232 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[February 1, 1914. 



now oiiening in Spanish America can at least, in his old age. 

 liave the pleasure of sitting around and gossiping about the 

 fortunes he might have made but did not. 



There are four steamship lines running from New York to 

 Colombia. The Hamburg .American Line (.Atlas Service), with 

 offices at 45 Broadway, New York, has sailings on every Thurs- 

 day for Cartagena and Puerto Colombia, and on every Saturday 

 for Santa Marta, Buenaventura and Tumaco (via Colon). 



The United Fruit Co., 17 Battery Place, New York, also has 

 two sailings each week — one on Wednesday for the five ports 

 mentioned above, and one on .Saturday for Buenaventura and 

 Tumaco (via Colon). 



The Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., 24 State street. New York, 

 has fortnightly sailings, its boats leaving every other Saturday 

 for all of the different Colombian ports ; and the Panama Rail 

 Road Co., 24 State street, has sailings every week for Buena- 

 ventura and Tumaco (via Colon). 



In a general way, the rates are from 15c. to 23c. per cubic foot 

 or from 35c. to SOc. per hundred pounds, according to the ship's 

 o|)tion. In addition there must be taken into consideration con- 

 sular fees of from 1 per cent, to 3 per cent, on the value of 

 the invoice, together with various incidental Government charges, 

 including tonnage dues, lighthouse dues, bill of lading stamp 

 and manifest fees aggregating from 5 to 10 per cent, of the 

 freight rates. The Colombian Consul in New Y'ork is Mr. 

 S. Escobar, 24 State street. 



TRADE NEWS NOTES. 



The value of the rubber exports from Guatemala in 1911 

 amounted to $159,621, and in 1912 to $140,768. Chicle was ex- 

 ported in 1911 to the value of $150,903 and in 1912 to the value 

 of $274,853. 



A United States consular report calls attention to a new style 

 of cart being introduced into Ceylon by a manufacturing firm 

 of Norwich, England, for conveying rubber latex. These carts 

 are strongly made, with wrought iron frame and shafts, steel 

 wheels and with removable galvanized iron swinging tanks fitted 

 with airtight lids, and are in four sizes — 30, 40. 60 and 100 

 gallons. They are designed to be drawn by one or two men, 

 after the st\!e of the jinrikisha. 



The yield of plantation rubber in Java for the month of Sep- 

 tember, 1913, amounted to only 408,515 pounds, a decrease of 

 276.250 pounds from the production of August. This falling off 

 is attributed to the effects of the drought experienced in the rub- 

 ber districts of Java during the six months from April to Sep- 

 tember. 



BRITISH GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR EASTERN PLANTERS. 



At the recent annual dinner in London of the Straits Settle- 

 ments Association, Sir Henry McCallum, late Governor of 

 Ceylon (who presided), confidently predicted that rubber would 

 overcome its depression, adding that a big fight with Brazil rubber 

 was ahead and that planters required all possible government 

 sujiport. He further suggested that the government of the 

 Federated Malay States should advance finances for a School 

 of .Agriculture, until the rubber companies would be able to 

 contribute. 



GRISAR & CO.'S PRICE CHART, 



Displaying in a graphic manner the respective variations of 

 Para rubber in London and of plantation rubber at .Antwerp, the 

 chart of Messrs. Grisar & Co.. of the latter port, for 1913 is of 

 more than usual interest. The two grades followed a uniform 

 downward movement from the, beginning of the year until May, 

 when they parted company ; the former commanding a premium 

 over the latter during the rest of the year. In this chart the 

 history of the strug,gle between the rubbers is clearly shown. 



RECEPTION TO DR. PEDRO DE TOLEDO. 



Advices from Rio de Janeiro state that representatives of 

 the rubber states of Brazil had tendered a reception to Dr. 

 Pedro de Toledo, former Minister of Agriculture, to whom 

 fell the task of carrying into effect the decrees intended to 

 remedy existing conditions in Brazil. These decrees, more- 

 over, were practically drafted by him as expressing the views 

 of the rubber planters regarding their needs. 



During the reception an artistic bronze statuette was pre- 

 sented to Dr. de Toledo, as a token of the appreciation in 

 which his work was held by those interested. In the course 

 of his speech of acknowledgment he remarked that while 

 there was no doubt Oriental competition was threatening the 

 interests of Brazil, Brazilian energy and economy were bound 

 to prevail. He further alluded to the fact that tlie present 

 standing of the East as a rubber producing center was due to 

 the original transporting of Brazilian plants to Ceylon. 



The importance of concerted action by the rubber-produc- 

 ing states was strongly urged; as well as the maintenance of 

 quality. Co-operation on the part of the government was 

 assured; in order tliat the cultivation, gathering and shipment 

 of rubber might form a single issue for the general promo- 

 tion of a business which is still regarded as the industrial 

 glory of Brazil. 



RUBBER EXPORTS FROM BRAZIL. 



The Chamber uf Deputies of Brazil lias appointed a special 

 committee to study the subject of protection of the rubber in- 

 dustry of that country. Brazil's total rubber exports for 1912 

 amounted to 42,286 metric tons, worth $78,221,821, and were 

 divided, as to varieties of rubber, between Seringa, Manitoba, 

 Mangabeira and Sorva in the proportions of 38,152, 3,725,389 

 and 20 metric tons, respectively ; about 52 per cent, of this 

 total amount coming to the United States, 35 per cent, being 

 shipped to the United Kingdom and the greater portion of the 

 remaining 13 per cent, to France. The rubber exports of Brazil 

 from January to July, 1913, aggregated 22,790 tons, which was 

 1,972 tons less than the shipments for the same period of 1912. 



NEW FIRM AT MANAOS. 



By circular dated December 9, 1913, the establishment is an- 

 nounced of a new firm at Manaos, under the style of Pralow 

 & Co. The general partner is Mr. H. Pralow, and the special 

 pa;-tners are the Manaos firms : Tancredo Porto & Co., J. G. 

 .\raujo. Gomes & Co., Mendes & Co. and J. A. Leite. The firm 

 will devote its attention to the commission and consignment 

 business, as well as to the purchase, sale and export of Amazon- 

 ian products. It is stated that the partners of the firm receive 

 from the interior and control, together, about 4,000 tons of up- 

 river rubber. 



MEXICAN RUBBER EXPORTS TO BE REDUCED. 



There will probably be a marked reduction in the exports of 

 crude rubber from Mexico this year. This is due not so much 

 to the revolution — which up to the present time has not seriotisly 

 disturbed the large plantations in the Province of Chiapas — as 

 it is to the new tax of 15c., Mexican money, per kilo (2.2 lbs.) on 

 all crude rubber exported from that country, this tax being par- 

 ticularly burdensome as it is a gross tax levied not only on the 

 rubber but on the boxes in which it is shipped. .As a consequence 

 of this new condition the large planters state that they will not 

 attempt to ship any rubber the coming year, or as long as the 

 present low prices continue to rule. Of course this rest will 

 doubtless be beneficial to the trees; still it does not by any means 

 indicate that the loss will be made up when shipping is resumed. 



The contract made by the Mexican Government on February 1. 

 1909, with William H. Ellis for the operation of a factory for 

 the manufacture of rubber goods has been extended until 

 February 28, 1914. 



