62 



[Feb. 1907. 



OILS AND FATS. 



CAMPHOR OIL. 



The scarcity of this oil has increased in a marked degree since we published 

 our last Report, so that it is necessary to regard its future with serious 

 apprehension. The deliveries of red Camphor oil in Formosa are said to have 

 been so unimportant in the last few months, that the demands of the Direction 

 of the Monopoly could hardly be satisfied,— much, less even a moderate 

 quantity becomes available for export. For white oil the demand was so 

 brisk from the Japanese industry (which in the course of time has also been 

 able to make use of this article for their purposes), that the export of any quantities 

 worth mentioning was out of the question- Whatever quantity of these two sorts 

 was shipped to Europe and the United States in the course of the last few months, 

 originates therefore from unexpired contracts. The value of the camphor oil 

 shipped from Japan in the first six months of this year amounted only to 71,102 yen, 

 in spite of the much higher prices, against 131,007 yen in the same period of last year. 



The following summary which has been taken from the Reports of the 

 British Foreign Office (Ann. Series. No 3675) gives further information on the export 

 of camphor to the individual principal consuming countries in the last three years. 

 The value of the total shipments has fallen off in that time by nearly £100.000, in 

 spite of the higher market. 



India. France. Germany. U. States. U. Kingdom, Total. 

 £ £ £ £ £ £ 



1905 ... 53,000 58,000 12,000 100,000 26,000 262,000 



1904 ... 82,000 71,000 15,000 128.000 8,000 323,000 



1903 ... 61,000 37,000 68,000 117,000 50,000 361,154 



The deficiency in the Formosa production appears to be chiefly due to the 

 indiscriminate cutting-down of the trees which has taken place there during the 

 jast few years, and which must have caused considerable damage to the camphor- 

 forests. This seems to be borne out by a proclamation issued in June of this year 

 by the Governor General of Formosa, General Sakuma, in which the peasants were 

 strongly urged to devote their attention more to the production, and to improve 

 and extend as much as possible by new cultivation the plantations which had 

 greatly suffered from the system of irrational exploitation hitherto in vogue. The 

 proclamation also mentions that new cultivations covering an area of 1,500 ko (1 ko = 

 about 2i acres) have been commenced, and that it was intended to extend these, 

 provided the Government received the necessary support from the peasants. How 

 much time will elapse before these new forests are productive, and whether the 

 call on the peasants will meet at all with a sympathetic response, it is of course 

 at present impossible to say. 



The following translation of an article which appeared in the " Taiwan Nichi 

 Nichi Shimpo " (Formosa Daily News) of the 1st of February and was forwarded by 

 the British Consul at Tamsui, may be of interest to persons dealing in camphor. 



The previous prices, which have now been increased, were as follows 

 (per picul = 133 i lb.) :- 



District. 



Crystalised camphor. 



Camphor oil. 



1st grade. 



2nd grade. 



3rd grade. 



Gila^ Shinko, Toyen, Shin- 

 chit i, Bioritsu, Taiehu, Nan to, 

 Toroku ... 



Kagi 



Taito 



Yen. 



30,00 

 31,00 

 32,70 



Yen. 



27,00 

 28,00 

 29,70 



Yen. 



24,30 

 25,30 

 27,00 



Yen 



15,0C 

 15,50 

 16,30 



