2M 



OILS AND FATS. 



A POSSIBLE COPRA INDUSTRY FOR HAWAII. 



Coconut Oil in the United States. 

 The following letters, received in answer to inquiries made by the Superin 

 tendent of Forestry, relative to the market for copra existing in the United 

 States, are of interest in view of the long stretches of coast line on the Hawaiian 

 islands where coconut trees would grow and thrive : — 



U. S. Department of Agriculture, 



Bureau of Plant Industry. 



Washington, Nov. 9, 1905. 



Mr. Ralph S. Hosmer, Superintendent, 



Division of Forestry, Hawaii. 



Dear Sir,— In reply to your favor of Oct. 11, relative to the market for 

 copra in the United States, I beg to state that there are but two plants in 

 the United States equipped for grinding copra. One of these is in Philadelphia 

 and has a completely equipped copra oil mill which has been standing idle for 

 two or three years for want of material. The other is a linseed oil mill on the 

 Pacific Coast that has a few oil presses for copra, and gets its supply from the 

 Pacific region, particularly Tutuila. This latter mill supplies the demand for coconut 

 oil for soap making on the Pacific Coast. The Pliiladelphia firm says it cannot 

 compete with European buyers for the East Indian copra, and there is no other 

 supply available in any quantity, as all the coconuts grown and shipped from the 

 West Indies and Central America are used up in this country for desiccated 

 coconut. Even then there is not enough available for this purpose, and several 

 million pounds of desiccated coconut are imported from Ceylon every year. 



The demand for coconut oil is growing all the time for its former commer- 

 cial uses, and the demand that has sprung up in the last ten years for its use 

 in the preparation of food products is over-taxing the supply. The total export 

 of desiccated coconut from Ceylon amounts to between sixteen and seventeen 

 million pounds yearly, which, of course, cuts into the oil production. In Europe 

 there is a market for coconut oil-cake, which in the opinion of some would 

 make it desirable to press the copra where grown, and ship the oil and oil. 

 cake separately. In the Philippine Census for 1903, Vol. IV", pages 67-09, the 

 plan of shipping copra alone is advocated. Though the India Refining Company 

 of Philadelphia, referred to above, at present imports all its raw material from 

 India and Ceylon in the form of coconut oil, the firm is of the opinion that 

 the easiest, safest and quickest way to ship coconut oil is in the form of 

 copra. All the production of the Philippines and other Pacific islands received 

 here has been so shipped. 



The India Refining Company stands ready to purchase copra, if it can 

 be procured in large and constant quantities, at East India prices. The follow- 

 ing prices per hundredweight have been quoted recently :— 



At Colombo ... ... ... $ 2-90 to $ 310 



At Trinidad ... ... ... 2'90 to 3-00 



At Hamburg : 



East African... ... 3"50 to 3*80 



West African ... 3'00 to 3"60 



Very respectfully, 



B. T. GALLOWAY, 



Chief of Bureau. 



