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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[July 1, 1914. 



PRESENT AND FUTURE AMAZONIA. 



By an Oicajioiial Lorrcspondnit. 



IN a recent lecture delivered in Para, Dr. Severino Silva com- 

 mented on the fact that in the .\mazon country during the 

 years of its prosperity attention was paid ahiiost exclusively to 

 the gathering of rubber, everything else being practically neg- 

 lected. Through a desire to get the largest quantity of rubber 

 in the shortest time, many trees were tapped without regard to 

 their future usefulness and thus were ruined, although the 

 Hevca brasiliensis, which gives an abundance of latex and re- 

 ."luires fewer incisions, was somewhat exempt from the ruthless 

 methods pursued with other trees. 



The lecturer went on to discuss the high cost of hving and of 

 prosecuting any industry in that country owing to the extrava- 

 gant habits of even the poorer classes, habits contracted during 

 the days of abnormally large earnings. He stated that northern 

 Brazil had but a rudimentary knowledge of agriculture. He 

 thought, however, that this condition could be altered by securing 

 the proper sort of immigration, with a view to the ultimate fusion 

 and absorption of such colonists. 



THE PRESIDENT'S MESS.^GE. 



.\ccording to the latest annual message of the President of 

 Brazil, the railroad system of this country was increased by 

 1,600 miles during the past year, bringing the total mileage of the 

 Republic up to 16,000. There was a falling off during the year 

 of $55,000,000 in the value of coffee and rubber exports, due not 

 so much to decreased quantities as to lower prices. The Pres- 

 ident stated that a revision of the customs tariff was in prepara- 

 tion. One interesting feature of his message was his expression 

 of thanks to the United States for the reception accorded last 

 summer to Dr. Lauro Miiller. Minister of I'^oreign .\ffairs. when 

 he paid you a visit of several weeks. 



THE BRAZILIAN PRESIDENTELECT. 



In November next. Dr. Wenceslao Braz will succeed Marshal 

 Hermes da Fonseca, whose four years' term as President of 

 Brazil will then expire. In his early days Dr. Braz took the 

 degree of Doctor of Laws ; being elected a member of the legis- 

 lature of Minas Geraes, in which state he held the office of Home 

 Secretary from 1899 to 1902. From 1906 to 1909 he was Governor 

 of the state, and was subsequently elected vice-president of the 

 Republic for the quadrennial period from November 15, 1910, 

 to November 15. 1914, when he will assume the office of President. 

 It is expected that Dr. Braz, now 45, will show himself capable 

 of dealing with the special financial difficulties now confronting 

 the government of Brazil. He has proved an energetic and in- 

 dependent administrator, commanding the confidence of the 

 nation. 



COLONEL ROOSEVELT AT PARA. 



Colonel Roosevelt landed at Para on the morning of May 7, 

 being received by Dr. Eneas Martins, Governor of the state; 

 Senhor Dionysio Bentes, intendant of Belem ; United States 

 Consul Pickerell, and other officials. The party drove through 

 the most attractive parts of the city to the residence of Governor 

 Martins, where a band was stationed which played American and 

 Brazilian national anthems, and where the Colonel's formal 

 reception took place. In conversation he alluded to the many 

 w^aterfalls in the country as sources of energy and exercising an 

 influence upon the future of Brazilian industry, adding: "It is 

 for capitals like Manaos and Para to develop this influence. . . 

 But .*\mazonia ought to cultivate other products besides rubber." 



With regards to Rio, he said it had three elements of a large 

 city : cleanliness, good lighting and good municipal regulations. 

 These, he said, are unequalled in the world. As to Para he was 

 surprised to see in the equatorial zone such a clean and attractive 

 city. 



Colonel Roosevelt and those who had taken part in his recep- 

 tion, were the guests at lunch of Governor Martins, being joined 

 by the presidents of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies as well 

 as other officials. The CoIoticI re-embarked early in the afternoon. 



DR. PINTO ESTABLISHES PARA OFFICE. 

 Dr. Carlos de Cerqucira Pinto announces that he has con- 

 tracted with the government of Brazil for the introduction of 

 his patent process for the preparation of Hevca and Caucho- 

 rubber without smoking, the only process which reduces the cost 

 of production. In accordance with this contract, he has estab- 

 lished his laboratory, warehouse and office at No. 48, rua 13 de 

 Mayo. .Ml the materials necessary for those w-ho wish to make 

 rubber according to his process will be found at his above address. 



MADAME HUBER GOES TO EUROPE. 

 Madame Sophia Miiller Hubcr, widow of the late Dr. Jacques- 

 Hubcr, accompanied by her children, left Para for Europe early 

 in May. Dr. Eneas Martins, governor of the state of Para, went 

 to the steamer to take leave of her. She intends to reside atL 

 Schaffhausen, Switzerland. 



ILLNESS OF TWO BR.AZILIAN FEDERAL MINISTERS. 

 Recent advices from Rio mentioned that Dr. Lauro Miiller, 

 Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Dr. Edwiges dc Queiroz. Minister 

 of .\griculture, were both still indisposed. 



SHIPPING "MENDES FINE." 

 Last .\ugust, J. Marques, the rubber exporter of Para, shipped' 

 to New York some trial cases of rubber in sheets prepared by 

 the Mendes process (which was described on page 346 of the 

 April issue of The India Rubber World), some of this rubber 

 being Acre rubber and some of it Islands. These samples were 

 sold at a premium of 10 cents per pound, and the shrinkage was 

 reported as 4 per cent, for the Islands against the usual 14 to- 

 16 per cent., and 25^2 per cent, for the Acre rubber as against 

 the usual 4 per cent. 



PORTRAITS OF LATE DR. HtlBER. 



Before lier recent departure for Switzerland, Madame Sophia 

 Huber presented to Dr. Ignacio Moura, of Para, a portrait of 

 her late husband, with an appropriate inscription. The Per- 

 manent Commission of the Economical Defense of Amazonia 

 intends to place a reproduction of this portrait in its head- 

 quarters. 



Senhor Adolpho Ducke, head of the botanical division of the 

 Miiseu Goeldi, has been provisionally entrusted with the direc- 

 tion of that establishment. 



NEW BRAZILIAN PROCESS OF LATEX COAGULATION. 



Senhor Conrado Ramos Bastos lately exhibited at the Para> 

 Commercial Association various qualities of rubber prepared by 

 a process of his invention. This method consists in the coagu- 

 lation of the latex and the preparation of the sheets without the 

 use of chemicals of any kind. 



The "Folha do Norte," of Para, reports a demonstration held at 

 its offices, which showed that rubber prepared by the system 

 referred to was free from impurities and possessed the needful' 

 elasticity, having apparently passed through a refining process. 

 The local authorities and the chief members of the rubber trade 

 attended the exhibition of the results obtained by the new 

 process. 



PRESIDENT-ELECT ON BRAZILIAN PRODUCTS. 



In the course of an interview. Dr. Wenceslao Braz. the presi- 

 dent-elect of Brazil, lately reviewed the condition of the chief 

 national products. He attached special importance to the de- 

 ^•elopmcnt of cotton and articles of food. Cacao, he also sug- 

 gested, was admirably adapted for the north of Brazil ; that part 

 of the country being particularly affected by the recent fall in; 

 rubber, while the world's consumption of cacao is constantly 

 increasing. He further urged the importance of immigration,, 

 which he considered was most valuable when spontaneous or 

 under the auspices of settlers already located in the country.. 

 The wonderful progress of the United States in attracting im- 

 migrants he attributed to the .-American educational system. 



