354 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[Ai'RiL 1, lyM. 



and other points of importance; wliile the standard tables 

 showing equivalents in German currency of English prices 

 per pound at various rates of loss in washing, form a valu- 

 able basis of calculation. Further tables include estimates 

 of production, consumption and visible stocks for the years 

 ending June 30, 1906 to 1913. 



A group of tables records the sources and characteristics 

 of South and Central American, African, .Asiatic and Oceanic 

 varieties of rubber, while another series gives the variations 

 in rubber prices from October, 1912, to September, 1913. 



The subjects of manufacture and products are next dealt 

 with, in the form of tables showing the chemical composi- 

 tion of various ingredients used in rubber compounds, the 

 comparison of German and English vulcanization scales, 

 logarithms and other mathematical calcinations. .Vn in- 

 teresting feature of this section is the normal price list of 

 rubber hose in various internal diameters and thicknesses. 



Other interesting tables with reference to the commerce 

 in rubber and rubber goods enhance the completeness of the 

 work. The supplement includes an historical calendar of the 

 rubber industry from A.D. 1536 to 1910. as well as a review 

 of the chemistry and technology of rubber. It also contains 

 a good deal of varied technical information, which renders 

 the calendar of interest and value to rubber manufacturers in 

 general. 



COCONUT CULTIVATION AND in.ANTATION MACHINERY. 

 Ky IT. L.lke Coghlan, of .Singapore and Johore, and J. W. HincUley, 

 .\si.ociatc of the English Royal School of Mines. London, 1914. Cros- 

 by, Lockwood & Son. [Cloth, S'A x 4%, 124 pages.l 



In this handy little volume there is grouped a quantity of 

 information gathered and compiled by its authors, whose 

 experience has given tlicm special facilities for the task. 



According to an outline of the various requirements of 

 humanity which the coconut palm fills, the roots furnisli a 

 remedy for fevers; the trunk wood for building purposes; the 

 stalk firewood; the husk coir for cordage and paper pulp; 

 the .shell drinking vessels and rubber latex cups : while the 

 kernel (commercialy known as copra) gives oil, cattle feed, 

 nut butter, soap, food and candles. Finally, the milk forms 

 a delicious beverage. The authors state that nothing else 

 that grows on earth has so many uses as this wonderful tree, 

 for which Malaya, the successful rubber country, is also an 

 idea! land. Europeans have not given this particular culti- 

 vation the same attention that has been devoted to rubber 

 and cofiPee, the coconut indu.stry having remained almost 

 entirely in the hands of the natives or the Chinese; the total 

 area under that form of cultivation being about l.SO.OOO acres. 

 Latest annual exports of Malayan coconut products equal 

 in American currency approximately: Coconuts, $150,000; coco- 

 nut oil, $1,100,000; copra. $10,000,000: total about $11,- 

 260.000. There arc said to be large tracts of land suitable 

 for coconuts in Malaya awaiting the advent of enterprising 

 capitalists. It is added that the industry is only in its 

 infancy and is bound to expand on the introduction of more 

 enlightened methods for tlie jircparation of the copra and 

 the extraction of the oil. 



In subsequent chapters the details of cultivation are dealt 

 with, while in a later section the machinery and plant for 

 coconut factories are fully described, with illustrations. 

 plans and estimates. Catch-crops receive mention in connec- 

 tion with Robusta Cofifee and otlier intermediate forms of 

 cultivation. It is, Iiowever. remarked that rubber trees 

 should on no account be interplanted with coconuts, as they 

 cannot possibly thrive well together. 



To all interested in the subject of coconuts, this cr)mpre- 

 hensive summary will prove of value. 



RUBBER SHARE HANDBOOK 1914. 



""PlUC 1914 issue of this useful handbook is full of valuable in- 

 ■*■ formation about the 589 plantation companies represented 

 in F.ngland. This number is apparently smaller than that shown 

 in April. 1913, for the previous two years, but this arises from 

 the elunination of the "Dollar and Rupee'' companies and of the 

 Rubber Trust companies, which make the correct amounts for 

 1912 561, and for 1913 580. In comparison with these figures 

 the total for 1914 of 589 shows a slight advance on last year, 

 principally due to the addition of new companies in Malaya, 

 more or less offset by some falling off in respect to .Africa. 

 Xearly two-thirds of the plantation companies thus belong to 

 the Malay States and Ceylon. 



STERLING PLANTATION COMPANIES (ELI.MINATING RUliliER 



TRUST COMPANIES AND "DOLLAR AND RUPEE" 



COMPANIES). 



1912. 1913. 1914. 



Malav States *223 *237 251 



Ceylon *101 *109 113 



Java 43 44 47 



Sumatra 39 40 37 



Borneo, etc 28 27 29 



India 34 37 34 



( )ceania 4 4 4 



.Africa 52 49 43 



South and Central .America. Mexico, etc... 37 33 31 



Total 561 580 589 



* Revised figures. 



In the preface to the work, Mr. F.. I.. Killick refers to the 

 figures of prodiiclion now available, as follows: 



Plantation. Urazil. Rest. Total. 



1912 Ions 28,518 42,410 28,000 98,928 



1013 " 47,200 30.370 19.100 105.670 



1914 (estimated). " 65.000 .UOOO 10.000 107,000 



Receipts from I'razil. he adds, durin,!, the past few months indi- 

 cate a serious falling off, so that it is reasonable to conclude that 

 the Brazilian industry is feeling the pinch of low prices and will 

 do so to an increased extent. 



The opinion is expressed that it will not be long before African 

 and other wild rubbers will become quite unsalable at remun- 

 erative prices, seeing the steady increase of plantation imports; 

 That the requirements of the automobile industry are in excess 

 of supplies is proved by tlie lack of adequate stocks. 



With regard to plantation rubber, Mr. Killick emphasizes the 

 advantage of the low cost of production, adding that there is no 

 reason to doubt it will ere long reach a total cost of about Is. 

 (24.33c.) per pound, while wild rubber can never be produced 

 on such favorable terms. Costs will proliably not vary much 

 throughout the ])Iantation zone, it being apparently reasonable 

 to accept Is. as the ultimate cost of production, with 400 pounds 

 per acre as average annual yield at maturity. 



One advantage of plantation rubber is that when the market is 

 unfavorable production can be held up and the rubber left un- 

 tapped awaiting an improvement. In Mr. Killick's own words: 



".As there is strong evidence _of general agreement among big 

 buyers of rubber, the necessity of a protective combination of 

 sellers is obvious. . . . The inference is that no real desire 

 for combination exists among producers. The ni.-irkct will ap- 

 parently be left to take its own course, with consequences event- 

 ually damaging to the entire industry, and disastrous to indivi- 

 dual companies of insufficient financial strength." 



EXPORTS OF RUBBER MANUFACTURES TO PHILIPPINES. 



.Statistics for October show tlie following exports from the 

 United States to the Philippines of manufactures of rubber dur- 

 ing the month in various years: 1908, $5..S96 : I9I2. $16,218: 191.^ 

 $40,036. 



