September i, 1907.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



369 



Progress of Rubber Planting. 



ANOTHER SUMATRA RUBBER CUUFANV. 



NOWHERE is a inon- livtly interest ilisplaycd in rubber cul- 

 ture than in Germany, whore upwards of twenty plantation 

 companies have been formed already, with investments in 

 the various German colonies, but to a certain extent also in 

 some other localities, including Sumatni, which island has been 

 demonstrated to be well fitted for growing rubber. The Sumatra 

 enterprises, however, though involving German capital, for the 

 most part are organized in Holland. Such a company is the Kaut- 

 schuk-Plantage "Aek Tapoes," the object of which is to create a 

 rubber property at Siboga. a town on the west coast of Sumatra, 

 in tin- prnvince of 'l'ap;inoelic (or Tapanuli^. and on the bay of 



pm^3,.^ 



M.wiMOTii Rubber Tkee i.\ Si;matk.\. 



[\ FicKS claslica; named the "Kehlcnbrink" tree, in honor of its discoverer. 

 Note the three natives gathering rubber, about one-fourth the height 

 of the tree.] 



the same name. The soil, climate, rainfall and labor conditions 

 all appear to be favorable, and there is considerable native 

 I'icus. The plan is to develop about 450 hectares [:=lii2 acres], 

 planting ficiis, Hcvca and Manihot rubbers. The land is owned 

 by W. J. J. Kehlcnbrink, of Rotterdam, who has been growing 

 tobacco in Sumatra for the past seven years. He is being 

 assisted in forming the company by Mr. Emil Spannagcl, manag- 

 ing director of the Vcrcinigte Berlin-Frankfurter Guiniriiwaaren- 

 Fabriken, of Berlin, who for some time past has been identified 

 with other important rubber planting projects. Mr. Spannagel 

 has reported most favorably on the native rubber from Tapa- 

 noelie province, from trees which will be retained on the prop- 

 erty referred to above. 



In this connection may be mentioned what probably is the 

 largest rubber tree in the world — a Ficus elaslica on the estate 

 of the new company. It is supposed to be over loo years old 

 and has yielded more than 100 kilograms [^:22o pounds] of 

 rubber in a single year. The tree is 60 meters [ = 196 feet] high 

 and so large that thirty inen with outstretched arms are neces- 

 sary to encircle it. Mr. Spannagel has christened this the 

 "Kehlcnbrink" tree, in honor of the gentleman named above. In 

 the accompanying illustration three natives are shown extracting 

 latex, about one-fourth the height of the tree. 



A RUBBER FACTORY OPENING. 



The ceremony of opening the factory of the Sungei Kapar 

 Rubber Co., Limited, in Selangor, Federated Malay States, oc- 

 curred on June 15, in the presence of a number of ladies and 

 gentlemen. The 20 hp. oil engine was started by Mrs. R. W. 

 Harrison, the wife of the visiting agent, after which she de- 

 clared the factory open, when tiffin was served to the guests. 

 The entertainment also included music and, later, dancing by 

 some of the estate employes. The latter, to the number of 800, 

 dressed for the occasion, were also served with refreshments. 

 The coolies had tastefully decorated the factory. The machinery 

 was built by Brown & Davidson, of Ceylon. The Sungei Kapar 

 company, founded in January, 1906, with £110,000 [=$53S.3'5l 

 capital, and headquarters in lidinburgh, have 13.10 acres planted 

 to rubber and are beginning to tap this year. 



PLANTING ENTERPRISE IN BORNEO. 



Rubber planting in Borneo has received a decided impetus 

 from the policy of encouragement adopted by the British North 

 Borneo Co., a chartered company having sovereign and territorial 

 rights over the whole of the state of British North Borneo — 

 some 31,000 square miles. This chartered company has granted 

 concessions to tobacco planting, mining and other companies, 

 some of which have proved very profitable, and through whose 

 operations the profits of the chartered company have been 

 greatly enhanced. Recently concessions have been granted on 

 like terms to companies for planting rubber (mainly Hcvea), a 

 list of which follows, together with capital and plantiti-T details 

 reported at the forty-ninth half yearly meeting of the chartered 

 cotnpany in London : 



British Borneo Para Rubber Co., Limited. Formed April, 1905; offices, 

 Glasgow; capital issued, £30,000; rubber planted, 1,000 acres. 



Tenom (Borneo) Rubber Co., Limited. Formed January, 1906; offices, 

 Glasgow; capital subscribed, .£43,000; rubber planted, 400 acres. 



Manchester North Borneo Rubber Co., Limited. Formed February, 1906; 

 offices, Manchester; capital subscribed, £50,000; rubber planted, 500 acres. 



Langkon North Borneo Rubber Co., Limited. Formed March, 1906; 

 offices, London; capital subscribed, £60,000; rubber planted, 600 acres. 



Beaufort Borneo Rubber Co., Limited. Formed April. 1907; offices, 

 London; capital subscribed, £60,000; rubber planted, 104 acres. 



The authorized capital of most of the companies is fioo.ooo. 

 The chartered company guarantees dividends for a certain period 

 and will exempt their rubber products from an export tax. The 



