August 1, 1913.J 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



597 



further dividend of 4J4 per cent, whicii has now been declared 

 payable. The creditors consisted entirely of the laborers who 

 were in the service of the company when it failed, and their 

 representatives — their wives and female relatives — attended at 

 the office and were paid on their behalf. The payments varied 

 from thirty-three cents to $8. and the amount disbursed in 

 that way exceeded $500, the proceeds of the sale of the com- 

 pany's prnperty. 



A GLIMPSE OF THE EXISTING CONDITIONS IN 

 THE BALATA INDUSTRY IN DUTCH GUIANA. 



By a Resident Correspondent. 

 T TPON a recent trip into the interior of the Colony I had 

 ^^ an opportunity of witnessing the felling operations car- 

 ied on by one or two balata companies on their concessions 

 in the Sara Creek district. This interesting method of gather- 

 ing the latex from the fallen trees would prove highly 

 remunerative to the concessionaires if experienced labor 

 could be obtained, but owing to the fact that most of the 

 workers so engaged are men with little or no practical knowl- 

 edge of the business, on one hand, and because of a dislike 

 for the method, on the other hand, the system has proved to 





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Ij.\l.\t.\ Bleeders ox Holiu.w in P.\r.\m.\ribo. D. G. 



be rather costly so far. There is no doubt, however, that if 

 a class of laborers could be procured possessing the neces- 

 sary knowledge of felling and handling the trees, the present 

 high cost in connection with this method of balata collecting 

 could be greatly reduced. Until expert wood-cutters can be 

 had to do the work, it is my opinion that the industry would 

 be better safeguarded by continuing the old systems, viz.: 

 ladder work and spur climbers. So far, this new craze of 

 cutting down the trees has not brought about any marked 

 increase in the colony's output ; on the contrary it has been 

 the source of no end of disputes between masters and ser- 

 vants, government officials and concession holders, and last 

 but not least, it has been the occasion of very strong press 

 comments. What the future has in store — so far as this 

 system is concerned — time alone will prove. 



There are many hardships associated with balata collect- 

 ing in Dutch Guiana, and those who invest in the bu.^^iness 

 can hardly realize the amount of labor and suffering endured 

 by those sturdy sons of .\frica, who are sometimes harshly 

 and cruelly treated, and even robbed of their hard earnings 

 for the profit of the speculators. For instance, the contracts 

 (sometimes) drawn up between employer and employe are 

 all one-sided; they are made up entirely in favor of the em- 

 ployer, and the bleeders in most cases are so illiterate as to 

 consent to the terms of agreement without ever reading the 

 contents of the document, having confidence in what is told 



them. The unfortunate men, eager to obtain the tempting ad- 

 vance, sign their own death warrant; they only realize the 

 injustice when it is too late and the advances are all spent. 



Balata contracts are tangled webs in Surinam and some 

 of them have been the cause of much unpleasantness between 

 the British Consul and the Colonial officials, for many of the 

 men are British subjects from the neighboring colony of 

 British Guiana. I do not pretend to say that the balata man 

 is all virtue; he has his shortcomings, and if not watched 

 will very often clear off with an advance, or, if he finds him- 

 self heavily indebted to his employer (with no ghost of a 

 chance of clearing off that debt) he will, on opportunity, put 

 many miles between himself and the colony. Notwithstand- 

 ing this fact, the men are not unreasonable, and only require 

 proper management. The police, who hold a strong arm 

 over the laborers, can arrest them — by the laws of the colony 

 —on the least suspicion. They are, practically speaking, un- 

 der police supervision from the day they enter into contract 

 with a balata firm; so, as one can see, the investor is thor- 

 oughly safe-guarded. 'Why, then, in the face of such protec- 

 tion, do the companies or individuals employing these men 

 stoop so low as to take advantage of them by drawing up 

 unfair and deceptive contracts? I cannot see the sense in 

 .--uch high-handed methods; they certainly call forth disap- 

 proval from all honest people, and cause endless trouble and 

 dissatisfaction when the bleeders are once convinced that 

 they have been "done." 



In the early nineties when the industry was booming, Mr. 

 Henry Benjamins (then a partner of the balata firm 'Von 

 Hemert) was looked upon as a father by the balata bleeders 

 in Surinam. What he said was law, and every man obeyed 

 him implicitly. He was kind and generous, yet firm as a 

 rock, and above board. It is to be deplored that this gentle- 

 man has retired from the business; the industry has lost a 

 man who can never be replaced. 



It may be interesting to know that the exploitation of a 

 balata concession can safely be left entirely to the black 

 foremen, who will get out of the laborer all that he is capable 

 of accomplishing. Moreover, the men are docile; few or no 

 quarrels occur among them, and obedience is secured with- 

 out force or threats, .^.nother subject of congratulation is 

 the honest accounting for and security of every pound of balata 

 taken from the concessions, and its absolutely safe transporta- 

 tion from the bush to the consignee at Paramaribo. 



Looked at in whatever light we choose, we are driven to 

 the conclusion that there is no place in tropical America 

 where law and order and the rights of capital are more 

 sacredly regarded than in Dutch Guiana, which is all the 

 more reason why the companies should not resort to meas- 

 ures for robbing the laborer by means of dishonest contracts. 



If the balata industry is to flourish in future, a better un- 

 derstanding between employer and laborer must be effected. 

 It is painful to think that by the unscrupulous actions of 

 some of the concerns the balata industry, which promises so 

 much, may be destroyed, if proper legislation does not step 

 in and correct the present iniquitous state of affairs. 



With proper men at the head of companies, and suitable 

 weather conditions, Dutch Guiana could produce enormous 

 quantities of balata. For instance, from January 1 to April 

 30, 1912, when the drought was at its height, even then, the 

 colony produced 7,750 kilograms (17,050 pounds). The weather 

 conditions are somewhat better this year, but not yet satisfac- 

 tory ; still the production from January 1 to April 30 has been 

 83.343 kilograms (183,354 pounds), an increase of 75,593 kilo- 

 grams (166,304 pounds) over the same period in 1912. This 

 alone is sufficient proof that Dutch Guiana is a balata producer 

 of no mean order, if she is only given a fair chance. With the 

 advent of fresh blood, backed by sufficient capital, I predict quite 

 a brilliant future for her balata industry. 



