June 1, 1914.J 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



513 



BRAZIL CONTINUES PREFERENCE TO AMERICAN 

 RUBBER GOODS. 



DV the decree of January 17, 1914, Brazil continues for the 

 ■'-' current year the preferential tariff reduction of 20 per cent, 

 on all rubber goods imported from the United States. Below is 

 the regular Brazilian tariff schedule on rubber goods manufac- 

 tured in the United States, to which this reduction applies. 



BR.\ZILI.\X TARIFF ON RUBBER GOODS. 



From which 20 per cent, is to be deducted during 1914. 



Equivalents. 



Milreis (1,000 Rcis), (gold), 54.6 cents; Paper, 32.4 cenU; Kilo, 2.2 lbs. 



(Duties on most articles payable 65 per cent, in paper and 35 per cent. 



in gold.) 



Full duty Per- 

 per kilo- ccutage 

 Description gram, of duty Tare 



of goods. in Rcis. levied. allowance. 



Manufactures of rubber, gutta 

 percha, vulcanized or not — 

 Funnels, capsules and bottles.. 2,600 50 Cases or boxes of cardboard, 



or similar packages, gross. 

 Sticks, whips and similar articles 5,000 50 do. 



Tobacco pouches, tips of walk- 

 ing sticks and match box 



covers 4,000 50 do. 



Dolls, toys and similar articles 3,500 50 do. 



Buttons of all kinds 4,000 50 do. 



Footwear 3,000 50 do. 



Machine packing 1,000 SO do. 



Comb^, rulers and penholders. 4,000 50 do. 



Fans, each 3,000 50 do. 



Belts, braces, garters, cords, 

 ribbons and plaits — 

 Covered with pure or mixed 



silk 30.000 50 With the exception of card- 

 board cases, gross. 

 Covered with any other ma- 

 terial 7,000 50 Cases or boxes of cardboard, 



or similar packages, gross. 

 Preparation or composition for 



dentists 3,200 50 do. 



Bracelets, earrings, lockets and 



other articles of adornment. 10,000 50 do. 

 Stems and tubes for flowers. . . 7,000 50 do. 

 Combined with tissues of cot- 

 ton, wool or linen — 

 In the piece or in cuttings.. 4,000 50 do. 

 In articles not specially men- 

 tioned 7,000 50 do. 



Combined with tissues of pure 

 or mixed silk — 

 In the piece or in cuttings. . 7,000 50 do. 

 In articles not specially men- 

 tioned 15,000 50 do. 



Hose, threads, leaves or sheets 1,20C 50 do. 



Doormats 1,300 50 do. 



Not specially mentioned ad valorem 50 



ENGLISH REPORT ON BRAZILIAN CONDITIONS. 



In an official report the British Consul at Para lately stated 

 that under the stress of the severe competition and cost of col- 

 lection and transport, it is likely that all but the finest rubber 

 will disappear from the Para market and that the greatest care 

 will have to be taken in purifying even the best grade. He 

 further remarks that while the Amazon district is one vast forest, 

 the greater part of the wood for export rubber boxes is im- 

 ported from the United States. 



The natural — and only — remedy would be, it is added, to re- 

 move every charge of export or other taxes on products leaving 

 the country, and to abolish all import duties on food and other 

 necessaries of life. 



THE PROPOSED BRAZILIAN LOAN. 



According to the Paris financial press, there are three interests 

 concerned in the Brazilian loan of $100,000,000, now under 

 negotiation in the British and French capitals. These three in- 

 terests are the Brazilian government, the French banking syn- 

 dicate and the group of English bankers represented by the 

 Rothschilds. The points which are specially leading to contro- 

 versy are said to be the request for a special guarantee, and the 

 organization of some form of European control over Brazilian 

 finances. Such a guarantee would, it is considered, depreciate 

 the older Brazilian loans, in which English investors have large 

 holdings. 



The Bolivian Congress recently passed a surtax of 15 per cent, 

 on all goods subject to import duty. 



RUBBER NOTES FROM DUTCH GUIANA. 



/>'v Our Regular Corn'spoiidcnl. 

 IT is interesting to report that balata produced in the colony 

 * from January to March 31, shows an increase of 8,108 

 kilograms (17,838 pounds) over the production for the same 

 period during 1913. The official records are as follows: 

 Balata production, January to March 31, 1913, 86,775 kilo- 

 grams (190,905 pounds); same period 1914, 94,883 kilograms 

 (208,742 pounds J. The weather has been very favorable for 

 gathering and drying the product during this period and, if 

 conditions are equal, predictions of a record crop this year 

 will without a doubt be fulfilled. The proposed general reg- 

 ulations governing the industry have been published; whether 

 the Colonial States will pass them is a question. 



The two largest and most important balata concerns in 

 Dutch Guiana have amalgamated, being represented by C. S. 

 J. Struycken de Roysancour. These concerns are Balata 

 Compagnie Suriname and Balata Compagnie Guyana. The 

 united companies have acquired commodious new offices, 

 where operations on a very large scale will be carried on. 



Ter Saag & Co. are reported to have produced last year, 

 by felling of the trees, seven tons of balata. It is understood 

 that most of the trees had suffered almost complete destruc- 

 tion from previous indiscriminate tapping. If this informa- 

 tion is correct the company is to be congratulated, for the 

 felling system is certainly unpopular among the majority 

 of bleeders and others. It is also said in balata circles that 

 they have transferred certain of their concessions to a Lon- 

 don syndicate. 



The Colonial States are considering an attempt to impress 

 upon the mother country the absolute necessity of extending 

 the railroad to the Lawa district, and then perhaps to Brazil. 

 The present railroad starts at Paramaribo, the capital, and 

 terminates at a point called "Dam," on the Sara Creek. If 

 this line were extended to the border of Brazil or even, say, 

 to the Lawa, it would penetrate a region abounding in balata 

 producing trees and wild rubber, Hcvea Gityanensis. Not alone 

 would the extension of the line benefit the balata industry, 

 but the rich forests of all sorts of timber would be reached 

 that today are practically useless to the country. The gold 

 industry would also receive more attention, for in these 

 regions this precious metal is freely distributed. The de- 

 velopment of all this natural wealth would tend to the making 

 of the country, which, from its strategical position on the 

 northern coast of South America, is an ideal land for the 

 capitalist. 



Ten years ago, when the Dutch Government at the Hague 

 voted an amount to construct the Hinterland railway to the 

 Lawa district, it was decided to run the line to a point some- 

 where near the Cie. Des Mines D'or. Had this been don^ 

 today there would be little chance of our neighbor, British 

 Guiana, carrying her frontier railway scheme through, for the 

 simple reason that the advantages that colony is about to 

 gain would now have been Dutch Guiana's. British Guiana, 

 governed by a man of constructive ability and a thorough 

 business man, has not been slow to take advantage of the 

 position, and the Dutchman now "wakes up" to a realization 

 of his stupidity. 



The despatch of His Excellency, Sir Walter Egerton, to 

 the Secretary of State for the Colonies, published in part in 

 The lNni.\ Rubber World of April— page 386 — is a masterful 

 document and shows the writer to be possessed of a large 

 degree of energy, foresight and judgment. The scheme out- 

 lined in the despatch is a bold one, but its feasibility is be- 

 yond question. To my mind, however, there is an impedi- 

 ment, the consideration of which I shall defer to the latter 

 part of my letter. During the years I have been in French 

 Guiana and latterly in Dutch Guiana, I have been observing 



