90 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[December i, 1908. 



"Erasmusplein/' Rotterdam. 



[Named for Erasmus, a statue of whom appears in the center; in the back- 

 ground are important business premises.] 



bright and clear, but an icy wind straight from Siberia made 

 quick walking imperative. It must have been cold even for the 

 sturdy Hollanders, for the workmen clattered along in their 

 wooden shoes, with coat collars turned up and hands thrust deep 

 in their huge trousers pockets. And the dogs harnessed to the 

 little milk wagons strained at the leather as if eager to be back 

 to their warm kennels. 



It was not too cold to be clean, however, and the men were 

 already flushing the decks of the huge canal boats, that row upon 

 row were moored to the stone quays opposite the great ware- 

 houses, while their stout zrouius, their bare arms purple red, 

 were washing everything else within reach. 



We followed our porter for about a mile until he ushered us 

 into another railway station. Then we knew we had made a 

 mistake, but how should we explain in Dutch when we knew 

 nothing of the language? In desperation I said: 



"Nein, nein; Hotel Maas." 



"Oh," he replied in good English, "I thought you said Maas 

 Station. The hotel is but a few minutes away, I will take you," 

 and reshouldering the luggage he started off. It was then that 

 ■we got our first inkling of the fact that the Dutch, in their 

 cities at least, are familiar with all languages. Not only do 

 the merchants speak English, French, and German, but the 

 shopkeepers, cabmen, porters, and bell boys all have a working 

 knowledge of these languages and are uniformly glad to be of 

 assistance. 



The Maas Hotel is situated on a broad street that runs along 

 the honmpjes, the great quay extending for more than a mile 



The "Rijnuaven," Rotterdam. 



along the river IMaas, and it is on this same street, and not far 

 away, that are situated the offices and warehouses of Weise & Co. 

 They are one of the old firms in the business of importing india- 

 rubber, gutta-percha, and balata. Indeed, the founder of the 

 house, so the senior partner told me, traded with the Aldens in 

 Boston 40 years ago. 



The company is now made up of Jacob Musly, who is the 

 senior partner, and Messrs. Robert and Fritz Weis, sons of the 

 late Julius Weis, founder of the business. They do a very 

 large business in the gums named and also handle copra, gum 

 copal, damar, etc. They have branches in Java, Sumatra, the 

 Malay States, and in the Dutch West Indies, and were pioneers 

 in the exploitation of rubber in the Congo. Indeed, it is their 

 boast that they taught Antwerp the rubber business. 



Mention may be made here of another important house in 

 the crude rubber trade of Rotterdam — the Nieuwe Afrikaansche 

 Handels Vennootschap. This is the oldest company trading on 

 the Congo, having established a branch at Boma as early as i860 

 and extended their operations up the river with the progress of 

 development in that region. They were established before the 

 Belgians entered the field, and notwithstanding the changed con- 

 ditions the name of the company and its initials — A H V — con- 

 tinue to be of much influence and very popular with the natives. 

 Rubber has figured to an important extent in the operation of 

 this company, which has proved a profitable enterprise, and since 

 1901 it has participated in the Kasai company (La Compagnie 

 du Kasai), in which it holds 340 of the 2,010 shares. Arrivals 

 of Congo sorts at Rotterdam take place by the same steamers 

 calling at Antwerp, but are not confined to the product of the 



Shipping at Rotterdam — Freight Pier. 



Courtyard of Rubber Warehoum; ui \\ kise & Cu , Rotterda.m. 



