CHAPTER II. 



THE WORLD'S PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION 

 OF RUBBER. 



ONE of the first considerations of the prospective rubber 

 planter should be the probability of his obtaining a lucrative 

 market for his crop when his trees arrive at maturity. In 

 order to assist him to solve this important problem, let us 

 investigate the conditions affecting those predominating factors 

 of the rubber trade supply and demand. 



The world's production of rubber during the year 1907 is 

 estimated at 69,000 tons. Messrs S. Figgis & Co., the well- 

 known rubber brokers, significantly point out, in their annual 

 review of the rubber market for that year, that the con- 

 sumption was probably 3,000 tons less than the supply, or 

 about equivalent to that of the year 1906. 



The stock of rubber on hand at Liverpool in January 1908 

 was 2,300 tons, which was the largest surplus for the previous 

 twelve years. 



The world's annual consumption of rubber for the period 

 July 1899 to January 1908 is estimated as follows : 



July 1899 to June 1906 compiled from figures supplied by Messrs 

 Hecht, Levis, & Kahn. 



January 1906 to December 1907, Messrs S. Figgis & Co.'s annual 

 review of the rubber trade for 1907. 



