120 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[December 1. 1913. 



THE RIO RUBBER EXHIBITION OF OCTOBER, 1913 



ipROM the very inception of the measures which culminated in 

 * the establishment of the government bureau styled the 

 "Defesa Da Borracha," Rio has been the pivotal center of legis- 

 lation affecting rubber. It was at that city, in the summer of 

 1911, that delegates from all parts of Brazil met to submit their 

 views to the government. These views led to the subsequent 

 legislation of January and -April, 1912, one of the sections of 

 which provided for triennial rubber exliibitions at Rio, the 

 first of these to be held in May, 1913. 



After several postponements, the Rio de Janeiro Rubber Ex- 

 hibition has taken place. Originally fi.xed for May 13, it was 

 first put off till September 13 and again to October 12. On 

 October 11 (the day before the official opening) a private view 

 was attended by Marshal Hermes Da Fonseca, President of the 

 Republic of Brazil, accompanied by his staff, which included 

 Dr. Pedro Dc Toledo, Minister of Agriculture. Dr. Pereira Da 

 Silva, Chief of the Defesa Da Borracha, .\drimal Jose Carlos 

 De Carvalho, in 

 official charge of 

 the exhibition, 

 and various 

 jDther officials. 



Under the spe- 

 cial escort of the 

 officials connect- 

 ed with rubber, 

 the President 

 then made a to'.ir 

 of the exhibition, 

 carefully study- 

 ing each section. 



The object of 

 this preliminary 

 official i n s p d c- 

 lion was to en- 

 able each of the 

 various members 

 of the cabinet to 

 acquire a person- 

 al knowledge of 

 t h e connection 

 between his de- 

 partment and the 

 broad question 

 of rubber and 

 to determine in what way they could be of mutual service. 



With a view to a more intimate exchange of knowledge as 

 to their product by the separate states, there had been arranged 

 at this exhibition samples of the different types and species of 

 rubber produced in the various parts of Brazil. Information 

 had been compiled as to cost of rubber lands, wages, climate, 

 extraction and preparation of rubber. This information was so 

 grouped as to afford comparative information about the various 

 features of the questions now engaging the attention of rubber 

 experts. The information also covered freights, taxes, duties, 

 and complete data regarding the rubber industry. This printed 

 matter was intended for the enlightenment of Brazilian as well 

 as foreign visitors, and included diagrams and monographs. 



An interesting feature was the examination by the President 

 of the process of smokeless preparation of rubber, invented by 

 Dr. Cerqueira Pinto, who claimed superiority for his process to 

 any other for the purpose, excepting the metallic drum of Ad- 

 miral Jose Carlos de Carvalho. The learned doctor said that 

 the Brazilian government had already made a contract for the 

 introduction of his process. 



Of remarkable interest were the exhibits of sheet rubber from 

 the states of Matto-Grosso, Amazonas and Para, which supply 



The .Monroe 



a large part of the Brazilian rubber exports. Miitas-Geraes 

 likewise had a good display, representing Manicoba and Manga- 

 beira rubber. The large daily attendance at the Monroe" Palace 

 has furnished convincing evidence of the keen interest felt in 

 the exhibition. 



There has been a total absence of jealousy between the rep- 

 resentatives of the East and the West, Dr. Pereira da Silva hav- 

 ing accorded a place of honor to the collections of Ceylon and 

 British Malayan rubber. 



On the following evening, Sunday, October 12, the President 

 of the Republic repeated his visit, for the purpose of formally 

 opening the exhibition. The inaugural ceremony took place in 

 the upper saloon of the Monroe Palace, before a select number 

 of high officials and personages representing Brazilian society. 

 The President on ascending the platform was accompanied by 

 Dr. Pedro de Toledo, Minister of .Agriculture, who delivered 

 the address, e.xtracts from which are quoted below. 



The cinematograph display gave a personal interest to the 



exhibit, illustrat- 

 ing the produc- 

 tion of rubber in 

 the various 

 states of the 

 Brazilian Repub- 

 lic. 



Many ideas 

 were suggested 

 by this instruc- 

 tive exhibition, a 

 goodly number 

 of w h i c h will 

 doubtless be real- 

 ized at next 

 year's London 

 display. 



The exhibition 



included sections 



demons trating 



t h e cultivation 



and preparation 



of rubber and 



the manufacture 



of rubber goods. 



It presented a 



c o m p r ehensive 



P-\L.^CE, Rio. display of the 



whole of the rubber industry as carried out in the producing 



states represented. 



In a special pavilion were grouped a number of machines used 

 in the manipulation and preparation of rubber, and, to a certain 

 extent, for manufacturing. These machines all came from Great 

 Britain. 



The principal exhibits of machinery by English manufacturers 

 were those from David Bridge & Co., Ltd. (two machines) ; 

 Francis Shaw & Co., washing and drying machines; Robert 

 Warner & Co. (two machines). 



It would seem that the advantages of the exhibition were to 

 a great extent not recognized by European manufacturers. 



DR. PEDRO DE TOLEDO'S SPEECH. 



On the occasion of the opening of the exhibition the formal 

 address was delivered by Dr. Pedro de Toledo. In this address 

 he pointed out that every industry has to encounter struggles 

 before reaching greatness. 



To use his own words : 



"In the fantastic wilds of the -Amazon Valley arose one day 

 the industry of black gold. It went on thriving, at the loss of 

 thousands and thousands of lives. Those nameless heroes, the 

 rubber gatherers, amid the squalor that wasted their bodies, went 



