both for fine Para and Plantation — a demand sufficient to take 

 and consume at satisfactory prices all the Amazon and planta- 

 tions are likely to send us at present." 



Lewis & Peat issue a chart of comparative prices of wild and 

 plantation ''Para" rubber for the past four years. Prices of 

 the two classes have invariably risen or fallen concurrently. 

 though not always at the same rate. The price difference be- 

 tween wild and plantation rublier has diminished with consid- 

 erable regularity. Thus in May, 1905, Plantation sold at a shilling 

 above the highest quotation for wild rubber, while in the summer 

 of 1908, for a brief while, the difference was less than 2 pence. 

 The latter condition was exceptional, however. The highest 

 quotation frr wild Para rubber during 1908, shown on the chart, 

 was 5s. -id. [=$1.31.7], while Plantation sold up to 6.J. [=$1.45.9]. 

 The low-est for Plantation during the year wa' 3s. 2d., while wild 

 Para declined to 2s. gd. 



S. Figgis & Co. in their annual re\ iew likewise draw attention 

 particularly to the development of plantation rubber as a market 

 factor. They introduce comparative figures to indicate declining 

 production in Africa and in most regions in America except in 

 the Amazon valley — wild Para rubber. "The rapid fluctuations 

 and extraordinary rise in values," they say, "appear hardly due 

 to natural or normal causes, but the world's demand has been 

 more than equal to the reduced supply, and at some periods our 

 stocks have been remarkably small, especially of fine Para. 

 Total stocks are now smaller than for many years. . . . English 

 consumption of rubber has been very large, that of France and 

 Germany good, Russia only moderate, and America much less 

 till quite recently. We think invisible stocks must be large in 

 America, owing to her very free buying this last three months. 

 The European stocks are exceedingly small." 



Lewis & Peat state that the bulk of the plantation crop now 

 comes in crepe form, and they think it can be taken as the most 

 satisfactory grade. S. Figgis & Co. refer to a further general 

 improvement in preparation of plantation sorts, with more fine 



clean crepe. They emphasize particularly the importance of 

 sending in clean rubber, and, where practicable, of keeping sep- 

 arate the product of immature trees. 



THE HAVRE MARKET. 



A KF.viEW of the rubber trade at Havre for 1908 has been issued 

 by Jean Roederer, broker, of that port, from which we quote : 



"During the past year our market has not witnessed a very 

 material development, the severe crisis that has prevailed during 

 a portion of the year having rendered impossible the exportation 

 of a portion of the supplies that were customarily sent here; in 

 addition a marked decrease has occurred in the importations 

 from Para. The imports at Havre have been : 



1906. 



Krom the French Congo. Kilns 314,025 



Other sources (e-xcept P,Tr.T) 3.39,847 



From Pari 3.738,055 



1907. 190S. 



892,655 884,733' 



232,321 130,000 



3.339,147 2,483.444 



Total 4,391,927 4,404.123 3.498.177 



"The quality of the rubber imported from the French Congo 

 remains excellent and it finds ready and profitable sale in this 

 market. 'Hie status of the product, which was very uncertain at 

 the end of the last year, was still worse in January and Feb- 

 ruary, at one time Para touching 2S. gd. The consequence of 

 this was an absolute lack of sale or selling under price of varied 

 kinds, put in the background by the low price of Para and Peru- 

 vian varieties. The demand only revived in March, when the 

 American crisis appeared to have been inspired. Nevertheless, 

 business did not attain any great development until autumn. 

 Since then, the sales booked have been effected with the great- 

 est activity. The considerable advance accorded to Para did 

 not maintain itself altogether and the year closed at 5s. to 5.?. 2d." 



Total Imports of Rubber at Havre, 



Kilos. Kilos. 



1897 1,814.000 1903 1,862,000 



1898 2,138,000 1904 2,188,000 



1899 1,856,000 1905 3,291,000 



1900 2,350,000 1906 4,391,927 



igoi 2,241,000 1907 4,464,123 



1902 1,948,000 1908 3,498,177 



CONGO RUBBER AND THE ANTWERP MARKET. 



In their ,iniui.'il review of the Antwerp rulibcr market for 

 190S Messrs. Grisar & Co., the official brokers, again confine 

 their remarks mainly to the decline of the natural supplies in the 

 Congo Free State — since recently a Belgian colony — and the out- 

 look for rubber cultivation there. First, however, may be in- 

 troduced a table of the arrivals of rubber at Antwerp during 

 the last ten calendar years: 



■^'kaks. Congo State. Other Sources. Total. 



1899 Kilos 2,992,414 410,416 3,402,880 



1900 4,902,003 796,032 5,698,03s 



1901 5,417456 43174^ 5.849.202 



1902 4,992,954 41 1.031 5.403.985 



190.? 5,180,401 546,082 5,726,483 



1904 4,723,618 1,040,238 5.765.856 



1905 4,442,607 1,271,121 5,713,728 



1906 4,593,759 1,178,303 5.772.o62 



1907 4.346,141 708,332 5.054.473 



1908 4,262,531 772,813 5,035,344 



Messrs, Grisar & Co. say : 



"The total importations of rubber into this market have been 

 practically the same as those of the past year. The reforms 

 effected in the economic administration of our new colony 

 (Congo Free State), notably in regard to the collection of the 

 tax. explain the slight decrease relating to importations. This, 

 however, can hardly be more than transient. 



"If it is true that some of the forests are almost exhausted, 

 it is none the less true that other parts of the territory, which 



