May I, 1909.] 



I TIE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



301 



Review of the Crude Rubber Market. 



THE prices of Para grades liave advanced very nialerially 

 during the month past, as will be apparent from the com- 

 parative statement which appears on this page. The 

 same rate of increase does not apply to other classes of rubber ; 

 in fact, most grades of Africans have not shown an advance 

 during the month. Higher prices are quoted, however, for 

 Centrals and Assam and allied grades. Eastern plantation has 

 advanced in keeping with Para qualities. 



The extreme low price for the past year of Para rubber ap- 

 pears to have led to liberal buying by consumers in the various 

 markets, so that larger than normal "invisible supplies" re- 

 sulted, and for a while this condition interfered with the free 

 selling of rubber, but to-day, in spite of the larger production 

 in the Amazon region than the average, prices continue to 

 mount upward. In other pages of The India Rubber World 

 this month appear several articles bearing upon the general situa- 

 tion which point to a deliberate effort in the Amazon region to 

 demand a higher return for rubber than has prevailed at times 

 of late, the same being designated as the "valorization" of rub- 

 ber. The United States consul at Para, in a report issued from 

 Washington under the date of .^pril 19, spoke of indications that 

 rubber was being held in his district at 7 milreis per kilogram 

 or higher for fine rubber, and the latest telegraphic advices noted 

 on this page point to quotations at Manaos of y% milreis. With- 

 out going into details as to what selling price in New York or 

 in Europe such quotations would point to, it may be said that 

 at current rates of exchange yYi milreis per kilogram is 

 equivalent to a fraction over $1 per pound. The consul quoted 

 refers to 7 milreis as meaning $1.28 per pound in New York. 



It may be of interest to note that just one year ago our ad- 

 vices from Manaos quoted fine rubber at 4.8 milreis per kilo- 

 gram, and by comparing the dollar price on this page with that 

 on the same date in 1908 our readers will be able to 'estimate 

 the effect of an advance at Manaos in quotations from 4.8 to 

 7J4 milreis. It is too early yet to estimate the probable effect 

 of the new movement in Amazon centers, but undoubtedly the 

 movement has such strength that it must have consideration 

 in dealing with rubber price conditions. 



The receipt at Manaos have been singularly uniform during 

 the past three crop years, from the first of July to the current 

 date; so far as "Para rubber" is concerned — slightly over 

 18,000 tons in each season to March 31. More caucho has been 

 coming forward, however, in each season, so that the total of 

 all grades has advanced from 21,875 tons on March 31, 1907, 

 to 23,131 tons on the same date this year. The largest arrival 

 at Para of all grades to May i in any crop year was 33,900 tons 

 in 1907. The receipts were considerably less in the following 

 year, but up to April 19 in the current season the total already 

 had reached 32,370 tons. It is not only possible, but probable, 

 that the current crop will be larger than in any previous other 

 twelve months. It is clear, therefore, that the higher prices 

 quoted to-day in New York and Europe are in spite of an in- 

 creased production on the Amazon. Besides, there must be taken 

 into account the considerable accumulation of rubber by manufac- 

 turers bought during last year's low prices, as already mentioned. 



An important member of the crude rubber trade suggests 

 that a very important factor in the market has been the large 

 production of rubber tires during the busy season in this line 

 which lately has been experienced, and he regards no other one 

 point as having a more important bearing upon this market than 

 the volume of automobile tires now held unsold. Beginning 

 with the first of the past month the rubber footwear industry 

 became very active, and all the factories in this branch are 

 working at what is considered an approach to a normal rate. 



The activity of the tire industry continues, as is indicated by the 

 statement in another column that in a single city more than 

 2,000 employes have been put to work on tires since the be- 

 ginning of this year. It is less easy to estimate the condition of 

 the production in other branches of the rubber manufactured 

 j ust now. 



Following arc quotations at New York for Para grades, 

 one year ago, one month ago, and April 29 — the current date: 



Par.^. lilay I, '08. 



Islands, fine, new 79@8o 



Islands, fine, old none here 



Upriver, fine, new. 

 Upriver, fine, old. 

 Islands, coarse, new. 



83@84 

 85(ft86 



43@44 



Islands, coarse, old none here 



Upriver, coarse, new 58(ft59 



Upriver, coarse, old none here 



Cameta 



Caucho (Peruvian), ball. 45@46 



Caucho (Peruvian), sheet s6@57 



Ceylon (Plantation), fine 



sheet 



Apr. I, '09. 

 119 (a;i20 



121 @I22 



122 ^123 

 125 @I26 



57 @ S8 

 none here 



94 @ 95 

 none here 

 63^@ 64 

 83 @ 84 

 72 @ "4 



Apr. 29. 

 123^124 

 I24(al25 

 126@127 



1 28® 1 29 



58® 59 

 none here 



95(g 96 

 none here 

 68fff 6g 

 &4(n. 8s 

 76® 77 



129 (0:130 132^133 



87@88 

 African. 



Massai, red 95@96 



Soudan niggers 8s(a;86 



Cameroon ball 64@6s 



Benguela 59@6o 



Madagascar, pinky 90@9l 



Accra flake 2I@22 



Lopori ball, prime. ... I08@I09 

 Lopori strip, prime... — @ — 



Aruwimi 94® 95 



Upper Congo ball, red. 96(0)100 



Ikelemba — Qii — 



Sierra Leone, ist qual- 

 ity 9S@ 96 



Centrals. 



Esmeralda, sausage ....81(0182 Mexican, scrap 8o(g8i 



Guayaquil, strip 7i@72 Mexican, slab S8(§S9 



Nicaragua, scrap yg@8o Mangabeira, sheet 53@S4 



Panama 63@64 Guayule 32@33 



East Indian. 



Assam 92 @93 Borneo 35@45 



Pontianak 4^@ — 



Late Para cables quote : 



Per Kilo. Per Kilo. 



Islands, fine 6$ioo Upriver, fine 7$ooo 



Islands, coarse 2$soo Upriver, coarse s$ooo 



Exchange 15 3/l6d. 



Latest Manaos advices : 



Upriver, fine "$250 Exchange IS 7/32d. 



Upriver, coarse 5?2S0 



New York Rubber Prices for March (New Rubber). 



1909. 1908. 1907. 



Upriver, fine ,i.22@i.26 .70@.83 i.i6@i.2i 



Upriver, coarse 93@ .97 .48@.59 .92(® .96 



Islands, fine l.i8@l.2i .68@.8o i.i4@T.i9 



Islands, coarse ss@ .61 .41(3'. 43 .66@ .70 



Cameta 63@ .67 .41(^.48 .7l@ -73 



LIGHTEE LONDON 'BUSES AND TIRES. 

 A MATTER of no little importance to the rubber tire trade is 

 involved in the new regulations in the city of London regarding 

 the use of motor 'buses. The heavy, noisy vehicles now running 

 are to be replaced by lighter and quieter ones, with a smaller 

 carrying capacity. This change is by order of the chief com- 

 missioner of police, who is at the head of the commission con- 

 trolling the licensing of the omnibuses. London has always re- 

 sented the presence of these noisy, ill smelling and cumbersome 

 vehicles among the light hansoms and four-wheeled cabs and the 

 quiet 'buses drawn by horses. Not even the speed of the motor 

 'bus reconciled the Londoner to their existence. The regulations 

 of the license given in 1906 are to be cancelled and motor 'buses 

 must now be built of a weight not exceeding s'/i tons. One 

 drawback to . the profitable operation of the heavy 'buses has 

 been the heavy cost of wear and tear of tires, which will be 

 greatly diminished with the use of lighter vehicles. 



