and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society.— February, 1912. 181 



REPORT ON PARA AND PLANTATION 



GROWN RUBBER. 



LEWIS & PEAT'S REVIEW OF 1911. 

 6, Mincing Lane, London, Jan. let, 1912. 

 In our last annual review we referred to the 

 phenomenal prices and violent fluctuations 

 which occurred in 1910, when plantation rub- 

 ber touched 12s lOd and flue para 12s 6d, 

 closing at 5s 3d and 5s 7d respectively. It is 

 interesting to note and compare the fluctuations 

 during 1911 : — 



The highest price touched by fine para was 7s 

 2Jd, whereas, the highest price touched by 

 plantation fine was 8a \A. 



With the exception of February and May, 

 when the price of fine para and of plantation 

 were the same within a farthing a pound, the 

 price of plantation fine has ruled the whole year 

 from 4d to is per lb above tho price of fine para. 

 The average for the year comes out, fine para 

 5s, plantation fine 5s 6d, and when it is con- 

 sidered that the production of plantation during 

 1911 was about 14,000 tons against 8,000 tons in 

 1910, we think all concerned must be highly 

 gratified, and that such figures and results speak 

 for themselves, and supply the most eloquent 

 and reassuring evidence of the appreciation of 

 plantation rubber, and the position it has made 

 for itself on its intrinsic merits, and as a result 

 of the excellent preparation by the planters. 

 A year ago we advocated in our circular, 

 smoked sheet and blanket crepe. The planters 

 have sent smoked sheet and blanket crepe, and 

 the results have proved most gratifying. We 

 congratulate those who on the estates and in 

 the factories have in so short a time turned out 

 such excellently prepared rubber to meet the 

 requirements of the trade, and thereby secured 

 such prices and a premium over fine para for 

 their output. It is perfectly clear that the 

 absorption by consumers of the enormously 

 increased supply at an average price of 5s 6d 

 per lb. for first quality and other grades in pro- 

 portion, would never have taken place if it had 

 not been for the extraordinary improvement in 

 the preparation and the evenness of the quality 

 produced by all the well regulated and up-to- 

 date estates. Manufacturers know they can now 

 depend on plantation rubber both for quantity 

 and even quality, and so are using more and 

 more of it every day. Para and plantation 

 rubber opened at about the same figure, 

 namely 5s. 6d. per lb., but before the end of 

 January both were under 5s. Fluctuations, with 

 the exception of a very sharp advance to over 

 7s early in March, have not been anything 

 like as violent as in 1910 and the steadier con- 

 ditions have been extremely beneficial to the 

 industry and tended to increase the volume of 

 business enormously. A feature of the year has 

 been the great increase in the business done 

 for forward delivery, both for short periods and 

 for 12 months ahead, at prices which indicate 

 a considerable amount of confidence upon 

 the part of consumers of the safety of present 

 rates. Large sales for delivery each month 

 during 1912 have been made on estate account 

 ftt prices ranging from 4s, 2d, to 5s, for first 



latex ; the bulk of the business being done at 

 about 4s. 6d. per lb. As will be seen by the 

 figures, tho Brazilian crop was 38, 000 tons against 

 38,270 tons in 1910, and the highest price was 

 7s. 2.\d, in March and the lowest 3s. 10£d. in 

 May, compared with 12s. 6d. and 5s. 7d. during 

 1910. Fine hard para is still the standard grade 

 of the rubber industry, but there is no doubt 

 the plantation rubber is being used by a great 

 many manufacturers in the place of it and the 

 latter has now a prominent position in practi- 

 cally every factory. The quantity of plantation 

 at the fortnightly auctions shows a marked 

 increase, especially during the last six months, 

 the sales averaged about 40G tons each and the 

 heaviest was 522 fcona at the last sale in Novem- 

 ber, totalling for the year 9,500 tons. With 

 reference to the large quantities offered at each 

 auction it is moat satisfactory to note that 

 buyers were found for practically everything 

 catalogued, and even the 522 tons in tho 

 November sale did not disturb prices to any 

 great extent. To our mind it is far more im- 

 portant to see the market widening and new 

 outlets found than any great increase in price. 

 At present, 4*. 6d. seems a figure at which 

 manufacturers can work and use larger 

 quantities of plantation rubber, and the less 

 of the cheap grades and admixtures. 

 The total output of Plantation Rubber from 

 all parts of the world during 1911 amounted 

 to about 14,000 tons against about 8,000 during 

 1910. Estimates are given for 1912 varying be- 

 tween 18,000 and 22,000 tons. It is estimated 

 that up to date about 3,000 tons have been 

 sold for delivery during 1912. It is impossible 

 to foretell the future, but the market seems 

 to be settling down to good sound business 

 at round about 4s 6d ; and now that Brazilian 

 rubber does not hold the absolute control of 

 the market as it used to do, conditions, both 

 natural and political in the Amazon valley, are 

 not likely to have anything like the influence 

 they have had up till now. Demand from all 

 parts of the world, including America, for 

 plantation rubber, has been more evenly dis- 

 tributed throughout the past year and with 

 the good supplies offered at each auction, manu- 

 facturers have had but little difficulty to fill 

 their immediate requirements and, if they 

 thought tit, to avail themselves of the forward 

 market, with every confidence as to the quality 

 of the deliveries they would receive. On for- 

 ward sales the standard of First Latex arrived 

 at is now not quite so high as regards colour, 

 and ntarly all lots of good sound Crepe Bis- 

 cuits and Sheets made from First Latex, even if 

 a little off colour, are now tenderable. Smoked 

 Crepe is not tenderable at present, but no 

 doubt will be later when it is better known 

 and comes in larger quantities. We have not 

 space enough in this report to say as much 

 as we would like about the recent Rubber 

 Exhibition held in London. It was a great 

 success and the quality and number of the 

 exhibits both showed a marked improvement 

 on the last exhibition three years ago and 

 practically all the rubber sent was a very high 

 standard. We published " A Short Criticism 

 on the Exhibits " at the close of the ex- 

 hibition, which gives full details and deacrip- 



