Mav 1, 1913] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



417 



The Akers Rubber Commission. 



WHILE the rubber growing industries of various countries estimate of world's production of crude rubber, 1912. 



have been the subject of separate investigations, there Country of Origin. Quantity in tons, 



was felt to be the need of such an inquiry as would con- j Amazon Vallev 42000 



trast the situation in the East and the West, as they appeared to 2 Bahia Ceara &c 4000 



the same observers. 3 Matto-Grosso, via routes other than 



Hence the Akers Commission was appointed by a group of ^1^^ Amazon 600 



financiers, identified with the Port of Para and with the Amazon _^ p^^^_ Colombia, Ecuador and 



Valley. Prominent among these was the Booth Steamship Co., Venezuela 2 000 



so intimately connected with the distribution of Amazon rubber. 5 Me.xico and Central America!'. .'! ! 3^000 51,600 



As briefly stated in the April issue of this journal, the objects 



of this commission included the detailed investigation of con- ^ Oriental Plantatir.ns in Malaya, Cey- 



ditions in both the Orient and the Amazon Valley. Durmg about ,^„ j_^jj^_ Burmah, Java, Sumatra, 



10 months the commissioners pursued their researches, first in Borneo and Sargon 31,000 



Asia and afterwards in Brazil. The members of the commission -, A^frica West IS 500 



were as follows : ^; Airka, East 6^000 



Orient Commission: Mr. C. E. Akers, Dr. Jacques Ruber, g ^^„ ^j^^.^. jQ^^ces 900 22,400 



Mr. A. Ufenast and Mr. F. Lugones. 



AM.\zoti Commission: Mr. C. E. Akers, Mr. H. C. Rendle Total tons 105000 



_,,!.'„ '.. i.ir-iL T-i 1 00 (The above figures include all qualities of rubber and caucho, 



The Orient Commission reached Colombo on December 29, , ^ " , , t ,.,„,, t. • 1 t 



,„,, , • J 1 1 ■ T- v . .1 J r ivr ioi-> but not gutta percha from India, the Malay Peninsula, Java or 



1911. and arrived back in Europe about the end of May, 1912. c ^ 



Leaving Europe again early in July they reached Para .'August 8, 



and completed their work on October 25. estim.\te of world's consumption for 1912. 



In two volumes, of respectively 90 and 164 pages, they have Tons. 



reported on their labors in the two principal centers of the 1 Europe 48,670 



world's rubber supply, the Orient and the Amazon valley. 2. United States 47,300 



As summarized by the commissioners the objects of their 3, All other countries, including Japan and China. . 2,080 



labors were as follows : 



1. To give a clear and exact description of the characteristic Total 98,000 



features of the Lower and Upper Amazon and its tributary rivers 



, ,, J u u 1 THE ORIENT. 

 as far as the ground could be covered. 



2. To investigate the general condition of agricultural industry, Based on this general statement, the two separate volumes 

 and suggest practical means for its development in the immediate liandle successively the rubber industries of the Orient and the 

 future Amazon Valley. 



3. To report upon the Atnazon rubber industry, and to endeavor Taking up the Orient, which formed the object of the com- 

 to find improved methods of administration, collection and prepa- mission's first attention, it is shown that these 31,000 tons repre- 

 ration, to enable the Brazilian product to compete with that from sented the product of 1,530.000 acres; divided as follows: 



■the Orient. Acreage Yield tons 



4. To make a comparison between methods in Brazil and the 1912. 1912. 

 Orient. (^) j^j^l^^. Peni„sui,, 650,000 21,000 



5. To consider the question of labor in the Amazon Valley, /, -, rp,,ion 2^5 000 6 000 

 and suggest practical means to place it on a cheaper and more ^^^ Southern India ! ^ ^ '"'."!! ' 6o!oOO 600 

 •eflFective basis. ^^^ Burmah 40,000 400 



6. To formulate practical ideas for the colonization of waste ^^^ .g^■^^.^^ ^^^^^ B^^^^^ 3,,^ 



''a"<^5. Sarawak 60.000 500 



7. To investigate the cost of establishing one or more experi- /^^ j^^,^ ^^^ ^^^ Javanese 



mental plantations or farms. Archipelago 230,000 500 



8. To bear in mind that all work undertaken for development j- ^ Sumatra 2'0000 1 700 

 purposes has for its object the creation of additional trafiic for ^.j^. Dutch Borneo and the 



the steamship company, docks and other enterprises in which Celebes 10 000 



capital is interested. ^i^ Saigon.'...'.'.".''.'.'.'.'.'.'.''.'.'.'.'.'.' 2.=;'.000 '"3OO 



THE WORLD'S PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF -RUBBER. (j) Kew Guinea, Philippine and 



Before dealing with the present report under its separate heads other islands 10.000 



of the Orient and the Amazon Valley, it may be of interest to 



glance at the figures of the world's actual production and con- Total acres 1,530.000 tons 31,000 



sumption of rubber, as estimated by the commission : 



The chief interest of these estimates lies in the fact that the 



predominance of the United States in the consumption of rubber From the annexed table it will be seen that nearly 90 per cent, 



is clearly shown as being nearly 50 per cent, of the total. of the acreage under rubber in the Orient is in the Malay 



According to the following estimate, the western hemisphere Peninsula, Ceylon, Java and Sumatra (1,325.000 acres out of 



at present contributes about one-half of the world's production 1,530,0(X)). 



of crude rubber, and the eastern hemisphere the other half. This In the first two cases, the yield is about 65 and 53 pounds per 



position of equality will, however, be gradually altered, through acre, while in Java it represents on the average 4^4 pounds and 



the largely increased yields anticipated from the East within the in Sumatra IS pounds per acre. From both the last named 



next few years. sources a large increase is looked for in 1914. 



