460 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[June 1, 1913. 



S-W Monsoon, the N-E commences and as the width of tlie 

 Malay Peninsula does not exceed 170 miles in any part, the land 

 on both coasts is affected by cither nioiisomi. 



I have kept the rainfall records at Jugra for 14 years and have 

 never experienced a month without rain, and rarely a month 

 below the average rainfall of Britain. It must be admitted that 

 some of us, in cabling particulars of our monthly outputs, explain 

 a shortage against the estimate by adding "owing to the 

 drought" ; but the truth is we have yet to experience the true 

 meaning of the word "drought." There are very few days in tlie 

 year when it is too wet to work, and this, of course, gives us a 

 great advantage over the collector of wild rubber on the Amazon, 

 where I understand there can be no tapping for several months 

 of the year. 



IIE.\LTH. 



A very considerable change has come over the conditions of 

 life in Malaya. I regret to say that many of the plantations can 

 hardly yet be described as health resorts ; but there has been an 

 immense improvement, and in view of the more or less recent 

 discoveries of our medical men tliere is good reason to hope that 

 the improvement will continue. To Sir Patrick Manson and 

 Professor Ross we owe the original discovery that the Aiwplieles 

 mosquito is the principal, if not the only, carrier of malarial in- 

 fection, and the doctors of Malaya have amongst them done 

 excellent work as a result of this discovery. I would single out 

 Dr. Malcolm Watson for special mention, as his work as medical 

 adviser to plantations has come, particularly, under my notice. 



He has discovered that the variety of Anof'lieles which favors 

 the coast districts, rarely, if ever, travels more than one-half a 

 mile from the jungle, and there is practical immunity in dwelling 

 places at this distance. 



The valleys, in some of the inland districts, harbor another 

 variety of the Anopheles, the spawn of which can exist in run- 

 ning water, and can only be got rid of by carrying the water 

 away in enclosed drains. Interesting experiments in this direc- 

 tion are now being carried out by several rubber companies in 

 Selangor. 



Thanks to the natural richness of the soil, a considerable 

 amount of capital was attracted to Britisli Malaya from Ceylon, 

 where there was comparatively little suitable land available, and 

 our community owes something of its success to the cash and 

 experience introduced from that colony. 



GOVERNMENT .\ND PL.^NTER. 



Although the new applications for land are still sufficient to tax 

 severely the resources of our over-worked (and not over-paid) 

 Survey Department, the increased rent and export duty has driven 

 a certain amount of British capital to the Dutch Colonies of Java 

 and Sumatra, and considerable development has recently been 

 made in those islands, as well as in Borneo. 



When stating these facts, I do not wish it to be understood that 

 I am advocating the avoidance of British Malaya as a country for 

 investment, or that I would belittle the fine work accomplished 

 by my fellow countrymen who have been oificially responsible 

 for the development of that region. 



On this occasion, I have the honor to represent the Planters' 

 Association of Malaya, who amongst them manage a total of 

 upwards of 600 plantations, with an invested capital of about 

 fifty million pounds sterling, a value, which through their 

 efforts, has appreciated to several times that amount. I am quite 

 certain that I should not be correctly voicing that community if I 

 conveyed the impression that we would prefer any form of gov- 

 ernment than that approved by our Sovereign Lord. King George. 



The success of our industry is largely due to the confidence 

 inspired by the existence of an absolutely honest and conscien- 

 tious public service. Mistakes have been made, but these have 

 been due. entirely, to the excessive zeal of those in authority, who 

 desire that the whole country should participate in the prosperity 

 of our industry ; and judging by past experience in times of ad- 



versity, we may reasonably expect that if our burdens become 

 too grievous to be borne, we shall obtain the relief necessary to 

 meet the stress of competition. 



CUl.TIV.STIOX. 



With your permission I will now direct your attention to a few 

 details connected with our plantation work. 



At first, the cultivation was almost entirely confined to inter- 

 planting Hevca trees through the old fields of coffee, but a few 

 bold spirits ventured to clear the jungle for this product only. 

 But it is regrettable to mention that some tempered their rash- 

 ness by planting rubber and cocoanuts in alternate lines, and had 

 to pay rather heavily for their caution, by being forced to cut out 

 cither one or the other when both required more room for ex- 

 pansion. I need hardly mention that it was usually the cocoanuts 

 that were condemned. As one who does not believe in keeping 

 two good things in a parcel not large enough to hold both, I have 

 planted the two products in adjoining fields; and, perhaps, for 

 that reason, my feelings have always been harrowed by the woe- 

 ful spectacle afforded by the destruction of thousands of these 

 valuable palms. 



The interplanting of Ficus Elastica — the red rubber of com- 

 merce (this has no connection with the rubber shipped from the 

 Congo) — was at one time popular, particularly on the estates of 

 the coast districts ; but although this variety yielded a fair quan- 

 tity at the first tapping, it did not compare at all favorably with 

 Hevea in continuous yield, and the tapping seemed to check :ts 

 growth. A considerable area remains under this variety in 

 Sumatra, InU it has become a negligible quantity in the Peninsula 

 and has never been in favor in Ceylon. 



At the outset we obtained our Hevea seeds from the original 

 stock, and this was an expensive item, which has gradually de- 

 clined in cost, now that we have trees of all ages and have no 

 certain knowledge of any difference in the quality of the plants, 

 whether raised from seeds of old or young trees. 



In the hilly districts ordinary surface drainage is required but 

 near the coast great care has to be taken to select land which can 

 be drained efficiently, and this work frequently involves consid- 

 erable expense. Fortunately for us, Malaya is not subject to 

 tidal waves, as large areas of our finest plantations are only a 

 few feet above sea level. The drains are laid out with the com- 

 pass, and cut through the living jungle before felling. The jimgle 

 is then cut down and the branches lopped to a level of about 4 

 feet from the ground. A few weeks later, the burning is carried 

 out by a line of men walking at ten to twenty yards apart, with 

 their backs to the wind ; and in favorable weather, the under- 

 growth and smaller branches are consumed. Afterwards the 

 unburnt branches and small trees are piled and burnt, and gen- 

 erally speaking, when this is done the field is descrilied as cleared, 

 although the stumps and trunks of the big jungle trees still re- 

 main on the land. Recently on some estates, heavy expense has 

 been incurred in getting rid of these, before planting, as a pre- 

 caution against the spread of root disease and white ants. It is 

 a debated point as to whether the risk of loss by disease justifies 

 such expensive precautionary measures, and whether it is not 

 better to wait for three or four years when the few rotten logs 

 tliat remain can easily be got rid of. 



Planting is done either from stumps or seed at stake. In the 

 former case, the plants are taken from the nursery, being then 

 from 6 months to 2 years or even older, cut to a length of 3 to 4 

 feet, the roots hacked back and then planted in the holes pre 

 viously prepared for them. It says much for the vitality of the 

 Hevea that it usually survives this drastic treatment and starts to 

 sprout afresh, within a month, if the weather is propitious. 

 From this time on ensues a battle between the planter and the 

 original jungle, which endeavors to regain possession of the land. 

 Numerous kinds of obnoxious weeds — coming from Heaven 

 knows where— also make their appearance. 



From time to time there crops up something almost as bad as 

 weeds. I refer to the wearisome controversy as to whether it is 



