July, 1911.] 



9 



Oils and Fats. 



Exports from 



Formosa-Kelung. 

 Quantity ; Value: 

 Picul. 



18,496 

 14,313 

 10.119 

 5,080 

 1.422 



Yen. 

 1,074,340 

 1,004,279 

 909,349 

 538,953 

 130,895 



Germany 

 TT. S. A. 

 Fiance 

 U. Kingdom 

 British India 

 Hong Kong ... — 



Total Including 



other countries ... 50,030 4,377,818 



It is to be noted that the above statis- 

 tics, supplied by the Japanese and 

 Formosan Customs, for the first time 

 represent approximately the actual con- 

 dition of things, inasmuch as the pro- 

 portion ot the exports sent to Germany, 

 the principal consumer of the product 

 in question, appear to have been accu- 

 l'ately stated at 25,000 piculs, represent- 

 ing a value of 2 million yens. In 

 former years, ivhen camphor shipped to 

 Europe was as a rule declared as for 

 export to Hong Kong, the statistics 

 referring to the division of the exports 

 were in the highest degree misleading. 



Another matter which merits atten- 

 tion is the pronounced increase in the 

 exports to France, which in the year 

 under review took 16,288 piculs, value 

 1,486,864 yen, against only 4,577 piculs, 

 value 503,348 yen in the preceding year. 



The shipments of camphor from 

 Formosa have again declined consider- 

 ably in the first half of the current 

 year, as is shown by the following 

 figures : — 



First half year 1910 ... 18,324 piculs* 

 „ 1909 ... 30,874 



The reason of this decline is that the 

 camphor stocks of the year 1908 have in 

 the meantime been cleared. 



It is well known that camphor is also 

 refined in Japan ; but it should be point- 

 ed out that this branch of manufacture 

 has not been undertaken by the Mono- 

 poly Bureau but only by private persons, 

 to whom the Government cedes at 

 definite prices a certain quantity of 

 crude camphor fixed in advance. At 

 present there are 7 private refineries, 

 of which 4 are at Kobe, 2 at Osaka and 1 

 at Ta i peh. The total quantity of i efined 

 camphor produced in the administrative 

 year 1909 amounted to 9,442 piculs in 

 Formosa, and 7,270 piculs in Old Japan. 



During the same period the Japanese 

 Government supplied the following 

 quantities of raw material : — 



1. To the refineries in Formosa .. 9,0(0 Piout., 



2. To the refineries i i Old Japan 7,454 ,, 



* lo this should be added 12,998 piculs of 

 camphor prepared from Formosan oil and 

 exported from Kobe, 



2 



Old Japan (Kobe). 

 Quantity : Value : 

 Picul. 



6,389 

 10,081 



6,109 

 10,081 



4,983 

 996 



Yen. 

 545,574 

 824,646 

 518,516 

 890,413 

 498,312 

 108,066 



Formosa- Japan. 

 Quantity : Value : 



Picul. 



24,885 

 24,394 

 16,288 

 15,761 

 6,405 

 990 



Yen. 

 2,219,923 

 1,888,925 

 1,487,865 

 1,429,366 

 629,207 

 108,066 



40,507 3,469,398 90,537 7,847,210 



The price of refined camphor per 100 

 lbs. (English) during the year 1909 and 



in the first 7 months of 1910 was as 

 follows : — 



1909. 1909. 



January ... 65 Yen. November ... 70 Yen. 



February ... 65 „ December ... 71 ,, 



March ... 66 ,, 1910 



April ... 67 ,, January ... 70i ,, 



May ... 68 „ February ... 70 _ ,, 



June ... 68 ,, March ... 70 



July ... '68* ,, April ... 69J 



August ... 68^ May ... 68J „ 



September ... 69 ,, June ... 68£ „ 



October ... 70 ,, July ... 70 ,, 



As the ' Monopoly covers only the 

 preparation and sale of crude camphor, 

 the quotations of r efined camphor are 

 not subject to fixation by the Govern- 

 ment. This fact is said to have been 

 utilised by the Japanese firm of Suzuki 

 Shoten in Kobe (in whose hands the 

 exports of refined camphor are chiefly 

 concentrated) for the purpose of cutting 

 the prices to such an extent that accor- 

 ding to newspaper statements the Asso- 

 ciation of American Camphor Refiners 

 has recently threatened to boycot the 

 crude camphor from Japan and Formosa 

 unless the Monopoly put an end to this 

 practice. It is reported that the 

 Japanese Ministry of Finance is at 

 the present moment engaged in 

 making a thorough enquiry into the 

 subject . * 



The exports of camphor oil, i.e„ of the 

 red and white oil which remains behind 

 in the process of separating the camphor 

 from the camphor oil, were as follows :— 

 Quantity ; Piculs. Value : Yen 

 1909 ... 12,727 230,310 

 1908 ... 12,599 212,947 



Of these amounts, Germany in the 

 year under review only received 1402 

 Piculs, of a value of 21,944 Yen. 



The production of camphor in China is 

 steadily dwindling. In amplification of 

 previous notes on the subjeett we may 



* Compare the statements on page 32 of the 

 present Report. 



t Report April 1908, 21 ; April 1910, 26 ; 

 October 1910, 26. 



