31 



After the prolonged period of high quotations and generally 

 exceptional trade conditions, the reaction has reduced prices to a basis 

 on which manufacturers are better able to safeguard and cater for the 

 requirements of the Industry, and it is satisfactory to record that the 

 condition of the trade generally is now far more healthy than has been 

 the case for some considerable time past. 



High prices have seriously interfered with the enormously in- 

 creased powers of consumption which have been manifest during the 

 past two years, and have had the leffect of bringing into use a much 

 larger quantity of waste Rubber and other compounds. This is 

 strikingly shown by the Imports into the United States, the quantity 

 of old scrap for re-manufacture imported during the first nine months 

 of 1910 amounted to 13,327 tons, as compared with 2,714 tons for the 

 same period two years before. This example gives some idea of the 

 extent to which increasing supplies of raw Rubber could be handled 

 at moderate prices by displacing these very large quantities of inferior 

 substances to the ultimate advantage of the Industry from the con- 

 sumers' (as well as producers') point of view. 



Plantation Rubber— London Auctions.— The amount of 

 Plantation Rubber offered at the London auctions during the year 

 aggregated 95,394 packages (or 5,l93h tons), which figures compared 

 with 50,602 packages (or 2,684 tons) for 1 909. 



For the period under review the average price realised at auction 

 was the highest on record, viz. 7s. 7Md. per lb., being no less than Is. 

 per lb. over the previous record established in 1909. 



The following table shows at a glance the expansion of the 

 Industry during the past five years :— 



Table Showing Total Quantity and Average Price of Plan- 

 tation Rubber Offered at Auction in London 

 During the Last Five Years. 



1st January to 3lst 

 December. 



No. of pkgs. 

 offered. 



Quantity in tons. 



No. of Pkgs. 

 Sold. 



Average 

 Price 

 Paid. 



Ceylon. 



Malaya.! Total. 



i 



I9O6 



1907 



1908 



1909 



1910 



6462 

 15,380 

 24,647 

 50,602 



95,394 



98^ 

 192^^ 

 290 

 432 

 761^ 



250^ 3485^ 

 62iJ^ 814 

 1,005^ i 1,295^ 

 2,252 1 2,684 

 4,432^ 5,193^ 



4,130 

 7,388 

 16,018 

 40,877 

 85,438 



sm 



4/9% 

 4llU 

 6I7V8 



During the past year nearly double the quantity of these grades 

 of rubber has been received as compared with that brought to the 

 London market during 1909. This, coupled with the fact that the 

 average realised was higher than during the previous year causes the 

 result, so far as Importers are concerned, to be highly satisfactory. 



