306 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[February 1, 1915. 



characters, no ess has as yet been perfected that meets 



everj requirement. 



That the extensive Introduction of plantation rubber and the 

 improvement in its quality, due in large measure to the re- 

 searches above referred to, has seriously affected the market 

 price of the wild product, will be evident from the following 

 table, the figures in which are from Figgis & Co.'s report, and 

 which show the steady decline in the prices paid for wild rubber 

 during the past live years : 



Hard fine Negrohead Negrohead Caucho 

 Para. Scrappy. Island. Ball. 



1910 5s. 4s. 2d. 2s. 1GU 4s. 2V 2 d. 



191 1 4j. 3y 2 d. 3s. 9d. 2s. Id. is. 9'/ 2 d. 



1912 4s. 6'Ad. 3s. 5y 2 d. 2s. 3d. 3s.(>',<l. 



1913 3s. 1 d 2s. bd. Is. Sd. Is. Ud. 



1914 2s. Wy 4 d. 2s. V/ 2 d. Is. 3d. 2s. Ad. 



Considering the many serious disadvantages that have con- 

 fronted the trade during the past few months, the steadiness that 

 has characterized the markets is indeed remarkable, and it is 

 hardly expected that the probable resumption of shipments, under 

 the conditions arranged between the British government and the 

 embargo committee of the Rubber Club of America — of which a 

 full account will be found elsewhere in the present number — will 

 cause serious disturbance in prices or conditions. 



'Hie efforts made by planters to improve the quality of their 

 product with a view to more effective competition with forest 

 rubber have not been without indirect effect on trade conditions. 

 Reference may here be made to the proposition, of which more 

 or less is beard, that the raw latex, or partly prepared raw rub- 

 ber, be sent to a central establishment for final treatment and 

 for distribution. These suggestions are all more or less in line 

 with the idea of rubber standardization, which has many advo- 

 cates in trade circles. A commission appointed by the Rubber 

 Growers' Association of London recently presented a report in 

 which they discussed the advisability of establishing a central 

 laboratory, or testing bureau, for the appraisal and grading of 

 rubber according to standards of quality to be established, and it 

 is nut improbable that eventually something may develop from 

 this proposition. 



The production of an artificial substitute for india rubber has 

 received during the past year about the usual amount of atten- 

 tion, but there is no substantial progress to be recorded, except 

 the recognition of the importance of the turpentine products of 

 the United States, as a future possible source of isoprene, which 

 is regarded as the only scientific basis of synthetic rubber. The 

 present status of the research is not regarded by rubber pro- 

 ducers as a source of anxiety, in spite of the fact that rubber 

 manufacturers have of late manifested greater interest in its 

 possibilities. 



For the current year prospects may be pronounced good. The 

 slight decline in the South American output last year is not 

 ii.i eable to any specific cause, and may be only a normal fluctua- 

 tion, the shipments from those parts having displayed only slight 

 variations, and those mainly in an upward direction, for the past 

 decade. The monthly fluctuations in price of the South Ameri- 

 can rubbers were not abnormally great, the highest figure paid 

 for bard fine during 1914 having been 3s. 2V 2 d.; the lowest price 

 at which it sold during the same period being 2s. 6d. The high- 

 est price realized for soft fine was 3s. 0' id., and it declined to 

 2s. l /zd. at the close of the year. Caucho ball, which at the 

 opening of the year was in good supply and selling at a fairly 

 low price, fell off in quantity towards the close of the period, and 

 in December attained its highest figure, 2s. 4d. 



Owing t<> the disturbed condition of affairs, Mexico has 

 ceased to be a factor in the consideration of the guayule supply. 



Judging from the estimates of probable crops for the current 

 year embodied in the last annual reports by the different planting 

 companies in the Far East, the increase in acreage under cultiva- 

 tion and ready for tapping, and their improved methods of 



preparation, growers in that section, provided they escape un- 

 foreseen plantation troubles, promise to produce at least as much 

 rubber this year as last, and the quality is likely to show a 

 steady improvement. 



The following table shows the acreage under cultivation in all 

 rubber-growing countries during the past five years, by which it 

 will be seen that Malaya and Dutch East Indies show the only 

 notable increase in the area under cultivation. 



1910. 1911. 1912. 1913. 1914. 



Ceylon acres 200,000 210,000 220,000 220,000 220,000 



Malaya, Malacca, etc... 290,000 350,000 430,000 500,000 500.000 



Borneo 12,000 20.000 20,000 20,000 20,000 



Dutch East Indies, Java, 



Sumatra, etc 185,000 200,000 230,000 400,000 400,000 



India and Burmah 30.000 40.000 40,000 45,000 65.000 



German Colonies, Samoa, 



East and West Africa. 45,000 45.000 42,000 oO.OOO 40.000 



Total acreage planted. 757,000 865.000 782,000 1.245,000 1.245.00O 

 Under the circumstances it seems justifiable to estimate the 

 world's rubber crop for the past year at the figure previously 

 quoted, viz., 115,000 tons, in round figures. Assuming a return 

 to normal conditions, the distribution of the available supply will 

 be about as follows : 



England tons 24,000 



Germany, Austria, etc 13,000 



France 8.000 



Russia 14,000 



Italy, etc 2,500 



Japan and Australia 3,000 



United States and Canada 51,000 



Total 115,500 



The sources of this estimated supply are given as follows : 



Plantation tons 65,500 



Amazonas and Brazil 37,000 



West African 8.500 



Mattogrosso, Manicoba. Assare, etc 1,800 



East African, Manihot, etc., Penang, Borneo, Rangoon, 



Assam, Madagascar, etc 1.500 



Central American, Mexican, etc 1.200 



Total 1 15.500 



To this must be added considerable quantities of reclaimed 

 rubber, but less than in 1913. 



No account is taken in this computation of stocks in hand for 

 the reason that it is impossible to ascertain how much of the 

 rubber stored in the various foreign ports is already sold and 

 is being held awaiting opportunity for shipment. 



As next to the United States and Canada, the largest consumer 

 of crude rubber, the imports of Great Britain and their origin 

 are of more than passing interest to American consumers, and are 

 shown in the accompanying table, which gives the imports and 

 deliveries for five years. 



Imports. Deliveries. 



1910 tons 32,659 29,980 



1911 33,964 34.054 



1912 43,853 44,238 



1913 55.270 52,854 



1914 59,409 58.045 



Great Britain's importations for 1914 were derived from the 

 following sources : 



East India, Malaya. Ceylon, etc ton s 41.894 



Para and Manaos 9,251 



Peru Caucho 3,437 



West Coast Africa 2,641 



All others -2.186 



Total 59,409 



