September i. iqio.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD. 



447 



that the Funtumia will very easily multiply naturally, and with- 

 out requiring any care, in consequence of the lightness of the 

 seeds and of the rapid growth of this species. 



"By preserving these new groves until they have reached the 

 age of maturity new sources of production will be made avail- 

 able. The Para (Hevea) trees, moreover, which were planted 

 in 1898, have prospered so well that the local government has 

 now undertaken to plant a large area of this species at the 

 Agboville station, on the section of the railway already opened 

 to traffic. This area is being planted for the purpose of en- 

 couraging colonization and of providing a sufficiently extensive 

 nursery from which the planters can obtain supplies. 



"With the Hevea and the Funtumia, which can prosper side 

 by side on the Ivory Coast, this territory may become, according 

 to the opinion expressed by the lieutenant governor, in view of 

 its exceptionally favorable location, one of the principal centers 

 for the cultivation of rubber producing species." 



The imports at Bordeaux by grades for the past two years 

 have been as follows : 



1908. 1909. 



Soudan sorts kilos 267,785 722,035 



Conakry niggers 408,245 651,200 



Gambia or Cassamance 77.065 152,400 



Lahou niggers 85,770 1 16,895 



Lahou cakes (Baoule) 11,790 32,470 



Bassam lumps 78,960 33.500 



Bassam niggers 5,590 13.335 



Bassam cakes 1,810 3,230 



Congo Sangha 7.250 



Java and Sumatra 175 150 



Madagascar 5,660 105,455 



Central America 50,895 7.455 



New Caledonia 9,150 1,660 



Tonkin 5,700 2,000 



Rufisque 2,580 985 



Manitoba 54,695 143.435 



Para 4,950 



Balata 250 1,360 



Total 1,078,320 1,987,565 



Madagascar rubber has figured to a specially interesting degree 

 in the Bordeaux market, both as regards the gain in output, and 

 in the advance in price, which has been held more steadily for 

 this grade, perhaps, than for any other. Madagascar Majunga 

 rubber in January, 1909, ranged from 6 to 8 francs per kilo ; 

 prices in December were 9 to 10 francs. Similarly, Madagascar 

 Tamatave rubber rose from 8@9.25 francs to 10.85@11.10 francs 

 per kilogram. 



THE HAVRE RUBBER MARKET. 



Arrivals during 1909 at Havre were larger than in 1908. 

 though still below the record of two former years. The arrivals 

 for four years past may be analyzed thus : 



From — 1906.. 1907. 1908. 1909. 



French Congo Kilos 314,023 892,655 884,733 840,324 



Other sources (except Para). . 339.847 232,321 130,000 37I.5M 



Para 3.738.055 3. 339,147 2,483,444 2,569,338 



Total 4,391,927 4.404.123 3.498.177 3.781,176 



We quote from the annual review of Jean Roederer, broker 

 at Havre : The efforts of importers have been directed to an 

 improvement in the quality. As for the red varieties, their 

 quality and condition leave nothing to be desired. The black 

 varieties, which used to come often in a humid or sticky 

 condition, have been very much improved, and were very much 

 sought after, which accounts for the great rise in the Ekela 

 and the Haute-Sangha. The former sold 51 per cent, higher at 

 the end than at the beginning of the year, and the latter 92 per 

 cent, higher. The monthly sales have been largely attended 

 and the Congo lots induced lively bidding. At the end of the 

 year the Para prices were a little weak, leading to a slight decline 

 in the Congo lots. Nevertheless, the demand continues good 

 and everything points to high prices during the next few coming 

 months. 



Total Imports of Rubber at Havre. 



Kilos. Kilos. 



1896 1,648,000 1903 1,862,000 



1897 1,814,000 1904 2,188,000 



1898 2,138,000 1905 3,291,000 



1899 1,856,000 1906 4,391,927 



1900 2,350,000 1907 4,404,123 



1901 2,241.000 1908 3,498,177 



1902 1,948,000 1909 3,781,176 



THE CONGO RUBBER MOVEMENT. 



Exports of rubber from the Congo Free State (now the Belgian 

 Congo), for the two years stated, are officially given as follows: 



1905. 1908. 



Total rubber exports kilos 6,108,421 5,947,223 



Product of the State 4,861,767 4,559,926 



Values. 



Total rubber exports francs 54,975,~89 40,143,755 



Product of the State 43.755,903 3O,779,50O 



Exports include rubber in transit through the Free State, from 

 the French Congo and from neighboring German and Portu- 

 guese territory. 



Rubber Exports from Kamerun (West Africa). 



Years. Kilos. 



1900 547,348 



1901 518,638 



1002 488,517 



1003 701.695 



1904 949.546 



1905 1,034,204 



1906 1,151,009 



1907 1,492,811 



1908 1,214,320 



Exports from Gold Coast Colony (British West Africa). 

 Years. Pounds. Value. 



1899 5.572,554 *5S5,73i 



1900 3,452,440 328,156 



1901 1,520,009 104,030 



1002 1,599.974 88,602 



1903 2,258,981 196,500 



1904 4,013,837 360,644 



1905 3,633,io6 323,774 



1906 3,649,668 334,504 



1907 3,549,548 333,120 



1908 1,773,248 168,143 



GUTTA-PERCHA FROM THE PHILIPPINES. 



The bureau of agriculture at Manila publishes a statement 

 of exports of gutta-percha from the province of Jolo, for the 

 first eight months of 1909, the figures aggregating 27.632 kilo- 

 grams [=607,904 pounds], of the declared value of $26,088.90. 



Marks. 



2,058,526 



1 ,787,062 



1,624,336 



2,247,085 



3,625,328 



4,071,016 



4,676,629 



7,641,124 



4,779,740 



AMERICAN VIEWS VIA CEYLON. 



THE drop in rubber prices in London on May 4 was tele- 

 graphed the same day to Ceylon, and in connection with 

 reporting the news The Times of Ceylon says : 



"Told of the sudden drop in rubber today, the head of a 

 Colombo firm of buyers, with an extensive business connection 

 with American manufacturers, informed a Times of Ceylon rep- 

 resentative that he was not in the least surprised. 'Everyone 

 knows,' he remarked, 'that prices have been much too high. I 

 think American dealers are merely "holding" off temporarily, 

 with the view of getting the prices down. America has shown 

 no indication that she wants to buy rubber, but I think she will 

 do so later. I know for a fact that a certain American firm of 

 manufacturers sold in London a portion of their hard fine Para 

 purchase at top figure, finding that they could make more money 

 by selling the raw rubber than by turning it into the manufac- 

 tured article.' 



"The same gentleman said he was not aware that American 

 manufacturers were 'living from hand to mouth' as stated in 

 Reuter's wire." 



