Marcs i, 1898,] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
629 
CINCHONA BARK: ITS “CONTROL” AND 
PROSPECTS. 
Ouv friend, Mr. G. Mundt of Java, has been 
doing good work for the Cinchona planters, 
while in Holland and has at last succeeded 
apparently in securing such a union of cultivators 
and importers as may defy the alleged Jerman 
combination of manufacturers of the alkaloid. 
In Amsterdam there is a Comiuitee or Council 
of the Association for Promoting the Interests of 
Cinchona Culture, which lately called two meet- 
ings of the importers of Cinchona Bark. At one 
of these, Mr. Mundt, who is a very powerful 
personality amongst Java bark growers and im- 
porters, gave those present at the meeting such 
strong encouragement and assurance of support 
from Java that hesitation was at once put aside 
and specific clauses of agreement drawn up. The 
meeting agreed, — 
1. A committee of five, representing consignees 
and planters, to be entrusted with the direction of the 
operations. 
2. No cinchona to be oHered except at auction. 
3. The quantity to be so offered to be limited to 
the requirements as estimated by the oommitte, if 
necessary, after consultation with the importers, and 
to be taken proportionately from the supplies de- 
clared available for sale by the importers, twenty-five 
days before the auction day ; no lot to be split. 
4. If necessary, a minimum limit to be fixed before 
each auction by the committee in consultation with 
the importers. 
The following were elected members of the executive 
committee ; — 
J. A. C. van Leenwen, F. L. S. van Heekeren, W. J. 
P. van den Bosch, G. Mundt, and Patrice Uramer. 
very much is gained by the erection of those factories; 
but most certainly not everything, especially as regards 
the immediate future. 
In order permanently to relieve the cinchona market 
it is necessary that pi oprietors of cinchona undertak- 
ings, should place the fullest confidence in the judgment 
• of their importers and that such proprietors should 
leave their importers perfectly free to deal with the 
stocks of cinchona bark as the importers think best. 
When importers have a free hand and will em)dcy the 
latitude allowed them in a proper manner— and we 
cannot think that importers will act otherwise than 
properly— then it stands to reason that the importern 
and not the ring of German manufacturers will hold 
the reins in the matter. The result of this will be that 
the quantities of bark to be put up to auction will be 
judiciously determined, and that the unit will be fixed 
in such a way as to allow the proprietor* of the cin« 
chona undertakings to obtain a return for the sold 
portion of their produce, not only appreciably larger 
than during the last few years they obtained for their 
entire harvest, but amply sufficient to cover all expenses 
besides, and to leave a good margin of profit in addition 
Besides which, the difficulty of the first-hand stock of 
cinchona bark becoming too targe in consequence of 
the whole supply not being sold will vanish of itself • 
for assuredly the proprietors of undertakings will not 
be so foolish as to incur expense in gathering and 
shipping bark which they know will be warehoused for 
an indefinite period by their importers. 
To produce a healthy condition, importers, once 
they have acquired the free disposition of the cinchona 
bark— at any rate during a series of auctions— will 
probaldy, put coalition against coalition, at least have’ 
to fight, if only to convince the manufacturers that 
there can no longer be any question of dissension. 
But such a course will not prove necessary in the 
long run, provided importers be left a free hand. At 
any rate, while the injurious results of the position 
hitherto taken up by the proprietors of the cinchona 
The committee, in issuing the report of the pro- - undertakings will, on the one hand, gradually vanX 
edines mentioned above, anneal for the assistance i 1 ’ . V. *“*^*““1 
ceedings mentioned above, appeal for the assistance 
of all interested in the cinchona trade of Java. Mr, 
Mundt will shortly return to that island, and en- 
deavour to further the interests of the new cinchona 
combination there. 
In framing these resolutions the manufac- 
turers of quinine have not been lost sight of, but it 
is somewhat sanguinely expected — says tlie British 
and Colonial Druggist — “ that the German combi- 
nation will not oppose the action of the bark sel- 
lers. In support of this it was said that one of 
the manufacuiiers of quinine had declared that 
the latter would far sooner not have taken the 
steps which had resulted in injury to the proprie- 
tors of cinchona plantations, and that they would 
not regret an understanding being arrived at 
amongst such proprietors. It is probable tliat the 
manufacturer who uttered these sentences was 
quite sincere, but speaking at a time when such a 
combination of importers and planters appeared 
impossible, he w'ould be in a far different frame of 
mind from that with which he would regard a 
strong and united ring amongst the sellers of the 
crude material with which he worked. Anyhow, 
we shall soon have the opportunity of seeing how 
tills gentleman and other quinine manufacturers 
regard the new departure. Everyone interested in 
the quinine and bark markets will follow closely 
the next three auctions in Amsterdam, which are 
in the nature of an expeiiinent to decide forth- 
coming plans. M'hen those have passed, we, like 
the importeis, shall be able to speak more confi- 
dently as to the future.”. 
From the report of the Amsterdam meeting we 
quote some inteiesting passages : — 
A good many cinchona planters imagine that the 
erection of quiu me factories in Java has gained their 
point for them ; the future, however, will in all prob- 
ability show that these planters are mistaken. Much, 
and the market be placed upon a sound footing the 
Javanese quinine factories will, on the other hand, 
exercise a more and more wholesome influence upon 
our market, since those factories will be in a position 
to fight the manufacturers on their own ground if 
need be. 
It may be mentioned that Mr. Massnik, one of 
the two Java quinine-makers, has written a letter to 
a local paper in which he states that the modus 
operaridi of the European quinine-ring, consisting of 
four German makers and the firm of Howards dc 
Sons, is as follows :— The members of the ring have 
placed the control of their sales of quinine in the 
hands of the Gold- und Silher- Schelde Anstalt of PranL 
fort-on-Maine, or rather of Mr. Andre®, the director 
of that powerful chemical-factory. Mr. Andre® fixes 
the quantity of quinine which each factory may self 
and its selling-price. He signs all the quinine in- 
voices of the five makers, and he determines in what 
markets each shall sell. The five makers may buy 
bark and at any price they like, but they always 
must buy bade and as much quinine in the bark as 
they have sold of the manufactured article 'r’hev 
may buy more if they choose, but not less. It is not 
certain whether these conditions relating to bark- 
purchases are still in force. 
^We also understand that the Bandoeng (Java) 
quinine- w'orks have made a contract to supply a fairly 
large parcel of quinine direct to Australia at the 
price of Is Oid per oz, “ c.i.f.” terms. It is stated 
that the world s total output of quinine in the bark 
amounts_ to 300,000 kilos., of w'hich Java alone pro- 
duces 250,000 kilos . four-fifths thereof beiim yielded 
by one province of Western Jav.a alone. The plan- 
tei s in that province jiropose to form an association 
for the protection of their industry, and to issue 8/ 
periodical to the members giving the fullest possible 
information on the subject. 
Mr. H. A. van Overzee, of Amsterdam, sends us 
his annual review of the Amsterdam cinchona-market 
for 1897. He considers that, while the power of the 
< nbinel German manufacturers has not been suffi- 
