14 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[OcroBER I, 1905. 



tion, notwithstanding the good intention of the ex-prefect, but 

 the population is figured at 10,000 to 20,000 souls, the majority 

 being entirely illiterate. For this reason the prefects are meet- 

 ing with enormous difficulties in obtaining persons fit to fill 

 Federal offices, as we have stated before. 



We shall not, however, deviate from our purpose of petition- 

 ing the government to direct the flow of emigration towards 

 this department, and when this shall have been accomplished, 

 we believe we shall have rendered one of the best services to 

 the inhabitants of Acre, as well as to the whole of Brazil, which 

 will, within a few years, have in Acre an enormous source of 

 revenue. 



RUBBER MONOPOLY IN NICARAGUA. 



THERE was due to go into effect on September i a con- 

 cession granted by the president of the republic of 

 Nicaragua to two citizens of that country, for a monopoly t' 

 rubber gathering from wild trees \n certain districts which now 

 yield the greater part of the rubber exported from that country. 

 It is known that the granting of the concession was strongly 

 opposed by at least two important commercial houses having 

 connections in Rluefields. A report reaches The India Rub- 

 ber World that the districts covered by this concession yielded 

 during the last fiscal year about 350.000 pounds of rubber; the 

 total exports of rubber from Nicaragua in 1903 amounted to 

 530.090 pounds. The amount payable to the government by 

 the concessionaire is equivalent to about $160 gold. The Blue- 

 fields ^'«f''V"« says : " It is a measure which vitally interests 

 every merchant on the coast and rivers. We mean those who 

 have, as has always been the custom, advanced merchandise 

 and cash to the rubber cutters in the hope of being paid back 

 in rubber." It is stated that another rubber concession has 

 been granted to the minister of fomento for the territory of 

 Cabo Gracias, but has been suspended indefinitely. 



A translation of the concession first mentioned follows : 

 CONTRACT. 



Josfe D. Gomez, Secretary of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture, 

 Public Works, etc., in his capacity as representative of the Govern 

 ment, being the party of the first part, and Francisco Guerrero 

 and Ji'AN DE DiAS Moreira, being the party of the second part, 

 have agreed to enter into the following contract : 



I. The Government leases to Messrs. Guerrero and Moreira, fir 

 a term of 10 years, the exploitation of the rubber producing lands 

 situated within the jurisdiction of the department of Zelaya and 

 the districts of Prinzapolka and Rio Grande. 



I!. For the purpose of preventing the destruction of the rubber 

 trees, and of making sure that they will be cared for, Messrs Guer- 

 rero and Moreira obligate themselves to employ expert rubber 

 gatherers who will observe and strictly comply with the provisions 

 of Article II of the Regulations of October 15, lyoi, reading ; •' It 

 is prohibited to make iniisions in rubber trees, of such a depth as 

 to affect the wood itself. It is likewise prohibited to make incisions 

 extending to more than one half of the circumference of the trunk 

 or branches. Any infringement of the provisions of this article 

 will be punishable by a fine of 5 dollars (pesos) for each damaged 

 tree." 



III. Messrs. Guerrero and Moreira shall, during a term of to 

 years, pay to the Government an annual rental, amounting to the 

 sum of I(XX) dollars (pesos) in treasury notes, the said rental to be 

 paid into the general treasury at the end of each quarter, without 

 prejudice to the payment of th^ export duties. 



IV. No one shall be permitted to extract rubber on national 

 lands within the territory covered by this contract, and without a 

 written permit from the lessees, all infringements of this provision 

 being punishable by the forfeiture of the rubber for the benefit of 



the lessees, one third part of the same being allowed to the in- 

 former or the party apprehending the guilty person, without preju- 

 dice to the penalties provided in the Regulations of October 15, 

 1 90 1. 



V. Whenever the lessees are not the exporters, the chief of 

 the UlulT custom house shall not permit the shipping of rub- 

 ber, and shall confiscate the quantity submitted for export, un- 

 less the party interested shall attach to the respective application a 

 vjucher stating the place of origin of the rubber and specifying 

 the names of the particular ranch or rubber producing lands and 

 of the proprietor thereof, certified to by the highest authority of 

 the township to which the ranch or rubber producing lands belong. 

 Should he not be the owner of rubber producing lands, he will be 

 obliged to produce the authorization referred to in Article 27 of the 

 Regulations of October 15, igoi. The lack of the aforesaid docu- 

 ments, shall, whenever it occurs, make the official who shall per- 

 mit the shipping, subject to a fine amounting to 50 per cent, of 

 the value of the exported rubber. 



VI. This present contract may be transferred in whole or in 

 part to any person or company complying with the provisions con- 

 tained therein. If the said person or company should, however, 

 be of foreign nationality, they will be subject to the laws of this 

 country in all matters involving this present contract which shall 

 be in force from the first day of September next. 



VII. Default in the payment of the annual rental referred to in 

 Article III, as well as any infraction of Article II, shall constitute 

 sufficient reason for the annulment of this contract, which is to be 

 submitted for the approval of the Executive. 



In witness whereof we affix our signatures to this present con- 

 tract, at the Department of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture, etc , 

 at Managua, on the second day of August, 1905. 



josfe D. G6.MEZ. 

 FRANCISCO GUERRERO. 

 J. DE D. MOREIRA. 

 The President of the Republic decrees : To approve the foregoing 

 contract. 

 Managua, August 2, 1905. 

 Sit^ncd for the President, 



The Secretary of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture, etc. 



G(')MEZ. 

 « * « 



The last published report by the British consul on the trade 

 and commerce in Nicaragua says : " All the India-rubber ex- 

 ported is gathered in the mountains from forest trees, and the 

 rubber cutters being under no restraint bleed the trees to ex- 

 cess, cutting even very young trees that can give but little 

 milk. In consequence many trees die, and the amount collected 

 tends to diminish every year; nevertheless, India-rubber still 

 appears as the fourth in value of the exports from Nicaragua, 

 and in the year 1903 530,090 pounds valued at ^'i^AoS were 

 shipped, all of which, with the exception of 277 pounds 

 sent to the United Kingdom, went to the United States 

 of America. The price of Nicaragua India-rubber in the 

 United Kingdom is about the same as in the United States 

 of America, and the reason why practically the whole 

 of this produce is shipped to the United States is partly 

 on account of the cheaper freight, but more especially owing 

 to the continuous loss of weight from evaporation that the 

 rubber undergoes. In New York, the principal market, the 

 India-rubber is nearly always sold, immediately on arrival, 

 ' ex wharf,' whilst in London the rubber is generally ware- 

 housed and not sold until the periodical auction sales take 

 place in Mincing lane. The increased loss of weight caused 

 by the delay, in addition to the heavy wharfage, warehousing, 

 and sale expenses ,and the increased freight and delay in returns, 

 makes it more profitable to consign the India-rubber to New 

 York firms rather than to ship it to London." 



