THE SUGAE-CANE PLANT 



Eespective 

 Prices. 



Influences 

 on Prices. 



Decline 

 in Prices. 



Cost Price. 



SACCHARUM 



OFFICINARUM 



Supply 



9*2 rupees, while the share in cane imports came to 4,263,798 cwt. with an 

 average value of 10*1 rupees ; but in 1906-7 the averages came to Rs. 8'2 

 for cane and Rs. 8'7 for beet. 



" The previous financial year closed in March, 1905, with the Bombay 

 price at Rs. 13-15-0 per cwt. and the European price of 88 per cent, sugar 

 at 135. 3d. f.o.b. Hamburg. The highest point in recent years had been 

 reached two months before that time, when Rs. 14-5-0 was recorded in 

 Bombay. These high levels were due to several causes. The abolition 

 of the bounties in European producing countries and consequent reduction 

 of the internal sugar-taxes had led to a restriction of cultivation, and had 

 induced such expansion of domestic consumption as had not been foreseen." 

 " But the high prices attained brought their own cure, for they induced 

 at once an increase of some 16 per cent, in the acreage sown with, beet in 

 Europe, and also a resort on the part of consumers to reserve stocks of 

 which the speculators had not had knowledge. After the opening of the 

 financial year 1905-6 prices fell steadily, and they gave way completely 

 about the month of July. Since July, the decline has been practically 

 continuous. Since the close of the calendar year the price in Bombay had 

 stood practically steady at Rs. 9-14-0 per cwt " (Rev. Trade Ind., 1905-6, 

 5). In the following year (I.e. 1906-7, 8) Noel-Paton recorded the further 

 stages in the decline already forecasted : " The price of 88 per cent, beet- 

 sugar, f.o.b. Hamburg, was about 8s. 5d. in April, 1906, which is below 

 cost. Refined beet in Calcutta at the same time was quoted at rates 

 equal to lls. Id. per cwt., while the price in Bombay was 12s. Id., and in 

 Karachi lls. 10<i. Mauritius sugar in Bombay was at the parity of 

 lls. od. The highest for 88 per cent, sugar in London was 9s. l\d., reached 

 in September, while in Karachi refined sugar touched 12s. 4rf. in October, 

 and Calcutta was 12s. Id. in November. Throughout the statistical year, 

 Bombay remained steadily at 12s. Id." 



Countries of Supply. Of the cane-sugar supply perhaps the most 

 significant feature is the rise and growth of the Javan contribution, very 

 largely conveyed to Calcutta. In 1901-2 the total imports from Java were 

 446,686 cwt. ; in 1903-4, 1,335,548 cwt. ; in 1905-6, 1,685,391 cwt. ; and 

 in 1906-7, 3,304,366 cwt. A fair proportion of these were cheap 

 unrefined sugars, No. 16 and under,' intended to directly contest Indian 

 production of gur. The trade from Mauritius has for many years past 

 manifested a consistent and almost uniform expansion. In 1901-2 it came 

 to 1,759,203 cwt., in 1905-6 stood at 2,013,012 cwt., and in 1906-7 at 

 2,310,023 cwt. The only other country that need be mentioned is China. 

 The contributions from that country manifest extreme fluctuations, but 

 on the whole seem declining. The highest record during the past five years 

 was in 1902-3, while the figures for last year (1906-7) were the lowest, 

 viz. 51,279 cwt. Of beet-sugar, Austria-Hungary is by far the most 

 important source. As already mentioned, the years 1902-3, 1903-4, and 

 1904-5 manifested a marvellous curtailment, but the amount taken in 

 1901-2 was 2,257,928 cwt. ; in 1905-6, 2,340,717 cwt. ; and in 1906-7, 

 1,617,160 cwt. Commenting on these new aspects of the trade, Noel- 

 Paton observes, " Of the refined sugar, Java, which in 1905-6 ceded the 

 premier place to a beet-country, Austria-Hungary, resumes it (1906-7) 

 with a quantity largely exceeding that ever before imported from a single 

 country. She supplied, -in fact, nearly 31 per cent, of the entire arrivals. 

 The other cane country, Mauritius, follows with 24 '61 per cent, of the 



960 



Java. 



Mauritius. 



China. 



Austria- 

 Hungary. 



