44 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[October 1, 1913. 



THE QUALITY OF PLANTATION RUBBER. 



RUBBER IN THE FRENCH CONGO. 



' I 'HE following comments on the above subject are extracted 

 •^ from a recent issue of the Bullelin du Caoutchouc et de la 

 Bourse. 



During the past year undeniable progress has been made in 

 the preparation of plantation rubber. There is no longer a doubt 

 that the most carefully prepared kinds combine all the physical 

 properties of raw rubber of the highest quality. 



Manufacturers show a marked preference for smoked sheet 

 and crepe. At the beginning of 1912. crepe was in largest de- 

 mand, but since then, smoked sheet of premier quality being 

 less plentiful, the demand has turned mainly to this article, 

 whicli led at the bi-monthly sales in London. Until then, the 

 greater portion of the crop was shipped in the form of crepe ; 

 but the premium paid for smoked sheet has inevitably increased 

 its production, and in all probability the jirices of these two 

 varieties will eventually be equalized. 



The preparation of smoked sheet, which takes longer and is 

 a more delicate operation than the production of crepe, was a 

 disadvantage, because the smoking and the drying, the two 

 principal operations, had to be conducted very carefully, so that 

 rubber shipped in this form would not arrive in a state making 

 its use impossible. 



A new process of smoking obviates all these difficulties and it 

 is anticipated that the smoked sheet, which is undoubtedly the 

 better type, will be more plentiful on the market. The improve- 

 ment effected in the preparation of brown crepe and of scrap 

 by exposure to the winds, and by the removal of the impurities 

 that have formerly reduced their value, has been frequently re- 

 marked. 



It is evident that the epoch of groping is at an end and 

 manufacturers will not fail to appreciate the uniformity in the 

 quality of the product that will be delivered to them. 



COAGtJLATING TANKS. 



ExcELLEN'T results have attended the introduction in Malaya 

 of coagulating tanks, which appear to possess advantages not 

 always obtained by the usual method of coagulating with trays. 

 The tank is a large, shallow receptacle, into which the fresh 

 latex is poured. The first tanks used in Malaya were made with 

 a glazed tile lining, but good results have also been obtained 

 with wood lining when sufficiently smooth. In the bed of the 

 tank are grooves, with intervening spaces equalling the breadth 

 required for the strips of coagulated rubber, for convenience in 

 putting through the creping machines. When the latex has been 

 standing some time, but before it begins to harden, wooden par- 

 titions are pushed into the grooves, so that the tank becomes a 

 series of separate chambers, from which the solidified latex can 

 be taken in strips of the exact size required. 



Uniformity of treatment is insured by this method, the coagu- 

 lation of a large quantity of latex being effected at one time, 

 under precisely similar conditions, and with an equal distribution 

 of acetic acid. 



.\ccording to a description in the "Malay Mail" of the tank 

 being used on the Sungei Tua Estate, it is about 6 inches deep 

 by about 10 feet long and 3 feet broad. It is filled with fresh 

 latex, and the acids used in the coagulation are added. After 

 the parallel partitions are put in, a wooden cover is placed on the 

 top, which is not removed till the next morning, when the strips 

 of coagulated rubber, reduced to a thickness of about 2^ inches, 

 are taken out. They are then ready to be passed through the 

 machines preparatory to being smoked, e.xcept that they have 

 first to be further reduced in thickness through being trodden 

 out bv coolies. 



A X interesting account of the rubber resources of Central 

 •»»• Africa is given in a recent number of Annales de L'Institut 

 Colonial de Bordeaux, from whicli we extract the following on 

 the subject of rubber culture in I'rcnch Equatorial Africa: 



In this zone, known botanically as the Soudanese zone, lianas 

 such as the Landolphia owariensis and Landolphta Heudclotti 

 (from the coast of X'Delle) are utilized. They shoot up 

 especially in the neighborhood of the rivers and in the less 

 wooded places and those preserved from brush fires. But where 

 the forest does not exist, or where the spontaneous vegetation 

 is destroyed by fire, the liana cannot exist under its customary 

 vegetative conditions; it is transformed and appears only as 

 woody tufts. The aerial organs arc destroyed every year, but 

 the underground parts are abnormally developed and produce 

 rhizomes gorged with latex. These plants, described for the 

 first time by M. A. Chevalier, at the time of his mission in 

 Central Africa, were not then utilized. The natives had few 

 wants and the administration required but little of them. The 

 few baskets of rubber they brought in, either to the factors, or 

 in payment of taxes, were obtained by tapping the liana. But 

 since 1903 things have changed ; traffic has developed, owing 

 to the arrival of many free merchants, and the contribution has 

 gradually increased to several hundred thousand francs, repre- 

 senting each year. 150 to 200 tons of rubber. The section that 

 furnished 3 or 4 tons in two or three years has increased its 

 output tenfold, not only on account of paying tribute in produce, 

 but because the natives are beginning to buy merchandise, such 

 as salt, beads, knives, etc. There is no doubt that if the stations 

 were better stocked and sold cheaper, their business and con- 

 sequently offerings of rubber would increase — that is, if the 

 business were conducted in exchange, and not in cash. 



The establishment of plantations, under conditions to be de- 

 termined, would be the best means of assuring to the country 

 the conservation of the sole product of value that it can furnish. 

 There has already been obtained, under favorable conditions, a 

 rapid multiplication of spontaneously growing plants, but this 

 does not appear to be the solution ; it is the cultivation of trees 

 to which recourse should be had. Experiments covering a con- 

 siderable area and with different varieties have already been 

 made, which should serve as a basis for the establishment of 

 plantations. 



SEDUCING FREIGHT CHABGES ON CONGO RtTBBER. 



In view of the critical condition of the rubber market a re- 

 duction in the cost of transportation of rubber has been made 

 in the Belgian Congo. The Congo Railway, with the consent 

 of the Belgian government, reduced the cost of transporting 

 rubber between Stanley-Pool and Matadi, from 1 franc 75c., 

 to 35c. per kilometer ton, after July 1. The Citas Company has 

 likewise met the demands of exporters as to the cost of trans- 

 portation on the Congo River and its tributaries. Since August 

 1, the cost of carrying rubber from Stanleyville or Parnia- 

 Matumbo (Sankuru) and Kinshassa, has been reduced from 

 120 francs to 84 francs per ton. An equivalent reduction has 

 been made in transportation charges from other points, but Bel- 

 gian commercial circles do not consider the reductions important 

 enough to afford relief to the Belgian rubber exporting industry, 

 tho a recent decree of the colonial minister, by which the 

 export duty on rubber is practically abolished, will, it is ex- 

 pected, contribute materially to this effect. 



Should be on every rubber man's desk— The Rubber Trade 

 Directory of the World. 1912. 



BtlKIT RAJAH RTTBBER CO.. LTD. (FEDERATED MALAY STATES). 



This company's output foi" the year ending iVIarch 31 last 

 amounted to 618.374 pounds, against 567,214 pounds for the 

 preceding annual period. For the current year the managers 

 estimate the yield as 640.000 pounds. 



