— 4Q — 



order to prevent a further decline in the value of this article, a 

 moderate restriction in the production might be advisable until such 

 time as a suitable adjustment between supply and demand has been 

 reached. 



But it would probably be difficult, if not impossible to bring the 

 Algerian producers all under one flag. 



Energetic steps have been taken in Reunion. No. 1580 of La 

 Patrie Creole, of 17 th December 1905, contains the official news of the 

 formation of a Syndicate for geranium oil, the legal formalities having 

 been gone through on the 14 th December, at the Mairie of St. Pierre. 

 The Syndicate has been formed for a period of 5 years. At the 

 meeting of 2 nd December, the producers have for the protection of their 

 interests established this Syndicate, to which at that time ten of the 

 most important manufacturers belonged. According to more recent 

 information, the number of producers belonging to the Syndicate on 

 the 29 th December had already increased to 104, and were said to 

 represent nine tenths of the whole production of geranium oil. 

 The depot for storing the product is also established at St. Pierre. 

 The officials have already been appointed. But a result may possibly 

 not be expected until the enormous stocks which have accumulated 

 at Marseilles and elsewhere in the hands of speculators, have to some 

 extent been cleared. 



The selling prices have up to the present not yet undergone any 

 appreciable change, and there does not appear to be any intention 

 of engineering a rise, but on the contrary of raising the value gradu- 

 ally, by reducing the output to 30000 kilos per annum, until a figure 

 is reached at which the industry can continue to exist. 



The question now is, whether the Syndicate will succeed in keeping 

 control over the entire export, and whether harmony can be main- 

 tained among the participants. 



The most striking comment on the steps described above forms 

 the following table of statistics: — 



In 1901 there were exported 13953 kilos; the price was 43 francs 



„ I9° 2 » » » l 7 I 93 » » » „ 3 6 » 



„ I9°3 » » » 25323 „ „ „ „ 29 „ 



„ 1904 „ „ „ 27660 „ „ „ ,,27 „ 



„ i9°5 » » » 3 8 334 » » » » 2 4 » 



In our opinion the World's annual consumption is overes- 

 timated at 30000 kilos, and it has been left out of account that at 

 the same or similar prices, the much finer Algerian distillate may 

 generally be preferred. 



The so-called Indian geranium or palmarosa oil was at the 

 beginning of the season in October placed on the market in large 



