April 1, 1913.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



345 



Brazil's New Rubber Activity. 



AN AMICKICAN' COMPANY MARKS TENDERS FOk TWO LARGE RKI-IMNG PLANTS. 



THE Brazilian legal enactments now in force affecting rubber, 

 consist of the Act of January 5, 1912, in conjunction with 

 the decree of April 17, 1912, explaining and defining the 

 provisions of the former measure. While the fundamental act 

 only acquired legal validity through its being passed by the 

 Brazilian legislature towards the end of December, 1911, its pro- 

 visions had already been submitted to, and approved by the 

 Rubber Congress held at Rio dc Janeiro the previous sunmier, 

 Being a government proposal, it had been drafted by the Minister 

 of Agriculture. Dr. Pedro de Toledo, who presided over the Rub- 

 ber Congress and was assured beforehand of a cordial reception 

 on the part of the rubber industry, both wild and cultivated. 



During its passage through the Brazilian Legislature it had 

 been subjected to trifling detailed changes, but its terms are 



Dr. Pedro de Toledo. 



more or less familiar to the readers of The Indi.-\ Rubber World 

 by the extracts in the numbers of October 1, 1911 (page 7; ; 

 March 1. 1912 (page 266), and June 1, 1912 (page 427). 



A thorougldy representative character marked the Rio Con- 

 gress of 1911. ou wliich occasion a commission of five delegates 

 spent a week in discussing the government proposals, which it 

 subsequently endorsed in the main, and which formed the basis 

 of the two measures of 1912. 



That the Brazilian rubber industry was in an unsatisfactory 

 condition was patent to all connected with it. It was costing too 

 much to produce rubber in Brazil, while prices were going down 

 under the influence of the actual and prospective Asiatic yields. 

 Moreover, the latter in their heavy profits had a margin to fall 

 back upon, not existing in the case of Brazilian rubber. 



In submitting these proposals to the Rubber Congress Dr. de 

 Toledo urged that they were brought forward in the interests of 

 Northern Brazil generally. In line with the general policy of 

 lowering the cost of producing rubber, was the reduction of the 

 two principal items of expense: — food and transport. These ob- 

 jects have been prospectively attained by the provisions for 

 leasing national lands and for the construction of new railroads. 

 CONDITIONS OF THE INDUSTRY. 



In his presidential address. Dr. de Toledo urged the impor- 

 tance of the rubber industry as a means of support to a con- 

 siderable section of the population of all the northern states of 



Brazil. This fact, he added, called for the intervention of the 

 national government, with a view to preventing the occurrence 

 within a few years of a lamentable crisis. 



The chief part of the Brazilian rubber production is composed, 

 he explained, of the "Seringueira" (Hevea and Caucho) ; 

 growing spontaneously in the valley of the Amazon. In addition 

 to these arc the Manitoba, chiefly found on the right bank of 

 the river Parnahyba, and the Mangabcira, met with in the states 

 of Goyaz, Minas Geraes and Matto Grasso. The production cf 

 the valley of the Amazon would, he said, be sufficient to meet 

 the world's consumption, if that region were worked in an 

 economical and practical manner. This would only be possible 

 with a relatively dense population and with the needed transport 

 facilities. 



Most of the Hevea rubber is now produced on the banks of 

 more or less navigable rivers, and seldom comes from farther 

 than six miles, on either side of the streams. In the north- 

 eastern states of Brazil, there is a considerable quantity of Maiii- 

 goba, though for some reasons its working has not been satis 

 factory. At the same time, he added, there is no reason why the 

 Mani(obas of the northeast should not be rationally exploited and 

 their product as far as possible increased. 



PRODUCTION OF BRAZILIAN RUBBER. 



The following figures show the production of Brazilian rubbci 



during the five years, 1906-1910, in spite of the existing disad- 

 vantageous conditions : 



Tons Value equalled 



1906 34,960 $70,946,000 



1907 36,490 72,501,429 



1908 38,206 62,785,631 



1909 39.027 100,646,651 



1910 40,000 125,657,286 



DECREES OF JANUARY 3 AND APRIL 17, 1912. 



Closely following upon the passing of the government measure 

 by the Brazilian parliament, before the end of the season of 

 1911, it received the presidential approval by a decree of January 

 S, 1912. A subsequent decree of April 17, 1912, elaborated its 

 provisions; both statutes now forming part of the Brazilian 

 Federal Code. 



The original measure contained 15 articles, while the supple- 

 mentary decree, which omitted certain formal sections and trans- 

 posed others, only contained 13. 



The former, however, only occupies 6 pages of printed text, 

 while the latter covers about 30 pages, being much more detailed 

 in its provisions. It W'ill therefore be necessary to consider the 

 two measures together. 



Of the fifteen articles in the first decree, four were merely 

 formal, while five were indirectly for the advantage of the rub- 

 ber industry, leaving six articles intended to directly benefit that 

 branch of national commerce. 



Those of indirect advantage were the regulations providing for 

 the erection of three hospitals, the construction of new railroads, 

 free admission of products intended to promote river navigation, 

 establishment of coal depots, and measures tending to reduce 

 the cost of provisions. These measures were dealt with in de- 

 tail by The Indi.\ Rubber World June 1, 1912, page 427. 



Six articles were intended to directly benefit the rubber in- 

 dustry. They were : 



Exemption from import duties of appliances for rubber 

 production. 



Premiums for new plantations. 



Establislimcnt of experimental stations. 



