84 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[December i, 1909. 



RUBBER PROFITS ON THE KASAI. 



"THE trading profits f< n- [908 of the Gompagnie du ECasai — the 

 * rubber monopoly in the ECasai region of the Belgium Congo 

 — though showing an important improvement over 1907, fell con- 

 siderably short of the results for some preceding years. The 

 gross return for 1908 was 8,125,674.73 francs [=$1,568,255.22] 

 The net profit, after providing for the eost of planting rubber 

 as required by law, interest on bonds, etc., was 4,337,428.70 francs 

 [=$837,123.74]. 



After paying 6 per cent, on the eapital shares, directors' fees, 

 agents' commissions, and adding to the reserves, there remained 

 for the holders of the beneficiary shares (common stock) 3,216,000 

 francs [=$620,688], or 800 francs per share. 



The capital of the company is in 4,020 shares of 250 francs 

 each, totaling 1,005,000 francs [=$193,965], and an equal number 

 of beneficiary shares "without designation of value." It is the 

 later which participate in the large profits above referred to. 

 One-half the beneficiary shares are held by the 14 companies 

 participating in the Kasai syndicate, one-half by the Congo State. 

 If the beneficiary shares be given the same par value as the 

 capital stock (250 francs), as is the custom in issuing "common 

 stock" in America, the Kasai dividend of 800 francs per share 

 would work out at 312^ per cent, for the year. Last year the 

 distribution was only 400 francs per share. 



A recent Brussels bourse quotation for these shares "without 

 designation of value" was 13,675 francs [=$2,639.27]. 



The net profits of the Kasai syndicate since the beginning, 

 derived chiefly from its rubber trading, have been : 



In 1902 1,210,706.23 francs [=$233,666.26] 



In 1903 3.497.393-OI francs [ = 677.996.85] 



In 1904 5.334.797.o6 francs [ = 1,029,615.82] 



In 1905 7,543,084.98 francs [ = 1,455,885.40] 



In 1906 8,033,657.22 francs [=1,550,49585] 



In 1907 2,018,979.93 francs [= 389.663.13] 



In 1008 4,337,428.70 francs [= 837,123.74] 



The following statements appear in the latest annual report of 

 the Kasai company : 



"The importance of our harvests has virtually not varied at 

 all, having been about 1,427 tons in 1907, while in 1908 it was 

 1,410 tons. 



"We have again extended our field of operations toward the 

 south and southwest. The different centers of population with 

 which we come into contact are, for the most part, peaceful. 

 All branches of our African service are working to our satisfac- 

 tion. Our flotilla has been reorganized, and two new units have 

 been added to it. 



"Our producing area in the Lukombe district is continually 

 being increased, and the funds for our replantings are regularly 

 provided. Our Dima plantation is successfully carrying on its 

 breeding experiments and its work with the growing plant. 



"In a word, the situation that we have brought about in Africa 

 after seven years of persevering work is very satisfactory. The 

 taking over of the Congo by Belgium has only made it stronger. 



"The greater part of the company's agents under bail up to 

 the present time have been acquitted or sentenced to light pun- 

 ishment. They are better, in general, than the reputation too 

 often attaching to them would lead one to believe, and their de- 

 votion and spirit of discipline are rather deserving of praise." 



A SUGGESTION RE "LANDOLPHIA." 



' I 'O the Editor of the India Rubber World: The Landolphia 

 A rubber species are found everywhere in tropical and sub- 

 tropical Africa; in some places the vines are not above 1 inch 

 in diameter, while in other places they are found up to about 12 

 inches. In some regions they grow sparsely, and in a few parts 

 they are a forest. As they do not grow straight, however, their 

 tapping is more difficult than tree rubber, and consequently the 

 collection of Landolphia rubber is comparatively expensive. 



Many remedies have been suggested, one of which is that the 

 Landolphia vines should be made into an annual or biennial 

 crop, the same as the grape vine, and out down a short distance 

 from the ground; they would then sprout up again and be ready 

 for re-cutting in a year or two. The whole of the cut plant 

 would be carried to a central station, the large! pines barked 

 and this bark, together with the smaller branches and leaves, 

 put through a masticating machine ami the whole of the latex 

 extracted instead of less than one-fourth by the tapping methods. 

 Landolphia would thus become the most profitable of rubber 

 plants. 



Some attempts have been made in this direction by means of 

 rollers, tube mills and other machines, with varying amounts of 

 success. Some people only extract part of the rubber contents, 

 others heat and spoil the rubber, and very few can be termed 

 a commercial success. If a really good machine were provided 

 there would be a large sale for them and the inventor would be 

 well paid for his work. 



This method would greatly increase the quantity available of 

 this valuable rubber, because, instead of a man tapping a pound 

 or two of rubber per day, he would be able to cut down enough 

 vines to produce many hundred times that amount. The cost of 

 collection would be very low, and such rubber could be sold at 

 much lower prices than those at present ruling and yet realize 

 handsome profits. 



We have no doubt that many of your readers, like ourselves, 



would be very pleased to get into communication with inventors 



and manufacturers in this direction, and the discussion of this 



subject in your columns would doubtless be not only interesting 



but beneficial. the cosmo contracting syndicate, limited, 



S. Goldbeich. Director. 

 London, November 3, 1909. 



GOOD RUBBER FROM UGANDA. 



' I 'O the Editor of The India Rubber World: In your issue 

 *■ of October 1 (page 28) I observe you make some allusion 

 to our Funtumia elastica rubber. It will interest you to know- 

 that at the London sales held on the 19th hist., some of our 

 rubber fetched 9.? <\%d. [=$2.27;/] per pound. This was the 

 third highest price in the market, and we hope before long to 

 so improve the Mabira rubber that we shall easily top the best 

 plantation Para. This information may be of interest to the 

 readers of your valuable journal, which we — in common with 

 other planters — read with the greatest benefit from month to 

 month. Yours faithfully, 



mabira forest (Uganda) rubber co., limited. 



John W. Johnston, Managing Director. 

 London, October 21, 1909. 



* * * 



At the second annual meeting of the Mabiri Forest company 

 it was stated that the production of rubber had gone up from 

 about 10,000 pounds in 1907 to 35,137 pounds in 1908, while the 

 output for the first six months of 1909 was 26,000 pounds. Be- 

 sides tapping mature trees a considerable amount of planting has 

 been done, the number to May 31, 1909, being 276,634 Funtumia 

 elastica and 3,471 Hei'ea Brasiliensis, in addition to coffee, 

 cocoa, and sisal. At the latest report arrangements were being 

 made to put out 150,000 seeds of Hevea. 



* * * 



An interesting series of letters of travel in British East 

 Africa is being contributed to an American newspaper syndicate 

 by Mr. Edgar Beecher Rronson, an accomplished writer as well 

 as a traveler of experience. A recent number, entitled "Rubber- 

 ing in Africa," had to do with the territory controlled by the 

 Mabiri Forest (Uganda) Rubber Co. The region is just north of 

 Victoria Nyanza (lake Victoria), which great body of water is 

 reached by the railway from Mombasa, recently traversed by Mr. 

 Theodore Roosevelt on his hunting expedition. Mr. Bronson's 

 article is unusually informing. 



