220 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[ \i in. i, 1903. 



three or four hours the rubber, in the form of a thin solid cake, 

 and of a pure white color, may be taken out of the dishes and 

 subjected to pressure, Mr. Arden believing that foi ilns pur- 

 pose " something alter the style of the old fashioned English 

 wringing machine will probably be found as effective and inex- 

 pensive as anything that can be devised." The cakes are then 

 dried for a week or ten days on rattan caned benches, care be- 

 ing taken not to allow mold to accumulate on the rub 



In his experimental tapping, Mr. Arden did not make fresh 

 incisions each day, but simply reopened the original wounds 

 repeatedly, for six, eight, or a dozen times, in some cases on 

 as many consecutive days, and on other trees on altei nale days. 

 In this way there is less injury to the tree than when fresh in- 

 cisions are made each day, and he believes the yield of latex to 

 be equally large. In (act, he is inclined to think that it is larger, 

 since the tendency of the latex appears to be to flow toward 

 any wound in the bark, and by making only a single wound, the 

 total (low of latex is concentrated at one point. 



A number of pages of the report are devoted to recording re- 

 sults of tapping trees of various ages, from y/i to 1 1 years, by 

 various methods, at varying intervals, etc., with a view to de- 

 termining the best practice. Without considering all these de- 

 tails, it will suffice here to state that in a table of estimates with 

 which the report concludes, of the probable cost and possible 

 returns from a plantation of Hevea, Mr. Arden states that an 

 acre planted with 108 trees should yield 1 50 pounds in the ninth 

 year and 200 pounds in the tenth, with a prospect of an increase 

 as the trees become older. Mention is made of 5 pounds 6% 

 ounces of rubber having been obtained from one tree 10 years 

 old. Based upon his tapping of younger trees, he estimates a 

 yield of 25 pounds in the fifth year as possible, and 52 pounds 

 in the sixth. It should be said that low priced labor is abun- 

 dant in this region, and that the work of rubber cultivation 

 is being conducted on established plantations, laid out origi- 

 nally for coffee, and that none of the conditions obtain of a 

 newly settled country. All of this contributes to a low cost of 

 product, while the good quality of the rubber made enables 

 the highest current prices to be obtained for it. It does 

 not follow, however, that similar financial results would be 

 possible in all other countries suited to the growth ol Hevea. 

 These very facts, however, of cheap native labor in accessible 

 districts, under a salubrious climate, are calculated to develop a 

 new source of " Para rubber "in the old world as preferable 

 to the introduction of labor from the Orient, as has often been 

 suggested in Brazil, into fields so remote and inaccessible as 

 the upper Amazon districts. 



PROGRESS IN THK MALAY STATtS. 

 The rate of progress in the Malay states since coming under 

 British control makes the proSpects in that region most favor- 

 able for planting enterpiise, and leads to hopes with regard to 

 the future of rubber cultivation there, which, only a few years 

 ago. could not have been entertained— apart from the fact that 

 the adaptability of the Hevea to Malaya has only just been 

 demonstrated. It is not yet thirty years since the first steps 

 were taken in* what has led to British protection over certain 

 of the native Malay states. In 1896 four of these states, still 

 retaining their native sultans — Perak, Selangor, Negri Sem- 

 bilan, and Pahang— became federated, with the advice and 

 protection of a British resident general, since which time 

 marked improvement in many respects has been made. Pro- 

 tection to life and property is now assured; highways, rail- 

 ways, telegraphs, public works, and irrigation systems have 

 been introduced ; and population and wealth have increased. 

 The following government returns will indicate to some extent 

 what development is being made— values stated in silver : 



iSyl. 1 101 



Revenue $1,025,753 $4.572.TO S« 7. 5-4:. 507 



Expenditure 960,740 s554.Soo l7- 2 73.'5*> 



Imports 3,280. 2(>r> 14,889,942 31), 524. 6113 



Exports 3.032,469 "8,495.554 iil.107.177 



The population, as shown by the two censuses that have been 

 taken, increased from 428.218 in 1891 10678 595 in 1901. The 

 Malaysian tin deposits, which seem inexhaustible, are the 

 most important in the world, and supply the greater part of 

 the total demand. There are also gold, iron, and coal de- 

 posits. The government exacts a royalty on tin exports, the 

 proceeds ol which ate devoted to building railways and other 

 public improvements. These railways, thus built without ex- 

 pense to the people, have yielded a profit on opeiation from 

 the beginning. In many other ways has the changed condition 

 of this region — until recently in a wholly primitive state — ren- 

 dered it more attractive (or exploitation by Europeans, and 

 one result has been the building up ol an important planting 

 interest. The number of native tropical products of economic 



POSITION OF THE MALAY STATES. 



value is nowhere exceeded in an area of the same limits ; the 

 alluvial soil is of great richness; and the supply of labor, 

 while much remains to be done in adapting it to European 

 supervision, is ample. It does not seem extravagant, there- 

 fore, if the planters who have given careful study to the sub- 

 ject, should entertain hopes that this country may yet prove 

 an important rival to the remote reaches of the upper Amazon 

 as a source of the world's best grade of rubber. In the state of 

 Selangor alone, at the end of 1901, the extent of private planta- 

 tions of rubber was reported at 7487 acres. The work of plant- 

 ing is known to have since been continued. 



The new protectorate above mentioned is administered in 

 connection with the British crown colony of the Straits Settle- 

 ments, created in 1S67, and including the island and port of 

 Singapore— at the extremity of the Malay peninsula. It may 

 be added that the first discovery of rubber outside of America 

 was made in Penang, and the first discovery of Guttapercha 

 was made on the peninsula, which since has continued to be an 

 important source of the supply. 



