and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society.— January, 1912. 



81 



SALES OF PRODUCE IN BRITISH AND CONTINENTAL MARKETS. 



Fibres, Cotton, Grain, Oil Seeds, Hides and Skins, 

 Timber, Rubber, Drugs, Wool, Ores, Mica, Gums, Tea, 

 Cocoa, Coffee, Copra, Sugar, etc. , are being regularly 

 dealt in; Keymer, Son & Co., being selling Agents for 

 Estates, Mills and Exporters. 



Samples valued. Best ports for Shipments indicated. 



The management of Estates undertaken. Capital found 

 for the development or purchase of valuable properties. 



KEYMER, SON & CO. , 

 Cables: Whitefriars, 

 KEYMER, LONDON. LONDON, E. C. 



(Same address since 1844), 



ANNUAL RUBBER REVIEW FOR 1911. 



BY GOW, WILSON & STANTON, LTD., 

 LONDON. 



Plantation Rubber. 



Changes During the Year. 

 Although the past has proved a marked con- 

 trast to the preceding one in many respects, it 

 has witnessed developments and changes in the 

 industry of far-reaching importance. The pro- 

 duction of Plantation Rubber in 191Uwas less 

 than one-tenth of the world's supply, but during 

 the present year it must have nearly reached a 

 sixth, and instead of this rapid increase resulting 

 in consumers' requirements being temporarily 

 overtaken, it has had a vory different effect. 



The Status of Plantation Rubber. 

 This variety, which may be said to have 

 ranked second in tlie market previously, has 

 now taken first place as regards the volume of 

 market business compared with other grades, 

 and the larger offerings have met with a regular 

 and sustained demand which has been the 

 noticeable feature of the London auctions re- 

 cently. 



Table showing total quantity and average 

 price of Plantation Rubber offered at auction 

 in London during the last two years : — 



Quantity in Tons. 



est; 



^ <Dt3 



° a 2 



O 2 5B 

 O 



<«2 



1910 

 1911 



85.43S 7s 7|d 

 163,403 5s Ojd 



95,594 761J 4.432J F..193J 

 177,195 1,622, 8,077 9,699 



The Effect of Larger Supplies. — What is of 

 still more importance is that the larger auctions 

 are without doubt greatly assisting the im- 

 porter and manufacturer by reducing the 



11 



chances of wild and unwarranted fluctuations in 

 prices which have in the past been so detri- 

 mental to the best interests of the industry and 

 robbed the market of the stability so essential 

 for normal development. The diagram of prices 

 shows that in 1910 the difference between the 

 highest and lowest averages was nearly 7s, whilst 

 in 1911 the widest range was about 3s. 



During the early part of the year prices were 

 highest, but with a large increase in the visible 

 supplies, a marked depression took place sub- 

 sequently, from the effects of which a gradual 

 recovery has only lately manifested itself in the 

 market, encouraged largely by stocks assumiug 

 more normal proportions. 



The prospects of a further increase in sup- 

 plies from the East, and the fact that the Plan- 

 tation Market is a free and unrestricted one 

 should tend to greatly assist the expansion of 

 consumption by preventing undue inflation in 

 prices. 



Consumption. 

 In our market review of last year we referred 

 to the readiness with which the larger crop had 

 been absorbed ; on tiiis occasion we can go fur- 

 ther, as the use of the plantation product now 

 successfully extends to many purposes for 

 which it was formerly thought less fitted than 

 the Para varieties; it is especially significant 

 that for tyres, which use more rubber than any 

 other single section of the trade, very consider- 

 able quantities of Eastern grown rubber are 

 now being employed. 



Manufacturers' Requirements. 

 Planters continue to complain of the great 

 difficulty of ascertaining the users' chief require- 

 ments, and which particular grade is the one 

 really preferred. Much importance has been 

 attached to the highest prices realised in various 

 auctions for different grades as indicating un- 

 accountable changes in the whims and fancies 

 of manufacturers. It must, however, be clearly 

 understood that the fact that some particular 



