xii. a, * Brill, Parker, and Yates: Copra and Coconut Oil 59 



Table III. — Loss in iveight of copra, etc. — Continued. 



Place of production. 



Days 



stored. 



Loss in 

 weight. 



Tayabas Province: 



25 

 30 

 28 

 26 

 19 

 20 

 29 

 28 

 18 

 18 

 31 

 18 

 12 

 14 

 24 

 23 

 29 

 15 

 25 



Per cent. 



1.00 

 0.4 



17.74 



12.97 

 1.76 



12.07 



14.68 

 2.90 

 1.75 

 6.53 



18.69 

 9.09 



14.05 

 9.75 

 8.00 



10.00 

 7.50 

 8.06 



12.5 













Do- - --- 









Do ■ _ 



Do.. _ 



Do ._ 





Do _ 



Do 











There is a further loss in weight of copra on shipboard, which 

 the copra dealers estimate at from 3 to 6 per cent, depending 

 primarily upon the length of time of storage before shipment. 

 With the high freight rates that have prevailed for the past year 

 for copra shipments to the United States, the loss due to paying 

 freight on loss of weight alone is considerable ; even under normal 

 conditions this loss is too large to be ignored. 



Freight rates at 50 pesos per ton with loss in weight of 6 

 per cent -amount to 3 pesos for each ton of copra. When the 

 product is not completely dried, there results not only an unneces- 

 sary expense of handling an excessive amount of water, but also 

 the conditions are most favorable to mold growth with conse- 

 quent loss in quality and quantity of the oil. It is the producer 

 who suffers, 9 for the purchaser reduces the price to cover not 

 only the extra water, but also the extra handling and transporta- 



* While the price paid to the producer is less for his poor product than 

 it would be for a higher grade product, some question exists as to his 

 suffering any excessive monetary loss. Consideration should be given to 

 the fact that he has no great amount of money invested in apparatus, that 

 he can employ unskilled labor, and that he expends no great amount of 

 care in the preparation of his product. The difference in the cost of 

 producing poor and of producing good copra is hardly made up by the 

 present discriminating price. The production of poor copra should rather 

 be considered an economic loss to the Philippine Islands. 



