Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-04
QUININE TO BE CHEAPER.
COMBINATION TO MAINTAIN
HIGH PRICES BROKEN.

Actlon of a London Firm Anticipated
IN New Xork-PhIladeIphia Druggists
Deny 1hat Combination Existed
Inc Frlces Very Observation-Disclosures
Undecided About Purchases.
The combination of the quinine manu.
tacturers of the world, says the New York
Times of the I'd inst, is broken, and prices
for the drug have reached a lower level.
There are II manufactures worthy of
notice in the world. Six are in Germany,
in Italy, in France, 9 in England, and
in the United States. The factories in
this country belong to McKesson & Rob
bins, of New York, and Powers g. Weight
man, ROsengarten & Sons, and Kesbv &
Mlssar, OF Philadelphia. The quantity of
qulnlne annually manufactured in the
enClre world is said to be, in round
NUMBERS. 4,25O,OO0 ounces. 1t is estimated
that l, 100000 ounces are consumed in this
! country, OF which about ORe-halr is man.
ufactured here. Quinine of American
manufacture is preferred in the United
states and none is exported, except per-
maps to neighboring countries. The bulk
OF the quinine comes from Continental
europe, which in consequence controls
the trade, and, as a rule, is expected to
The tendency is to oVer-production.
and the Continental manufacturers
nave always sought to form combina-
tlOnS TO sustain prices. The largest uui-
nine mandatory in the world is that of
Alexander Boehringer, at Milan, Italy.
The Continental manufacturers last sum
mer formed a combination to fix a price
which should be observed both in Europe
and this country. They bound themselves
IN sustain 70 baI
ard ~ Sons and Whiffen & Co, the Eng
hsh manufacturers, entered into the ar
rangement. Mr.. BOehringer came to this
country to enlist .he co-operation of
American manufacturers, in which he
was successful. The agreement was put
into operation on July last.
Mr.. Daniel G. Robbins, of McKesson &
robbins, said last evening that the Amer
lean and English manufacturers were not
bound by forfeits to observe the arrange
ment. The maintenance of the cOmbina-
tlon was limited to no specified time. The
sales had been rather limited. Howard q
Sons within ten days had made reduc-
ton IN the price of % cents an ounce,
There was nothing to hold them to the
combination price, and they thought they
might as well be on the outside as the
inside, Mr.. Robbins supposed. The pro-
ductiOn had accumulated on their hands.
u
reduced price IN order to get rid of if.
There was no corner in quinine. The
combination was simply formed to keep
up prices. The business was controlled
by very few concerns, and there had al
ways been an understanding among them.
When the combination was formed the
prices were from 81 80 to 81 60 an ounce.
There was difference of 10 cents between
quinlne in bulk and i'll Walls. The combi-
fhr. ~. l. ra,
an ounce. In Continental Europe it was
81 Y, figured in the currency of the United
states. The advance of 20 cents was the
only one made. How the present emer-
gency would be met on the Continent. or
what would be done in the future, Mr.
Robbins was unable to say. In America
the general prices of 81 go in Walls and
81 90 in bulk had been adopted since the
breaking of the combination. The change
IN the trade prices made no difference in
the retail prices. The stock in the Ameri-
can market was small and the cOnsump-
tlOn here was about the same as usual
These, Mr.. Robbins said, were the plain
facts of the situation.
A large Importer of quinine said that
previous to the formation OF the combi-
nation OYer-prOductiOn prevailed, which
created tendency to reduce the price.
He had supposed that the combination
was to limit the manufacture as we'll as
to nix prices, but as the arrangement was
secret he did not know. Another dealer
said that quinine had been sold here to
his knowledge at 81 %, which was lower
than it had ever been before. The price
was broken in New York last Tuesday.
There was also an Over-production of
bark. The East Indies supplied most of
the bark. At one time it all came from
South America. In the East Indies it
was now one of the important products
OH the plantations. Combinations in drugs
and chemicals were not uncommon.
Bleaching powders were made
entirely in England. The man
ufacturers combined and put
up prices 100 per cent. A member of
wholesale house down town said large
syndicate was formed at one time to COM
pei the manufacturers of quinine to paw a
high price for their bark. The speaker
said his advices concerning the breaking
of the combination were that a syndicate
in London held $4,000 ounces, put up half
OF it at 81 90, but the singular part of the
transaction was that Howard & Sons put
down the price before the sale, and thus
anticipated it. There was considerable
interest felt in the trade. How prices
would rule could not be told. At present
they were of course unsettled. There
were large quantities of quinine on the
other side-more than enough for their
Wants-and as there was no way to make
standard prices, buyers were somewhat
undecided about purchases. There had
been report that Howard & Sons mis-
trusted that some other concern was
cutting the prices, and for that reason
they marked down their figures. There
had, however, been no confirmation of
this story