198 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



THE LONDON RUBBER MARKET. 



SOME HINTS FROM THE BROKER 

 TO THE PLANTER, 

 We have now received, and in most cases place 

 before our readers, the annual reports on tha rub- 

 ber market during 1908 issued by the principal 

 firms of rubber brokers in London. They con- 

 tain, as far as we can discern, nothing that can 

 be regarded as discouraging to the producer of 

 plantation rubber in the East. In fact in every 

 case confidence in the great promise of the 

 industry is unmistakeably indicated ; and, in 

 not a few, invaluable hints are given to planters 

 regarding the form in which the raw product 

 is most acceptable to the manufacturers. The 

 interest of the trade in the plantation article 

 is broadening in proportion to the increase of 

 supplies ; and there is every reason to justify 

 the conclusion that, when still greater quanti- 

 ties are put on the market, a correspondingly 

 ready demand will be experienced for it. The 

 production and imports into London of plan- 

 tation rubber during 1908 are given by Messrs. 

 Lewis & Peat as '2,100 tons against 1,'250 tons in 

 the preceding year. At tbe present time no 

 department of the trade has refrained from 

 handling plantation rubber,and the above-named 

 firm assures us •' with confidence that now, 

 practically all manufacturers, large and small, 

 use plantation rubber and are likely to do so 

 more and more." The large rubber firms are 

 making arrangements to deal with larger 

 quantities when the supplies increase as they 

 must do enormously during the next few years. 

 This is a gratifying and tangible sign of 

 practical interest in cultivated rubber, which 

 ought to stimulate planters to produce only 

 the best. It is very important at this stage 

 that the good impression made by the plan- 

 tation product should be maintained, and by 

 the adoption of the hints given by the London 

 brokers the quality improved and made still more 

 acceptable. The more important of the recom 

 mendations may be emphasized here. Messrs. 

 Figgis & Co. state that the manufacturers showed 

 a decided preference for plantation rubber in 

 the form of Sheet, Biscuits and Crepe, and 

 with regard to the latter, planters are warned 

 that " it should not be drawn out too thin 

 or have visible air or steam bubbles in it." 

 There seems to be a very ready demand 

 for pale pure Cri>pe, provided the preparation 

 has been thorough. The firm quoted strongly 

 advises planters to wash and clean the rubber 

 thoroughly and to prepare as large a proportion 

 as possible of good colour and not to send 

 to London many qualities or small lots. Block, 

 they say, "has not been in favour generally; and 

 unless clean resilient hard quality cau be sent, 

 it may be better to ship as Crepe or sheet. 

 Pack it in good dry condition (excess of resin 

 much objected to.) Into strong cases of 1 cwt. 

 to 2 cwt. each. No paper, fuller's earth, &c, 

 to be used. Keeping different qualities and 

 colour separate ; where practicable, keep im- 

 mature separate ; to send separately dirty bark 

 ' pieces, and to wash out all the bark in Crepe, 

 Block and Sheet. All fine qualities should be loose 

 Crepe, Sheet or Biscuit— not run to a mass." 



These instructions are clear and definite and to 

 comply with them ought not to seriously tax 

 the resource of the planter. Messrs. Gow Wilson 

 and Stanton point out that while some samples 

 of plantation rubber have been pronounced 

 to be equal in all respects to fine Para, in certain 

 cases weakness and variation of quality are still 

 complained of, and they say "it is very 

 evident that every effort must be made to 

 raise the standard quality to a higher level.'' 

 Messrs. Lewis and Peat point out that in the 

 case of "sheets ' a regular standard quality has 

 been established, making business easier both 

 for sellers and buyers. This firm also strongly 

 recommends planters to prepare their scrap in 

 Crepe form, taking care not to roll too thin, which 

 makes it weak and brittle. Scrap Crepe, they 

 say, ought to be hard, strong and gristly. Pre- 

 pared thus, scrap realises higher prices. They 

 also point out that very fine pale worms com- 

 mand a very high price ; but that as the quan- 

 tities increase, the quality — as far as colour is 

 concerned— is not as good. There appears to bo 

 apprehension that with quantity will come less 

 regard for quality on the part of the producer. It 

 is in the Ceylon planters interest that he should 

 strive to allay this fear. As to the market itself 

 it is very satisfactory to find the statistical 

 position so sound and to know that this is not 

 due to any marked falling off in supplies but to 

 the steady improvement in the trade absorbing 

 the surplus stocks. The world's supply in 1908 

 was about 65,000 tons, against 69,000 tons in 

 1907 and 65,000 tons in 1906. The consumption 

 in 1908 is estimated at about 67,500 tons; 

 and on this point Messrs. Lewis and Peat, 

 give the cheering assurance that although 

 "Production must increase enormously during 

 the next few years, even now the trade is ready 

 to cope with it whatever its dimensions." 

 The past year therefore, with its unexampled 

 fluctuations, was not entirely without points of 

 advantage for plantation rubber. The recovery 

 made by the market in the second half of the 

 year was remarkable and he would indeed be 

 deemed "a cheery optimist" whoa year ago 

 ventured to predict that 1908 would close 

 as favourably as it did. At the present moment 

 the market is quite as satisfactory as any 

 reasonable person could hope for and better 

 than most of us anticipated it would be a year 

 ago. We then had low pricesand large stocks: we 

 nowhavelow stocks and, comparatively speaking, 

 high prices. The future not being born, we are 

 not going to christen it. But without laying 

 ourselves open to the charge of making unduly 

 optimistic prognostications, we may say that if 

 the expert opinion of these London Brokers 

 is to count for anything, the outlook is dis- 

 tinctly promising. We have heard it stated 

 locally that one Ceylon estate has sold its crop 

 forward at 5s per lb. If this is correct, one buyer 

 at any rate anticipates a high level of prices 

 to be maintained during 1909. Whether prices 

 rise or fall, however, planters cannot do better 

 than carry out to the best of their ability the 

 useful instructions conveyed to them by the 

 Brokers in London. By so doing they will secure 

 better prices for themselves and, what is still 

 more important, help to establish for all time 

 the reputation of Ceylon Plantation rubber, 



