288 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March 1, 1912. 



EUROPEAN RETROSPECTS AND PROSPECTS OF 

 RUBBER. 



IN their review of the India Rubber trade for 1911, Messrs. 

 S. Figgis & Co., London, comment upon the excellent quality 

 and preparation of the plantation rubber shipped to the English 

 market. The readiness of importers to sell at market values, 

 while Brazil attempted to hold up prices, caused a phenomenal 

 demand from consumers for plantation rubber. That deliveries 

 have in England more than kept pace with increased im- 

 ports is regarded as a healthy and encouraging sign ; this fea- 

 ture of the situation being illustrated by the following table : 



English Tot.^ls, Includinx All Descriptions of Rubber. 



Stock Dec. 

 Imports. Deliveries. 31.1911. 



tons. tons. tons. 



1907 22,964 21.317 3,268 



1908 21,611 23,369 1,510 



1909 24,563 24,225 1,848 



1910 32.659 29,980 5,231 



1911 33,964 34,054 3,954 



The extent to which this development has been caused by 

 plantation rubber may be seen by comparing the figures of 1909 

 .and 1911 of English imports from the East and from Brazil: 



Ceylon and Malaya. Para and Manaos. 

 tons. tons. 



1909 3,607 10,179 



1910 6,598 12,433 



1911 10,656 11,726 



A satisfactory feature of 1911 has been the increased forward 

 delivery business, many companies having secured ad- 

 vance sales of a good portion of their output. The total world's 

 supply for 1911 (nearly the whole of which was taken by con- 

 .sumption), is estimated at about 88,000 tons, as follows: 



World's Supply and Consumption 1911 (Estim.^ted). 



Exports. Consumption. 



Brazil tons 39,000 Europe^ 



West Africa 15,000 England /o».s 12,000 



East Africa (wild), Germany and Austria 14,000 



Penang, Borneo and France 8,000 



Rangoon 5,5(X) Russia 8,500 



Assam, Madagascar, Italy 2,000 



Central America and Japan and .-Vustralia. . . . 1.500 



Mexico 2,500 .American and Canada. . 42,000 



Plantation 14,200 



Total 76,000 



Guayule 9,200 



Malaysian and extracted 



from jelutong 2,800 



Total 88,000 Total .. 88,000 



Messrs. Gow, Wilson & Stanton, of London, in their compre- 

 hensive report for 1911 emphasize the statement that plantation 

 rubber, which previously ranked second in the English market, 

 has now taken the first place, as regards volume of market busi- 

 ness as compared with other grades. The quantitv' offered at 

 auction in London has risen from 348^ tons in 1906 to 9,699 

 tons in 1911; the average prices ranging for the six years: 

 1906, 5,f. 6;4rf.; 1907, 4s. 9Vid.; 1908, As. IMrf.; 1909, 6s. 7Hd.; 

 1910. 7s. yy^d.; 1911, Ss. QYid. It is added that the larger auc- 

 tions have tended to prevent wild and unwarranted fluctuations 

 in prices. These auction averages have been graphically illus- 

 trated in a colored chart. 



Messrs. Lewis & Peat, of London, have issued a well-executed 

 chart, showmg in graphic form the fluctuations of rubber prices 



during the last four years, thus illustrating their comprehensive 

 annual report. 



.\ carefully prepared sheet of tables issued by Messrs. Edmd. 

 Schluter & Co., of London and Liverpool, deals by months with 

 tlie imports, deliveries and stocks of rubber during the years 

 1907 to 1911. They have also issued an excellent chart of rub- 

 ber price fluctuations. 



Messrs. William Wright & Co.'s annual report for 1911 in- 

 cludes detailed tables of English monthly imports, deliveries and 

 stocks for the last three years. Present conditions are illustrated 

 by the figures for the month of December, 1911, according to 

 which imports for the month were (in all kinds) : London, 

 1,562 tons, and Liverpool, 1,859 tons; deliveries having been, re- 

 spectively, 1,382 and 2,130 tons. Liverpool is thus maintaining 

 its position as a rubber market. 



The report of Messrs. Grisar & Co., of Antwerp, mentions the 

 fact that there has been a slight improvement in the quantity 

 of rubber exported from the Belgian Congo. Further develop- 

 ment is anticipated as a result of the more liberal tax policy of 

 the government. Antwerp rubber imports for the years 1910 and 

 1911 were as follows: 1910. 1911. 



tons. tons. 



From the Belgian Congo 3,105 3,176 



From other sources 953 1,160 



Total tons 4,058 4,336 



Imports of plantation rubber from the Far East have shown 

 a marked development in Antwerp. An interesting table shows 

 the comparative rubber importations of the world's principal 

 markets for the years 1903 to 1910. The figures shown for 1909 

 and 1910 are: ^^ j^^^ 



tons. tons. 



United States 31,129 32.916 



Liverpool 22,436 27.601 



Hamburg 7,500 7,700 



Antwerp 4,686 4,059 



Havre 3,781 4,458 



London 5,435 9,127 



Bordeaux 1,988 2,326 



Lisbon 3,063 3.424 



Total tons 80,018 91,611 



The growing importance of Havre as a center of rubber dis- 

 tribution is shown by the table appended to the annual sum- 

 mary of Jean Roederer, of that port. While the figure of imports 

 for 1911 was about 10 per cent, below that of 1910, it exceeds 

 those of 1908 and 1909. Havre imports, which in 1896 were 1,648 

 tons, had increased by 1911 to 4,008 tons. 



Rotterdam arrivals for 1911 were slightly in excess of those 

 for 1910, being reported bv Messrs. Havelaar & de Vues as follows : 



1910. 1911. 



.\frican tons 763 650 



East Indian 375 549 



Total L138 1.199 



.Amsterdam totals were respectively 60 and 240 tons, tlie grow- 

 ing importance of that port as a rubber market being thus 

 illustrated. 



CENTENARY OF GRISAR & CO.. ANTWERP. 



The Indi.\ Rubber World acknowledges the lithographic 

 souvenir issued by the well-known firm of Grisar & Co., Ant- 

 werp, on the recent occasion of its centenary. This artistic pic- 

 ture shows the various heads of the firm since its foundation in 

 1811, in conjunction with representations of the various branches 

 of the firm's business; including rubber, gum copal, hides and 

 horns. 



