18 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[October i, 1908. 



The budget of the Belgian kingdom and the Colonial budget 

 are to be kept separate and the Congo bonds are not considered, 

 legally, as a claim on Belgium but only on the colony. This ques- 

 tion caused some debate in parliament, but is of little practical 

 importance as, in the first place, there is not likely to be any 

 default on those securities and, in the second place, if there were, 

 Belgium would probably find it expedient to stand behind the 

 colonial bonds. 



. So much for the treaty of cession which seems to start the 

 colony on a fair basis and which, by providing for the two de- 

 velopment funds (of $9,000,000 and $10,000,000 respectively) 

 seems to insure that Belgium shall expend a proper amount on 

 improvement of the property in accordance with the policy which 

 has prevailed during the King's personal administration. 



As far as the machinery of administration goes there is quite a 

 change. The country passes from the personal rule of the King 

 to the control of the Belgian parliament. There is to be a 

 Colonial minister, as in England, who will be responsible to the 

 Belgian parliament. There will also be a Colonial council, con- 

 sisting of fourteen members, eight of whom will be appointed by 

 the Crown and six by parliament, so that every shade of opinion 

 will be represented. The finances will be controlled by parlia- 

 ment, which will consider and vote on the budget each year. 

 Proposals for concessions will be laid before parliament 

 before final action. If there is any objection to the condi- 

 tions, parliament may of course bring in a vote of "want of con- 

 fidence" in the ministry and thus overthrow the proposition. 



There has been quite an agitation against the existing Congo 

 concessions which seems to have originated among certain 

 Englishmen who had none. Far be it from me to say that they 

 were not actuated by the most disinterested motives, for they 

 themselves have publicly proclaimed the purity of their purposes. 

 It was claimed that the Congo concessions were contrary to 

 the Berlin treaty by which the Powers (including the Congo 

 government) bound themselves not to grant any "monopoly" in 

 the Congo basin — a geographical term which includes posses- 

 sions of France, Germany, Portugal, and England as well as the 

 Congo Free State. As there are a number of competing con- 

 cessionary companies in the Belgian Congo it is diflftcult to see 

 how any "monopoly" has been created. Moreover, the Congo 

 concessions are "on all fours" with the concessions of the other 

 powers in the Congo basin. If the Belgian Congo concessions 

 are not in accordance with the Berlin agreement the concessions 

 given by other powers in the Congo basin are equally illegal. 



The Congo concessions, most of which are for rubber, cover 

 about one-fifth of the territory. The rest of the rubber forests 

 is either exploited by the Congo government, or is open territory 

 where traders may go in and trade indiscriminately. The natives 

 own their huts and villages and their farms. Most of these 

 lands are held tribally, but there is no appreciable amount of rub- 

 ber on these holdings on account of the fact that rubber had 

 no value to the native until after the arrival of the white men. 

 Hence, the great rubber forests were never appropriated by the 

 native tribes. 



These concessions have been granted by the Congo govern- 

 ment on various terms. It may be said in a general way, how- 

 ever, that the State has usually demanded a half interest 

 in the profits, or 50 per cent, of the shares, as the price of the 

 concession. The dividends on these shares have been put into 

 the government treasury and are used to carry on the admin- 

 istration. None of it has ever gone to the King personally. 



Some of the concessionary companies had, at one time, a large 

 amount of administrative jurisdiction over their concessionary 

 districts, almost as much, in fact, as an English "chartered com- 

 pany." This furnished the companies with a means of coercing 

 workmen, which was sometimes abused and which was found 

 undesirable. The King abolished this system several years ago, 

 so that at the present day no individual or concessionary com- 

 pany can in any way constrain a native to work. This principle 



is embodied in the new Colonial charter (which is a sort of 

 "constitution" of the new colony), but inasmuch as it has already 

 been put in operation by the King it will cause no unsettling of 

 labor conditions. 



The rubber companies have to obtain their laborers in the 

 open labor market by making an attractive offer of wages. In 

 certain districts it is sometimes a difficult question. The native 

 has a rather inordinate share of mankind's antipathy towards 

 work, and as his wants are few and easily satisfied he doesn't al- 

 ways see the use of "getting busy." Of course there are some 

 things which every self-respecting native wants, such as an ac- 

 cordeon, a white umbrella, and enough cloth to buy a wife, and 

 these things he is willing to work for. After he gets the 

 wife he generally prefers to "lay down the shovel and the hoe" 

 and let her support him, whereby he has more time to devote 

 to the accordeon and the shelter of the white umbrella. 



While the labor problem is a difficult one, the rubber companies 

 find it can be solved by the exercise of tact and patience and 

 by studying the whims and fancies of the natives so as to offer 

 them attractive rewards for work. That is the system they 

 are working under now and the Colonial charter provides for 

 its perpetuation. A native may work for a rubber company or not 

 as he pleases. He cannot be constrained in any way. More- 

 over, a special committee has been constituted to look after the 

 welfare of the native and to make a report each year. 



COTTON PLANTING PROGRESS. 



"IPHE production of cotton in Lagos, in British West African 

 •*■ colony, has not yet reached proportions to cause a revolu- 

 tion in the markets of the world, but it is not to be overlooked 

 in dealing with the whole cotton situation. What has been done 

 affords evidence that the soil and climate of Lagos are favor- 

 able to cotton planting, and that native labor can be made avail- 

 able for this work. What is more, the encouragement given by 

 the British Cotton Growers' Association, backed practically by 

 the cotton industry of England, is to be taken into account. 

 The following figures, relating to exports from Lagos for the 

 first half of 1908, are from an official source: Exports of cotton, 

 4,001 bales, valued at £37,079 [=$180,444.90] ; exports of cotton 

 seed, 4,116,96s pounds, valued at £4,458 [=$21,694.86]. Lagos 

 is now an important source of rubber, but did not reach this 

 condition all at once ; in fact, it was ten years after the export 

 of rubber began before it equalled in value in any year the 

 present output of cotton. 



Six prizes for cotton grown in the Federated Malay States 

 were offered at the fifth joint annual Agri-Horticultural Show, 

 at Kuala Lumpor, Selangor, held August 10-12. 



IS "DIABOLO" DECLINING. 



AV/HILE the rival alleged inventors of the game of "Diabolo" 

 '' in Europe are still at war, the game would seem to be 

 already on a decline. Although several of the leading sporting 

 goods firms in America have been active in attempting the intro- 

 duction of the game on this side of the Atlantic, it has as yet 

 shown no signs of popularity here. A writer in the New York 

 Sun says : 



"Diabolo did not last long here and indeed never took as it 

 did in Paris and to a certain extent in London. Last spring and 

 at the beginning of the summer a good many children were to 

 be. seen playing it hereabout, but now one is scarcely to be found. 

 Some of the department stores employed demonstrators to teach 

 the game to customers, but to little effect. 



" 'It's too simple a pleasure and too tame a game for Ameri- 

 cans to take greatly to it,' said an observer. 'And, furthermore, 

 few have the patience to learn the little balancing trick.' " 



