542 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[July 1, 1913. 



NOTES FROM BRITISH GUIANA. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 

 THE BALATA INDUSTRY. 

 OOME interesting figures respecting the local balata industry 

 *-' have recently been furnished by the Comptroller of Customs 

 in his annual report for 1912. The statistics given in that re- 

 port show that last year the output of balata declined by the 

 large total of 446,196 pounds, the value of this reduction being 

 ^219,860.22. The Comptroller points out that this reduction is 

 a direct result of the drought, .saving: "The upper reaches of 

 the river were so dry that the despatch of expeditions to many 

 of the tracts was considerably delayed ; and so the bleeding sea- 

 son was much shorter than usual. The collectors found when 

 they did commence work, furthermore, that the long spell of 

 dry weather had so affected the balata trees that in the process 

 of tapping the yield of late.x was much below the normal." 

 Doubtless the drought was the dominant factor, but it is pos- 

 sible that the failure of one or two companies exercised some 

 small influence on the output. The year was an exceedingly bad 

 one, as the figures for the past five years show: 1908-9, 1.090,405 

 pounds, value 5471,076.19; 1909-10, 1.034,076 pounds, value $486,- 

 034.81; 1910-11. 1,162.588 pounds, value $670,192.32; 1911, 1,152,- 

 410 pounds, value $707,284.28; 1912, 705,214 pounds, value $481,- 

 423.96. This year has witnessed a large increase in the exports 

 of balata, and hopes have been entertained that the industry had 

 excellent prospects. The rumors, however, of shortage of rain 

 in the interior, of which I wrote last month, have proved true, 

 and according to information direct from the bush, the bullet 

 trees are budding and it is impossible to bleed them. There is 

 at present in the colony Mr. R. Morrisson, a director of what we 

 formerly called the Demerara Rubber Co., now known as the 

 Demerara and Coverden Produce Co. Mr. Morrisson came out 

 here towards the end of last year, and in Januarj^ he accom- 

 panied the company's balata expedition to the Rupununi Dis- 

 trict. He has recently returned to town, and has expressed the 

 opinion that the prospects in connection with the balata industry 

 are very poor. 



NEED OF R.\IL\VAY BUILDING. 

 One of the most serious obstacles with which those engaged 

 in the collection of balata in this colony have to contend is the 

 difficulty of traveling in the interior, with the consequent loss 

 of time. The building of a railway, which is still being talked of 

 but about which nothing definite done, would revolutionize the 

 balata industry here. One of the latest proposals in this con- 

 nection is the construction of a line of railway along the coast 

 of the County of Essequibo. to connect the colony with the 

 Yurawai River District of Venezuela, in the province of Upata. 

 An expedition recently went out to that district from this colony 

 and found the whole region along the route which it has been 

 suggested should be taken by the railway, extremely rich in 

 balata and other products. It is generally believed that if satis- 

 factory arrangements could be entered into with the government 

 of Venezuela for the building of such a railway, along the route 

 T have mentioned, the balata industry of both this colony and 

 the neighboring Latin-American Republic would be greatly ben- 

 efitted. Xow that the prohibition of the importation of Vene- 

 zuelan balata into this colony has been removed and it is al- 

 lowed to come over the border on the same footing as the local 

 product, viz., by paying a royalty to the British Guiana Govern- 

 ment of two cents per pound, collectors of the latex in the Re- 

 public are glad to take advantage of the close proximity of the 

 town of Morawhanna. in the northwest district of this colony, 

 from which point there is a regular weekly service of steamers 

 to the port of Georgetown for the shipment of their balata. In 

 forwarding it by this route, collectors in Venezuela effect a con- 

 siderable saving, for the expense of transporting the product of 

 the expeditions to the nearest Venezuelan port is much heavier, 

 the distance being so much greater. With the proposed railway 

 in operation, transport would he still easier, and the balata in- 



dustry in both countries would no doubt receive a great impetus. 

 Unfortunately the lack of railway communication is not the only 

 disability from which the Northwest District of the colony suf- 

 fers. Dry weather is at present being experienced there, and 

 during the past few weeks if it had not been for the fact that 

 there is a good spring at the rubber station at Ossororo the 

 members of expeditions would have suffered acutely. There are 

 no water pumps in the district, and these are urgently required. 

 The town of Morawhanna, which is the point from which the 

 actual journey to the interior commences, is less than two hun- 

 dred miles from the capital, but a weekly steamer service has 

 to suffice. Recently His Excellency the Governor (Sir Walter 

 Kgerton) made a tour of the district, and the fact that in the 

 course of his journeys he experienced considerable difficulty 

 in traveling has aroused in the breasts of collectors of balata 

 some hope that he will now realize the difficulty attending the 

 prosecution of bush enterprises in this colony, and will extend 

 a meed of sympathy to them. 



DIFFICULTIES OF NAVIGATION. 

 The difficulties that attend the collection of balata would be 

 infinitely less serious if good and experienced bushmen were 

 more plentiful. Even with the most experienced man in charge 

 of an expedition, the difficulties are very serious, as the follow- 

 ing account, written to the "Chronicle" by a boat hand, will show : 

 "It may. I think, interest a few of your readers (especially those 

 concerned in the balata industry) to hear of a couple of experi- 

 ences gained by one who has recently made his first trip to the 

 Rupununi and back. The boats leaving Rockstone have failed 

 pointedly to make the journey under a month, and this too (to 

 use a common phrase), with severe blows, all owing more or 

 less to the heavy dry weather prevalent in the district for the 

 last six weeks or thereabout. Hence, Captain James McDonell. 

 of the firm of Garnett & Company, and his four associates, de- 

 served to be complimented on the manner in which they con- 

 veyed to Rockstone on the return trip, from the station known 

 as Inkapati, for Messrs. Sprostons, Limited., one steam launch, 

 one boat and seven steam barges, completing the task in the 

 short space of eleven and a half days without an injury happen- 

 ing to any of the crafts. But for the coolness, the courage and 

 quick presence of mind of this worthy captain, only half of the 

 journey might have been made within that space of time, and 

 who knows if some of these crafts might not have been badly 

 injured, for I many times thought they would be dashed to 

 pieces between the rocks, when such falls as Itonomi, Twashing, 

 .\baquia and Waraputa had to be crossed. Thanks to the 

 humane disposition of Captain McDonell and a few others of 

 his skill and daring, or we should hear of many more accidents 

 than those reported year by year from the Essequibo River when 

 the balata season comes round. Indeed, our children and grand- 

 children will certainly bless that day when there shall be a 

 railway running between Georgetown and Brazil, whereby much 

 time and comfort will be gained, and whereby we shall feel 

 less anxious about the safety of our lives than hitherto, in travel- 

 ing through the interior of this colony." 



GOVERN.MENT BAL.XTA SALES. 

 Considerable dissatisfaction exists here at present with the 

 system in vogue as to the government balata sales. It appears 

 that the Commissioner of Lands and Mines insists on only send- 

 ing out circulars inviting tenders for the purchase of balata 

 to those who are holders of balata tracts, instead of putting up 

 the lots to public auction. It is argued that there may be 

 others besides those mentioned above who would be prepared 

 to make bids, but who, under existing circumstances, are ignor- 

 ant of the sales. I understand that it is not necessary to take 

 out a license in such a case, if one intends to ship the balata 

 away forthwith, but only if it is intended to re-sell in the colony. 

 It is thought that better prices would be realized by public 

 auction than by tender, and that it would be more satisfactory 

 all around. 



