The sun., 1881-01-16
Ply OR SHiRE.
The Alternative Growing out Of the Virtual
Corner TN Sluinine.

Within the past few years the uses to
which qninine Is put have greatly increased
From being q remedy for fever and ague II has
come 10 be largely used for fevers in general
and rs tonic. Tho demand has largely in
creased. and many complaints are made OF the
high prices ut which ii ia retniled. which range
from "a to cents n grain. or 1920 to $3.50 an
ounce. while the wholesale price is from ~. 60
to s2,7O. Drugs are bought at wholesale by
avoirdupois weight or sixteen ounces to the
pound, but retailers sell by troy weight. or
twelve ounces to the pound. Their profit Is
considered unreasonnbly large.
The twenty per cont. duty on foreign quinine
was taken off in July 1879; but while the Amer
lean manufacturers have suffered through
European competition. the average prices have
remained the same MS in previous years. Just
before the abolition of the duty the whole
sale price was s340 an ounce. 1mmed-
atey after it the price rose to $3.50
Manufacturers. anticipating tho reduction.
had not prepared their usual stocks ;
increased quantities had not arrived from
Eur Enropas; nam; ana the drug vas scarce. Spectators
iar,Grers OF qninine in the unitsl States. two
IL Phiiu1n.phn and two in Now York. Before
the dM ~ mken Off they manufactured year
ly about 900 900 ounces In the past year they
rrodn", only about 100000, In Europe there
sro thirteen ma. .nf""'nr,%rs: five in Germany,
Snd ISn5 ~ rhd hrrnncs two in Snts Of Fnr"S9
ana Amarisa GSrSH mrSsb bSs'%Ins at rr.srn, a6ooooo
ounces yeariy. Or Ills. 900, 900 6lrao. r,~
consumed in tho United States. In order 10
compete sucrespiully with others, the mnnuiac-
turer must buy tho Cinchona h'rk in largo
quantities for cash. Great eNperiGnce is re-
much aduteralion OF quinine aud hnyers ara
willing 10 purchase only from known ans tried
bnS and new r thho1gh hr GG69G
Introducing lis quinine.
,n Since The 20 per cent. o. duty vas Wksn on
deterioratcd more than one half owing to the
superior advantages enjoyed 10y foreign manu-
low rnle OF transportation from Tonion. which
Is tho principal mart OF the world for the arti-
Gle. and to the fact that tho American houses
Tor oil the materials used in its preparation.
nheir Eur2peap eompetitors obtain them free.
HiactaTSrs iGEmqrIy prepared i lsrEs,
rSs Sf hoy have TG ceased to
the uncertainties Of the future, They used 70 |
contract with wholesale drug firms to supply |
them tho advantage or disadvantage OF market |
nurtuNtions. which were thon comparatively |
slight. This they can no longer do and neither |
risk. Dealers are in favor Of AT least ten per
cont. duty, IN order to insure greater regularity
:, Cinchona bark was first obtained only from
Ioru. ana bocame known MS Peruvian bark
Until ABOUT forty years ago very little was
shipped frHm other ports on the west coast OF ,
South America II has since come from Bolivia
md C1ili, and from Ecuador, Colombia, New
Granada. Veno2ucla. Central America. and
Jamaica since 1868. Peru and Bolivia have sent
arge quantities Of bark 10y WAY Of the. Amazon
md It's tributaries to BRAZILIAN ports for ship
nent In 1Sis South American seeds were
!erminated in tho Jardincs Pantes Of Paris
md young plants were sent to Algeria, but with |
little success. Some plants were purchased 10y
he Dutch Government in 1852, and trnnsplnntod
o Java, which hHs now many bHrk plantations. |
}oth the British Government and private in
iividuals have also. since then. made extensive
plantations In tina East Indies and Ccylon.
Ihinoidine. CinchOua, and other extracts OF
'ark, ranging in prico from IL 10 80 cents an
uuce. arc now used in fever cHSas, but wore ,
nee neglected. by manufacturers as valueless.