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Up to the present the activity of the Caynera Agrumaria has done 

 nothing except to injure both the Italian and the foreign traders, and any 

 new syndicate which would monopolise the essential oil industry in con- 

 junction with the Camera, would probably bring about still worse results 

 for the foreign consumers, apart from the fact that no syndicate could 

 possibly exercise so stringent a control over the many manufacturers as 

 has been maintained up to the present by the exporters of essential oils, 

 in their own interest as well as in that of their business friends abroad. 



The acceptance of the scheme submitted by the Association would 

 have the direct result that the essential oils supplied by the Syndicate 

 to foreign buyers would be very inferior in quality to those which have 

 up to the present been placed upon the market by individual exporters. 



An agitation against the monopolisation of the essential oil trade is 

 now in progress in Sicily, and will, it is to be hoped, be successful in 

 conserving the conditions under which the business- is now carried on 

 and in saving foreign buyers from the insatiable high-handedness of the 

 large landed proprietors of the island. 



It would, however, be desirable if those interested in the consuming 

 trade were to make known to the Italian Government, through the proper 

 channels, that the essential oil trade of the entire world is not prepared 

 to be exploited as a milch-cow in the interests of the Sicilian landlords, 

 who, even under existing conditions, are able to make a profit out of 

 their gardens such as is not even approximately yielded by any other 

 agricultural undertaking. 



In Messina also, as may be imagined, the rumour of the proposed 

 monopolisation of essential oils has caused great consternation among 

 firms engaged in the essential oil trade, and this feeling has found ex- 

 pression in a motion which was proposed at the meeting of the Messina 

 Chamber of Commerce on 26 th August by a member, Prof. Giuseppe Bosurgi. 

 As the proceedings show the sentiments which prevail among the exporters 

 of essential oils, it will be interesting to give a verbatim translation of 

 the report of Prof. Bosurgi's speech: — 



"On every side" he said "protests are rife, and the right means are 

 being sought in vain for redressing the nefarious consequences which 

 have resulted from placing the citrate of lime business under the control 

 of a Syndicate. This control has apparently compelled many producers 

 to suspend payments, while others have been brought to a deplorable 

 state by the famous decree establishing the Camera Agrumaria. The 

 Government, despite the sacrifices which it has made, and despite all its 

 endeavours to find a solution of the difficult problem, is unable to dis- 

 cover a way of making good the mistake into which it has fallen. Suddenly, 

 amidst this state of things, we are surprised by a scheme which has been 

 submitted to the Government apparently with the sole purpose of pulling 

 out of their embarrassments a few persons who have engaged in heavy 



