EDITORIAL.

Thames Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 10351, 26 April 1911, Page 4

EDITORIAL.

THE RUBBER BOOM. The announcement- that another "rubber iboom" is probable in September is not altogether a matter for congratulation. "Booms" of this kind are apt to wort much mischief. The effects of tho dredging] Moom in this country some years) agio are sit-ill felt, to some extent. The newspaper prophecy of another rubber 1 boom is confirmed iby a leading expert who, hoiw^vler, doeH not think this- one will rival in magnitude tha* of 19JO. "People who v.'un-t to speculate' in rubber," says this gentleman, ''had better do it now, and to content with the comparatively small profits they will probably malke." The flame of speculation has dioubtletas been fanned by the I'.ews that the Sblangcr Rubber Company, which has its. head' offiele in Glasgow, and owns estaites in the iStraiitei Settlements, hiia just declared a dividend 1 of 37f> per cent for the past year. Rki'Mx'r, w'a aro told, "is already lxwncin" high in price again; vubtier shares show a fOiiresponding 1 expansion, brokers and! their clerks are working oiVertimo to oopo with the rush mf buyer's and sellers, and the corner of tho London Sti.ck Eixchango devoted to tho rubber market is every day ;i pandemonium of fvontia dealers." This state of things is undeivtandalvle when it is rcmem'bered that the prico of tho best plantation rubber rosa in t.w'o inoi:ths more thrui 3s a pound. In February last tho price fell to 5s a pound. 6'n. March 2nd! it wafi 8s per pound, p'ricts a.re constantly flueit nailingl. Last year, for tho Anglo-Malay Company's 2s shares touched 395, tire lowest priclo realised being 15s 9d. The lowest pricio this year was 18s fld, and at the beginning of March tlie shares brought' 2-Gs 6di. The fMangnr Company's- 2s shares rosci as high as 93a last year, and sank as low as 375. The lowest) price this year, no far, baa iblecn 50s and the highest fiss. No wonder tho expert operators aro making hugie fortunes. Similar, fluctuations to thoise quoted arci noticieable in the shares of all tho nibber companies—and their nnmcl is legion-—font in every instancio tho lowest price obtained t'lis year is higher considerably than that of List year.