June 1908,] 



523 



Saps and EoiUdationH, 



JAPANESE CAMPHOR. 



The agency for the sale of camphor 

 on behalf of the Japanese Government, 

 which has been in the hands of Messrs. 

 Samuel Samuel & Co., of Formosa, and 

 the corresponding house of Messrs. 

 M. Samuel & Co., of London, since the 

 institution of the monopoly eight years 

 ago, terminated this week, it being the 

 desire (as we stated last December) of 

 the Japanese Government to conduct 

 the business on their own account and 

 to place themselves in touch with the 

 customers. So much misconception, how- 

 ever, has prevailed, especially in the 

 United States, as to why Messrs. Samuel's 

 services were to be dispensed with, that 

 it should at once be stated that this 

 well-known house had carried on the 

 business in a manner entirely satisfactory 

 to the Government, and that they were 

 in no way to blame for the fact that the 

 prices paid by manufacturing consumers 

 in America were much above those paid 

 by the importing houses. It may also 

 be pointed out that all the business done 

 by Messrs. Samuel was at the prices 

 authorised by the Monopoly Bureau, and 

 that they neither attempted nor were 

 permitted to sell above the official fixed 

 limit. 



In view of the above developments and 

 in order to obtain authoritative parti- 

 culars in regard to the future method 

 of distributing monopoly camphor, a 

 representative of the Chemist and 

 Druggist waited upon Mr. T. Masuzawa, 

 who has established himself at the office 

 of Messrs. Mitsui & Co., 34, Lime Street, 

 E.C. Mr. Masuzawa is in the employ of 

 the Imperial Japanese Government, and 

 is Commissioner of the Monopoly Bureau. 

 Asked as to the chief reasons which in- 

 fluenced the Government in making this 

 new departure, Mr. Masuzawa replied 

 that they desire to obtain a better grip 

 of the business by coming into direct 

 relacions with the buyers themselves, 

 studying their requirements in every 

 possible way, and endeavouring to main- 

 tain prices with as few fluctuations as 

 possible consistent with supply and 

 demand. This is a point which celluloid 

 manufacturers and consumers will ap- 

 preciate, as under the new regime, 

 speculation, which was the bugbear of 

 the monopoly in the early years of its 

 existence, has been entirely eliminated 

 so far as monopoly camphor is concerned. 

 Indeed, the Government were entirely 

 opposed to the speculative spirit from 

 the beginning ; but they were not able 

 to cope with it successfully when the 

 supplies of crude ran short, and refined 

 camphor went to a famine-price. " Now 

 the position is entirely altered," con- 



66 



tinned Mr. Masuzawa, "as we can supply 

 everybody, even when the China supply 

 has given out, or the synthetic camphor 

 driven off the market. There is there- 

 fore no possibility of prices again reach- 

 ing a prohibitive figure, it being the 

 endeavour of the Government to pro- 

 tect the buyer a" far as possible, while 

 trust methods will not be countenanced." 

 In future all contracts will be made with 

 Messrs. Mitsui & Co. (as selling represent- 

 atives of the Government), under the 

 direct supervision and with the approval 

 of Mr. Masuzawa. The prices will be 

 fixed as they were with Messrs. Samuel, 

 and although there is no likelihood of 

 camphor being cheaper under the new 

 control, the principal object will be to 

 regulate the supply in accordance with 

 the requirements of each customer. 



''You have no doubt heard much about 

 the competition with China camphor. 

 In what way does this affect the mono- 

 poly product?" our representative 

 asked. To this Mr. Masuzawa replied : 

 " Yes, we are fully aware of what China 

 is doing ; but we do not regard their 

 competition as serious, as the quality 

 varies considerably, and is not to be 

 compared with the Foi'mosan article, 

 For our part the Government sold a 

 considerable quantity of the monoply 

 product last year for shipment up to 

 March, and the fact that so little business 

 has been done this year is practically 

 due to the depressed condition of the 

 celluloid industry." 



Asked as to the possibility of Japan 

 obtaiuing control of the China output, 

 Mr. Masuzawa pointed out that such a 

 course is unnecessary,' and would not be 

 advantageous. Conditions in China are 

 entirely different from those in Formosa 

 and Japan. In China the camphor-trees 

 are sparsely scattered over a large area, 

 so that transport is expensive, while the 

 price demanded for each tree varies 

 according to the whim of the owner. 

 Many trees are found planted round 

 shrines and temples as a wind-protection, 

 and are difficult to purchase on account 

 of the intense religious feeling which 

 prevails. In Formosa, however, the 

 trees are the property of the Govern- 

 ment, and the work of reafforestation is 

 constantly going on. 



Last year Chinese camphor touched 

 370s. per cwt. and over, these high prices 

 stimulating the production, but on the 

 basis of present prices, which are in the 

 neighbourhood of 160s. to 162s. 6d., the 

 output is now considerably less. The 

 exports from Formosa and Japan main- 

 land amounted to about 40,000 piculs in 

 1906, rising to about 50,000 piculs in 



