90 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[November 1, 1912. 



ccivc the rubber milk. The scene was then transferred to in- 

 doors where workmen were busy coagulating the latex and skim- 

 ming the rubber off the top. The next step showed husky labor- 

 ers kneading the rubber as a baker kneads dough. It was then 

 put through rollers, coming out in long crepe sheets. After that 

 came the shipping room, where the rubber was boxed up and 

 made ready for the market. Then followed a dock scene with 

 the boxes going on shipboard, and finally the ship was seen steam- 

 ing down the harbor on its way to the London market. 



It gave a very fine picture of all the plantation methods, and 

 held the spectators in rapt attention. Many a rubber manufac- 

 turer who wants a good advertising medium might with advan- 

 tage possess himself of a set of these films; they would make a 

 marvelously interesting introduction to a brief story regarding 

 his own product. 



CEYLON. 

 The Ceylon exhibit, which was replete with interest, was in 

 charge of Mr. F. Crosbie-Roles, whose previous experience at 

 Chicago and St. Louis rendered him specially qualified for the 

 office of Commissioner for Ceylon. He was assisted by Mr. 

 E. B. Nathanielsz, a Sinhalese, who had come over with the 

 exhibit. Rubber samples to the number of 64 were contributed 

 by 32 estates, through 15 managing agents, distributed among 

 the following classes : crepe, 2,192 pounds ; scrap, 800 pounds : 

 sheet, ISO pounds; smoked sheet, 104^/2 pounds; worm, etc., 129 

 pounds ; total weight, 3,3755^ pounds. The samples showed a 

 judicious selection of the qualities in which Ceylon is at its best. 

 They included one sample of block worm rubber from the 

 Gikiyanakande estate of G. H. GoUedge, Neboda, which had 

 been shown at the 1906 Ceylon exhibition and which was still 

 in unimpaired condition. 



.-\nother sample exhibited was one of 30 pounds from L. Bel- 

 lerio specially prepared without acid by his new process. This 

 sample was to be tried by a prominent American rubber 

 company, after the close of the exposition. 



In connection with the Ceylon exhibit there was distributed 

 a "Ceylon Handbook," by R. H. Lock, M. A. Sc. D., Acting 

 Director of the Botanic Gardens, Ceylon, and C. O. Macadam. 

 An interesting series of tables shows the growth of rubber cul- 

 tivation in Ceylon from 1,750 acres in 1900 to 230,000 in 1912. 

 The plantings show since 1909, a yearly increase of about 7 to 

 10 per cent. In Mr. Crosbie-Roles' opinion, it would be safe to 

 reckon on an augmentation of 10 per cent, a year in plantings. 

 The percentage of increase in yield depends, he added, not 

 upon the recent plantings, but on those of five years before. 

 Hence the increase in planting from 40.000 acres in 1905 to 

 ICO.OOO in 1906 finds an echo in the advance of yield from 3,194 

 tons in 1911 to the estimate of 6,000 tons for 1912. 



Exports increased from 19 tons in 1903 to 3,194 tons in 1911; 

 having been for the last three years: 1910, 1,600 tons; 1911, 

 3.194 tons and 1912 (estimated, 6.000 tons). 



Among the exhibits were 12 bottles of rubber latex from the 

 director of tlie Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradenya, as well as 

 five trunks of rubber trees from the same source. Desiccated 

 cocoa nuts, plumbago, cocoanut oil, cardamoms, and other Cey- 

 lon products w-ere likewise shown. Though not directly con- 

 nected with rubber, they represent the produce of the island, on 

 which was built up the present development of the rubber trade. 

 Ceylon kept well in line at the exposition, which marks another 

 step in its commercial progress. 



Mr. Crosbie-Roles in conversation alluded to the advantage 

 which American manufacturers had derived from being thus 

 brought into touch w-ith plantations, through the various Colombo 

 managing agents, whose names appeared in conjunction with 

 the plantation exhibits. The object of the exposition, in the 

 dissemination of information about Ceylon had been fully 

 attained. 

 One of the Ceylon samples (of the the Rosehaugh Estate) has 



been awarded the Silver Medal in the competition of the Rubber 

 Growers' Association. 



MORO PROVINCE, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



This exhibit was under charge of Dr. J. W. Strong, general 

 manager of the Basilan Co., Commissioner of the Moro 

 Provincial Government, as well as Mr. M. L. Stewart, Director 

 for Commerce of the Philippine Islands, and Mr. J. R. Wilson, 

 Assistant Director of the Government Bureau of Lands. Dr. 

 Strong was obliged to return to the Philippines almost im- 

 mediately after the opening of the exposition, so that his 

 colleagues had charge during the greater part of the time. 



In speaking with a representative of the India Rubber World, 

 Dr. Strong gave some interesting particulars of the present 

 state of Philippine rubber planting. There are now, he stated, 

 about 6,000 acres in the islands planted in rubber, chiefly Hevea, 

 the larger portion having been planted since 1909. The Basilan 

 Co., which has 660 acres planted, has been the first to enter 

 the market with finished product from earlier plantings, having 

 made shipments within the last few years to Hamburg and 

 London. Arrangements have been made with Gravenhorst & 

 Co.. New York, to receive shipments of Basilan rubber, 

 which was recently awarded a prize at the Philippine Exposi- 

 tion, Manila, and has been well received in Europe. 



Among the samples exhibited were smoked and unsmoked 

 Para sheet; smoked Para block; smoked Ceara sheet and block 

 and Castilloa scrap. 



The Moro Government exhibit also represented hemp, as well 

 as the cabinet woods which abound in the Philippines. 



HAWAIIAN RUBBER GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 



The commissioners for the Hawaiian Islands were the 

 Hon. Wm. Williamson and Mr. Wilbur A. Anderson ; but only 

 the latter gentleman attended, the former having been unavoid- 

 ably detained at San Francisco. Mr. Anderson occupies an 

 important position, being general manager of the combination 

 formed of the Nahiku Rubber Co., Hawaiian-American Rubber 

 Co., and Koolan Rubber Co., as well as superintendent of the 

 United States Experimental Station at Honolulu. 



Special interest attaches to Hawaiian rubber from the fact 

 that there are about 5(X),000 trees in the islands, mostly Ceara, 

 chiefly planted before 1909 and thus now approaching the bear- 

 ing stage. Furtlier planting has been on a small scale from the 

 desire to see the results of the earlier plantings now soon to 

 reach maturity. 



Tapping has just commenced of the trees planted in 1906, sev- 

 eral thousand pounds having been shipped, larger and growing 

 shipments being anticipated in the immediate future. 



Analyses of the Hawaiian rubber which has reached New 

 York have been extremely favorable. The samples exhibited 

 were of pressed Ceara, the exhibit being in charge of Mr. C. .^. 

 Dann, representing Alexander and Baldwin (Ltd.), 82 Wall 

 street. New York, agents of the combined companies referred to. 



IMPERIAL INSTITUTE. 



The interesting and valuable exhibit of the Imperial Institute, 

 of London, was in charge of Mr. E. G. Salmon, the Commis- 

 sioner. It was in two parts ; the herbarium and the collection 

 of rubber specimens; these covering, respectively, the botanical 

 and the rubber growing features of the question. Upwards of 

 200 specimens of various kinds of rubber were displayed ge- 

 ographically arranged under their different sources. The inspec- 

 tion of these specimens was much facilitated by cards, witli 

 explanatory details as to the principal countries represented. 



An interesting card attached to the exhibit of the Imperial 

 Institute showed the distribution of the rubber production for 

 1910 among the British Crown Colonies and Protected States. 



