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of the buyers; the finer essential oils being purchased by the perfumers, 

 the stronger qualities by the druggists, and, lastly, those of a low degree 

 by buyers who, for their particular requirements, pay less regard to the 

 aroma than to the cheapness of the merchandise. In this respect it would 

 be impossible for the Camera Agrumaria to accomplish what is done by 

 the exporters, for while the Camera would be able to force its prices and 

 conditions upon foreign buyers, it would never be able to serve them to 

 their general satisfaction. 



"All this, it should be understood, would be done to the prejudice 

 of the consumption. 



3. "Here, the project passes airily over the difficulty of preserving 

 the essential oils; for, whereas citrate of lime is a substance of unlimited 

 stability, essential oils are readily liable to changes which, mostly within 

 the space of a single year, may so alter their consistency as to render 

 them quite useless. With admirable naivete it is asserted that the Camera 

 would do the same as the exporters do, but it is forgotten that the ex- 

 porter has proper means at his disposal, and applies them, for preserving 

 his essential oils in good condition, that he has a trained and experienced 

 staff, and that he is in a situation very different from that of the Camera 

 as regards his means of properly treating his own essential oils to pre- 

 serve them from deterioration, all of which involves manipulations that 

 could not possibly be carried out in the large warehouses of the Camera, 

 where the essential oils can certainly not be preserved and protected 

 from decomposition with the same necessary precautions. This should 

 be plain to everybody. 



"The consequences of the proposed innovation would be that the 

 essential oils remaining in stock from one year into another would come 

 to consist mainly of unusable goods. If, contrary to all honest and 

 common-sense business feelings, it should be attempted to mix such goods 

 with fresh, new oils, the only result achieved would be the discrediting 

 of Sicilian essential oils in the markets of the world, and the arousing of 

 ill-will on the part of foreign buyers. The latter, dissatisfied and annoyed, 

 would then use every endeavour to find means for freeing themselves 

 from the yoke of Sicilian tyranny. For it must be remembered that a 

 buyer who pays good money has a right to demand that he shall be 

 served well, and according to his requirements. 



4. "Continuing our criticism, we come to the question of the capital 

 needed for financing the proposed essential oil monopoly. With the same 

 light-heartedness which is shown with regard to the other points at issue 

 it is asserted that the Banks would readily find the 2000000 Lire (80000 £ 

 or 400000$) required. 



"Without entering into the question whether the Banks would be 

 willing to grant such a credit, a few figures will suffice to show that the 

 proposed sum of 2000000 Lire would be altogether insufficient. 



