July i, 1909.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



353 



Progress of Rubber Planting. 



LANADEON ESTATES RESULTS. 



THI'" proceedings at the first annual meeting of Lanadron 

 Knl)ber Estates. Limited (London, May 28), were of real 

 interest from whatever standpoint considered. The Lana- 

 <lron company has been organized by the Messrs. Pears, of soap 

 fame, to work the rubber estates started by them in the Malayan 

 state of Johore, where they had already become cultivators on 

 a large scale of cocoanuts as a source of soap material. This 

 rubber plantation has become widely known by reason of the 

 marketing of its product, largely in "block" form. The com- 

 pany's output of rubber during 1908 — the period covered by its 

 first report — was 181,156 pounds, against 97,203 pounds from the 

 same estates the year before. The cost of the rubber sold is 

 estimated at \s. 3d. [:=30 cents] per pound, which figure is ex- 

 pected to be considerably reduced as the output increases. The 

 average price realized was 4s. 6]4d. [=:$!. lo] after deductmg 

 freight, landing and sale charges. The expenses of the com- 

 pany include the upkeep of rubber not yet produced. The net 

 profit, derived entirely from the sale of rubber, was £25,621 2S. iid. 

 (^$124,685,41]. out of which was paid a dividend of 10 per 

 cent, on £234.032 loj. capital. It was stated at the meeting that 

 10 per cent, could have been paid had the rubber realized only 

 3s. ti%d. [=96 cents]. A director said: "When you bear in 

 mind that the results in the accounts before you have been ob- 

 tained from trees which on December 31 last only averaged 

 7J/2 years, and that wc are only tapping one-eighth of our planted 

 area, I think you will agree that there are great possibilities in 

 front of us." It may be of interest to note that the rubber output 

 last year was obtained from 567"/^ acres, or an average of 319 

 pounds per acre. The net profit reported works out at $219.90 

 gold, per acre. The chairman of the company called attention 

 at the meeting to the valuable assistance of their consulting 

 chemists in their endeavor to produce the very best rubber pos- 

 sible. The management of the company have decided to confine 

 their tapping of Hcvca rubber in future to trees which Have 

 attained a girth of 24 inches at 3 feet from the ground. 



The proceedings at the Lanadron meeting included some re- 

 marks by a well-known London broker of such interest, in 

 connection with plantation rubber, as to justify their being quoted 

 here in full . 



.A LoNOON Rubber Broker's Views. 



Mr. Andrew DcA'itt (of Messrs, Lewis & Peat) : "Before the 

 resolution is put I would like to make one remark upon the 

 quality of the Lanadron rubber. We have had the privilege of 

 being the brokers to the company for selling the rubber from 

 the commencement. Mr. Pears has, by his skill and cleverness, 

 brought this rubber and kept it up at, the top of the tree. There 

 is no rubber like it sold, although attempts have been made by 

 very clever people, both in Ceylon and the Straits, to come up 

 to the Lanadron block, but so far without success. When the 

 price of fine Para was about 5.r. ^d. to 5^. sd. we sold this Lana- 

 dron rubber for the company at 5^. gd. To-day's value is 

 5J. lorf. [=$1.41.9], as near as possible, and fine Para has risen 

 to 5.?. yd. 



"The point is this, that so far as we can see — and we do a 

 good deal of business in rubber, both fine Para and other sorts — 

 there is very little chance of seeing rubber prices lower, at all 

 events for this year. Consumers and manufacturers all over this 

 country, the Continent and .Vmcrica, are clamoring now for plan- 

 tation rubber who some little time ago were afraid to touch it. 

 were suspicious of it, and made all sorts of difficulties which 

 they were afraid of. All those fears have been dispersed and 

 dispelled, and now we can sell Lanadron block without it being 



seen, for three and six months ahead, and on its character. I 

 think it is a proud proposition for the Lanadron company to be 

 the pioneers who have outstripped all other rubber companies, 

 and to produce an article which, at the present time, is the best 

 quality and commands the highest price of any plantation rub- 

 ber that comes here. 



"With regard to the prospects of prices continuing or being 

 likely to go back, I may tell you that we have to-day had orders 

 for plantation rubber for delivery or shipment from the East up 

 to the end of this year, which is seven months, at 5.5. yd. 

 [=$1.35,8] per pound. That will show you what manufacturers, 

 consumers and dealers think of the prospects of rubber, or else 

 they would not be willing and eager to make contracts for six 

 months ahead at such a price as that. Para rubber is in a pe- 

 culiar position, and holds good prospects for those interested in 

 plantation rubber; but they must not be disappointed if they 

 see the price — I do not say of Lanadron block — if they see the 

 average price of plantation rubber below that of fine hard Para. 

 It is not because fine hard Para is better, because we all know 

 that plantation rubber is far superior ; but at the present time 

 manufacturers have not been able to adapt their machinery, 

 their mixing or their dressing to take plantation rubber for cer- 

 tain purposes; so that they must have fine Para. 



"Although the crop of fine Para is a fair one — there are 

 40.000 tons from the Amazon this year — there is not enough to 

 go round, and therefore the price of fine Para is steadily creep- 

 ing up. We have done business to-day at 5^, yd. per pound 

 before I came to this meeting. Only once during the past three 

 or four years has that price been reached or passed, although 

 it did touch 3^. Srf. ,■ but it looks very much more like gomg to a 

 record price than down. I must add a word of praise at the 

 magnificent way in which the work on the estates in the planting, 

 preparation and tapping of rubber has been carried out." 



Plantation "Florida," Chiapas, Mexico. 



[Property of Wisconsin Rubber Co., Madison, Wisconsin. Five gallon 

 tins used for collecting latex, which is strained before coagulation.] 



