December 1, 1910.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



75 



Published on the Itt of e&ch Uontb by 



THE INDIA RUBBER PUBLISHING GO.. 



No. 15 West 38th Street, New York. 

 CABLE ADDRESS: IRWORLD, NEW YORK. 



HENRY C. PEARSON, 

 EDITOR. 



HAWTHORNE HILL, 

 ASSOCIATE. 



Vol. 43. 



DECEMBER 1. 1910. 



No. 3 



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TABLE OF CONTENTS ON LAST PAGE READING MATTER. 



RUBBER SITUATION AT PARA. 



THE recent decline in rubber prices is nowhere of 

 deeper interest than in the Amazon country, 

 where it is the basis of all wealth, constitutes almost 

 the only commodity of trade, and is at the bottom of 

 practically all gainful occupation. Naturally, in a 

 region without diversified business interests, any 

 fluctuation in the jirices of the solitary source of in- 

 come must affect every individual, and particularly any 

 marked decline. 



It is not surprising, therefore, that the leaders in the 

 rubber trade at Para are constantly concerned with ef- 

 forts to render prices more stable, and to keep the 

 level as high as possible. The latest move has been 

 an organization among the receivers of rubber at that 

 port, with a view to holding stocks from the market 

 whenever prices fall to an extent that renders busi- 

 ness unprofitable. Two conditions which are helpful 

 to such action are the new regulations which permit 

 banks to make advances on rubber warehouse receipts, 

 and the growing consolidation of the trade in the hands 

 of largely capitalized firms. P.ut it is not the purpose 

 of this article to deal with any measures having for 

 d their object the control of rubber prices by any such 

 O- means as are employed in what has been termed the 

 J "valorization" of coiifee, in southern Brazil, 



c 



Please Note Removal of Oar Offices 



Of chief interest in the proposals of the new 

 "league" of Para aziadores is that for establishing 

 periodical auction sales of rubber, say on the basis on 

 which the Antwerp sales have been conducted for so 

 many years. The Antwerp "inscription" sales have ^^*'^ 

 been the subject of much criticism on the part of buy- 

 ers, but without resulting in any change in the system 

 since its establishment. On the other hand, the same 

 system has been adopted in Amsterdam, Havre, and 

 Bordeaux, so that every year more rubber changes 

 hands through inscription sales. Meanwhile, the long 

 established system of rubber auctions in England is 

 coming to be regarded as unsatisfactory. Recently 

 two and a half days were required for disposing of 

 about 300 tons at a London auction, during all of 

 which time prices were fluctuating. At Antwerp, on 

 the contrary, where an average of over 400 tons have 

 been offered at the monthly sales for several years 

 past, all the bids are opened at once, and the results 

 — even where hundreds of lots are involved— are pub- 

 lished on the same day. 



Put whatever the system employed, the sale of rub- 

 ber at public auction has distinct advantages in the 

 matter of fixing prices, as has been recognized by the 

 inauguration of such sales by the Ceylon Chamber of 

 Commerce during the past month. To-day rubber 

 prices in every market are affected — and to an extent 

 controlled — by the results of the different auctions re- 

 ferred to in this article, and it appears reasonable that 

 such effect would be more direct and of more value if 

 public sales should be held at the primary market 

 through which passes more than half the world's pro- 

 duction of rubber. 



THE AMERICAN TARIFF OUTLOOK. 



IX' the elections which occurred throughout the 

 United States, on November 8, no question of na- 

 tional policy was directly involved, further than that 

 opposition to the Tariff law which became operative 

 last year may have affected the result. The elections 

 were for the filling of local offices in the several 

 States, and for the election of members of Congress. 

 The fact, however, that the balance of party power in 

 the lower house of Congress has been changed, points 

 to the possibility of a complete change of partj' control 

 in the nation before long, and gives hope to the op- 

 ponents of the protective policy of a substantial re- 

 vision of the tariff laws, and it is this feature that leads 

 to any interest abroad in the recent election returns. 



Under the American system a change in governmen- 

 tal control comes about slowly. The existing Con- 

 gress will remain as now constituted until March 4 

 next, and in the ordinary course of events the new 



