Ai'KiL 1, 1914.1 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



387 



Some Rubber Planting Notes. 



THE CENTRAL COLLEGE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE. 



AS it will be rtcallfti, Profcs.sor WyiKlliam Dimstan, Uircctor 

 of the Imperial Institute, London, recently visited Ceylon, 

 where he attended the meetings of the Committee on the 

 College of Tropical Agriculture. He has since been on an 

 official visit to India. It was Professor Dunstan's suggestion 

 that a College of Agriculture suited to the needs of the whole 

 I^mpire shoiild be founded in Ceylon. The influential London 

 committee then appointed, agreed (notwithstanding opposition 

 from other countries) upon a scheme for a college there, details 

 of which were forwarded to the Board of Agriculture in that 

 island and respecting which Professor Dunstan has been in 

 consultation with the local authorities. 



SAPUMALKANDE RUBBER CO., LTD. (CEYLON). 



From a total area of 2,786 acres, of which 1,970 are cultivated, 

 this company produced in 1913 323,984 pounds, against 241,324 

 pounds in 1912. 



MR. LOUDOUN-SHAND ON THE MARKET. 



In a recent address to the shareholders of the Hevea Rub- 

 ber Trust of London (a company with a paid-up capital 

 equalling $375,000), Mr. J. L. Loudoun-Shand (a director in 

 some ten companies) opposed the hoarding up of rubber, the 

 temporary advance in price being likely to prove disastrous 

 in the long run. He expressed his belief in an open public 

 market, with sales as frequently as possible, thus facilitating 

 business and keeping the planting companies before their 

 customers in every country. 



DUNLOP'S IL&NAGING DIRECTOR ON RUBBER CURING. 



Mr. A. Du Cros, managing director and deputy chairman 

 of the Dunlop Rubber Co., Ltd., recently visited the Botanic 

 Gardens at Peradeniya, Ceylon, where he was much impressed 

 by some of the blocks turned out by the various smoking 

 apparatus now in existence. He stated that his firm only 

 dealt in three kinds of rubber — hard Para; rubber produced 

 on their own estates in Ceylon and Malaya, and certain 

 brands of plantation rubber which had been found of consistent 

 regularity. All the machine work was done at home with 

 satisfactory results, while on their plantations they aimed at 

 curing the latex. In his opinion planters would all have to 

 revert to some simple process of curing. 



GERMAN NEW GUINEA CO. 



The report of this company for 1913 shows a relatively 

 large increase upon 1912, the yield of rubber amounting to 

 19^ tons as compared with 11,^ tons, the distribution being 

 as follows: Finis elastica, 13^ tons; Castilloa elastka, 4 tons; 

 Hcvca brasiliensis, 1?4 tons. In view of the prevailing rubber 

 crisis, efforts are being directed towards the production of a 

 first-class product, with a view to meeting the increasing 

 competition. 



The exports of the year 1913-14 from the British Solomon 

 Islands will include a small quantity of rubber, the result of the 

 tapping of a number of trees which have attained the age of 

 four years. Cotton in small quantities has also been produced on 

 these islands, but labor to make the cultivation of either product 

 a profitable venture is not at present available. 



SELABA RUBBER ESTATES, LTD. (FEDERATED MALAY STATES). 



Out of a total area of 2,832 acres, 2,493 are cultivated, and in 

 1913 produced 407,069 pounds. The crop of 1912 was 319,595 

 pounds. 



GOLDEN HOPE RUBBER ESTATE, LTD. (FEDERATED MALAY STATES). 



Ol a total area of 897 acres. 850 arc planted in rubber, and 

 in 1913 produced 179,526 pounds, against 146,430 pounds re- 

 corded for 1912. 



STATISTICS OF FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



Ofl^cial Statistics to the end of 1912 show the following 

 quantities of rubber exported from the Federated Malay States 

 durmg the last 6 years: 1907, 1,984,285 pounds; 1908, 3,165,600 

 pounds; 1909, 6,087.815 pounds; 1910, 12,212,526 pounds; 1911, 

 19,695,330 pounds; 1912, 34,732,415 pounds. 

 The total area under rubber was as follows : 



1910 1911 1912 



Number of estates 435 700 703 



.\creage in possession 579.598 766.793 794,545 



Acreage planted to December 31 245,774 352,974 399,197 



In 1912 the area opened for rubber was 46,223 acres, as com- 

 pared with 107,200 in 1911. 



The report of the Director of Agriculture states that rubber 

 is now being produced in Malaya and placed on the market at 

 Is. to Is. 2d. (24.33c. to 28.38c.) per pound. A further reduction 

 of cost is anticipated as the result of various economies. Special 

 attention is being paid to mechanical labor-saving devices in 

 connection with the experimental plantation at Kuala Lumpur. 



In the concluding words of his report, the Director of Agri- 

 culture says that there is no need to fear the competition of 

 synthetic rubber for several years, when plantation rubber can 

 be put on the market by well-managed estates at Is. (24.33c.) 

 a pound. 



The number of laborers on estates of over a hundred acres in 

 1912 was 188,050, being an increase of about 22,0(X) as compared 

 with 1911. Wages varied according to the place of employment, 

 Chinese workers earning in some cases as much as $1.20 a day 

 and Tani.ils as little as 25 cents a day. 



FOREIGN COMPETITION IN MALAYA. 



As compared with 1896 the Straits Settlements imports of 

 British goods for 1912 showed a gain of about 90 per cent., while 

 those from the continent of Europe and the United States more 

 than doubled in that period. India rubber goods are among the 

 German products showing an increased trade with the Straits 

 Settlements between 1896 and 1912. 



SUMATRA'S INCREASING PRODUCTION OF RUBBER. 



The reports of three Sumatra companies to January 31, 

 1914, show largely increased outputs. For five months then 

 terminating, the United Serdang Rubber Plantations report 

 705,456 pounds, as compared with 392,189 pounds during the 

 corresponding period a year earlier. For 12 months the 

 Sialang Rubber Estates show 301,616 pounds against 176,586 

 pounds for the twelve months ending Januarj' 31, 1913. 



SOURABAYA RUBBER EXPORTS. 



The years 1910 to 1912 showed a progressive development 

 in rubber exports from Sourabaya, Java, the respective figures 

 being 31, 621^ and 103j4 tons. Of the last named quantity 

 about 50 per cent, went to the Netherlands, 35 per cent, to 

 Great Britain and 15 per cent, to other countries. 



