September 1. 1914. 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



681 



prices were lower, as is shown in the table hereto annexed : 



Local Price per Kilo. New York Price 



1913. (2.2 Pounds.) per Pound. 



January 3.8S Horins $0.72 



May 3.60 " 0.66 



July 3A2<A •• 0.60 



Scptcml)cr 2.75 " 0.55(«0.56 



Octolier 2.92;^ " O.S7(<(0.61 



XovemLier 2.90 " 0.64ra0.67 



December 3''« 3.30 " 0.62f(i0.66 



Since January, 1914, tlie price has been rising The shipments 

 are made chiefly to Holland, which takes 57 per cent, of the 

 total. British countries receive 23 per cent, and the United States 

 17 per cent. The quality has suffered from the drouglit of 1912 

 but is improving slowly and surely." 



It is interesting to report that the United States took from this 

 country in the year 1913 produce amounting in value to 3,396,037 

 florins ($1,358,414), against 3.749.045 florins ($1,499,618), the 

 value sent to the mother country. Great Britain received Suri- 

 nam products valued at 1,119,707 florins ($447,882). The United 

 States alone is responsible for 93 per cent, of the cocoa crop of 

 Dutch Guiana, and this accounts for the better market there 

 compared with prices at Amsterdam and in France, which take 

 only 3 per cent, each of bulk of cocoa exported from the colony. 



NOTES FROM BRITISH GUIANA. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



WE.\Tlli:U tONDITIONS: BETTER EXPORT FIGURES. 

 ■ I ■ 1 1 E weather conditions during the past month have on 

 ■*• the whole been very favorable for the balata industry. 

 Although signs arc not wanting that tlie rainy season is 

 coming to an end, we are still experiencing some refreshing' 

 rains. The short rainy season was conspicuously brief again 

 this year and the long rainy season came so late as to cause 

 some misgiving, but when it did come it was found to bear 

 a greater similarity to the traditional rainy season than has 

 been the case for some years, and during the past three 

 months the rainfall has been persistent and abundant. Re- 

 ports from the Rupununi district, where a large proportion 

 of our balata is now secured, are consequently encouraging. 

 One superintendent alone estimates that he will get a return 

 of 20fl.(X)0 jiounds, providing that the men are prepared to 

 work. Up to July 30 the exports from this district have been 

 379,661 pounds, as compared with 299,165 ijounds last year. 

 These are the latest figures published. 



THE CONSOLIDATED REPORT: FOOD FOR TIIOUCHT. 

 The annual report of the Consolidated Rubber & Balata 

 Estates, Ltd., has been received here with mixed feelings. 

 The company is carrying on operations in the colony on a 

 large scale, and if it were to withdraw the importance of the 

 l)alata industry would sustain an appreciable diminution; 

 consequently the fact that there was no profit to provide for 

 writing down the assets, especially preliminary expenses, 

 has caused some misgiving. It was explained at the annual 

 meeting that the large profit anticipated had been cf)mp!etely 

 extinguished owing to the unexpected fall in tlie price of 

 balata. but one of the shareholders pointin.g out that the price 

 of balata in England was in excess of that obtained i)y the 

 directors, a Committee of Inquiry was appointed. The im- 

 portant point was the announcement that the local manager, 

 A. F. White, had reduced the cost of production to 49 cents 

 per pound, as compared with 60 cents in 1912 and 73 cents 

 in 1911. It was contended that if the market price had been 

 obtained by the directors a difference of $115,000 would have 

 resulted, and had not the cost of production been reduced by 

 prudent management and organization locally, the company 

 would have come out very badly on the wrong side. Forty- 

 nine cents is a fairly low cost of production whcji it is recol- 

 lected that many of the company's grants lie so far in the 



hinterland. By the construction of a frontier railway this 

 cost will be still further reduced. It is the cost of transport — 

 the slow progress made over long distances, on account of 

 the difliculties of navigation in our cataract-studded rivers — 

 that leaves such a narrow margin of profit for our balata 

 corporations. 



THE HILL'S EST.ATE: TEMI'()R.\RY SUSPENSION" OF OPERA- 

 TIONS. 

 Some consternation was caused locally by the announce- 

 ment that the Bartica Agricultural Estates, Ltd., had tem- 

 porarily suspended operations at the Hill's Estate owing to 

 the failuic of the sisal hemp cultivation, because this planta- 

 tion represents about the most promising experiment in rub- 

 ber cultivation that the colony has yet to show. A con- 

 siderable acreage is under cultivation and all the rubber is 

 reported to be in a flourishing condition. It is hoped that 

 when this estate makes good it will be the means of inducing 

 other capitalists in the United States, and elsewhere, to try 

 their fortunes with this colony's undoubtedly great pos- 

 sibilities. The report, however, was soon forthcoming that 

 the suspension of operations was likely to be brief, and that 

 it related only to the extension of the cultivation, which 

 ceases for the present. The trees on the 750 acres under 

 rubber are in good condition with regard to height, girth 

 and freedom from grass and weeds. On a few hundreds of 

 these 750 acres the trees are already tappable and the yearly 

 returns are most satisfactory, comparing very favorably with 

 those obtained in other countries. The trees on an area of 

 over 40O acres have been felled, and as soon as the season 

 is favorable for the purpose the clearing and stocking of 

 tliis area will take place by way of preparation for the recep- 

 tion of the plants. There is also in connection with the Hill's 

 Estate a beautiful nursery, containing more than 70,000 seed- 

 lings of the Ilevea brasUicnsis, which will be used in the 

 planting of the area under preparation. 



THE RUBBER EXHIBITION: PRIZES FOR THE COLONY. 

 The colony enjoyed a considerable success at the recent 

 Rublier Exhibition held in London. The British Guiana stall 

 was generally admired and it received the West India Com- 

 mittee's prize for the best comprehensive exhibit of a Per- 

 manent Exhil)itions Committee, while the Hill's Estate won 

 the West India Committee Silver Cup for the best satnple 

 of rubber by an individual exhibitor. Mr. Algernon .'Vspinall, 

 writing to Professor Harrison, Director of Science and .-Agri- 

 culture, says: "Your stand was undoubtedly the finest. .A 

 notable feature was the exhibits of products on a commercial 

 scale. The whole tone of the exhibit was admirable. Next 

 time you must make a still larger display. British Guiana 

 is a colony which should really benefit from partaking in 

 these exliibitions." Mr. C. W. Anderson, Forestry Oflicer. the 

 colony's Commissioner at the Exhibition, writing to the Pro- 

 fessor, said (hat the visitors' book of the. West Indian Courts 

 kept in the British Guiana Court was signed on the opening 

 day by His Royal Highness Prince Arthur of Connaught. 

 who expressed his interest in the exhibits and particularly 

 in the balata exhibits, stating that he had often heard of the 

 product but never before had seen it. The Lord Mayor of 

 London paid a visit in state to the Exhibition on the 26th 

 of June and signed the visitors' book. The Exhibition will 

 do the colony much good in the outside world and will 

 emphasize our mistake in failing to send a display to the 

 New York Exhibition. A very comprehensive exhibit is 

 being sent to the Toronto Exhibition, including sugar, cacao, 

 coffee, rice, rice meal, rum, cocoanuts, cocoanut oil, molas- 

 quit, kola, cassareep, castor oil seed, balata. rubber, and 

 arrow.root. The balata exhibit includes 108 pounds by the 

 Department of Lands and Mines, and the rubber exhibit 

 samples from the Issorora Rubber Station of the Onderneeming 

 School farm. 



