February i, i .J 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



181 



What fi 11 w - relates to an entirely different company, and 

 is quoted from The Financial Neics : 



At the "statutory" meeting of the new Jangen (Java) Rubber 

 Estates Co., Limited, the chairman said : "The prospectus was 

 issued on December 6, asking for applications for £30,000 de- 

 bentures, fi r which we received application for the sum of 

 ii20,ooo, but as the old shareholders had a claim to preferential 

 treatment, and applied for a large sum, the directors were able 



to allot enly a small number of debentures to the public. 



Your directors anticipate that tapping will probably commence 

 during the latter part of 1910 over a small acreage." 



The appended extracts from recent rubber prospectuses may 

 prove of interest : 



Thirty Pounds Per Tree Per Year. 



From the prospectus of Dennistown (Kriass F. M. S.) Rubber Estates, 

 Limited, registered in London in November, 1909, with £150,000 [= 

 $729,975] capital stated, to acquire four existing rubber plantations in 

 Perak. (The directorate embraces some of the most reputable names con- 

 nected with practical rubber culture today) : 



[The expert on whose report this company was floated said] : 

 "Owing to the richness of the soil and its proximity to water, the 

 yields will greatly exceed that on most estates in the Federated 

 Malay States, and in this connection it may be interesting to 

 mention that in the hospital grounds at Pavit Buntav [which 



Congo Rubber and 



IN their annual review of the Antwerp rubber market for 1909 

 Messrs. Grisar & Co., the official brokers, again confine their 

 remarks mainly to the decline of the natural supplies in the 

 Belgian Congo ( formerly the Congo Free State), and the outlook 

 for rubber cultivation there. First, however, may be introduced 

 a table of the arrivals of rubber at Antwerp during the last ten 

 calendar years : 



Years. Congo State. Other Sources. Total. 



1900 Kilos 4,902,003 796,032 5,698,035 



1901 5417,456 431,742 5.849.202 



1902 4,992,954 411,031 5,403.985 



1903 5,180,401 546.082 5.726,483 



1904 4,723,618 1,040,238 5,765,856 



1905 4,442,607 1,271,121 5,713.728 



1906 4.593.759 1,178,303 5>772.o62 



1907 4,346,14 1 708,332 5.054.473 



1908 4,262,531 772,813 5,035,344 



1909 3,492,332 1,193,626 4.''85.958 



Messrs. Grisar & Co. say: 



"If. in consequence of the changes introduced in the economical 

 regime of the C ngo, and in addition, the remission of the tax 

 on certain centers of population (which heretofore devoted them- 

 selves to gathering rubber), there is a rather serious dimi- 

 nution in importations [at Antwerp], we are able to confirm, on 

 the other hand, an increase in the importation of other kinds, 

 which continue to find an easy and remunerative sale in our 

 market, at approximately, in general, the figures obtained else- 

 where for these same varieties. 



"One fact of prime importance for our market has been brought 

 out in the course of the past year. We mean the annexation of 

 the Congo to Belgium. Viewing the matter solely from the 

 viewpoint of the importance which this event cannot fail to 

 have for the Antwerp market, we believe it interesting to ex- 

 amine briefly the great reform measures which will be regularly 

 introduced in our new colony. 



"The government, in fact, has just decided to abandon to 

 private enterprise the exploitation of rubber in the Belgian 

 Congo. Thi> measure will become effective in three successive 

 periods — 1. <*.. at intervals of one year, beginning with the first 

 of next July. 



"Another change, the importance of which will not escape the 

 attentirn of well informed persons, has just been made in the 



at one time formed part of the estate lately conveyed] there 

 are seven 16 year old Para rubber trees which are being tapped 

 on behalf of the government under my supervision. These trees 

 gave an average of nearly 30 pounds dry rubber each last year, 

 and for the first six months of this year [1909] an average of 

 19 pounds 6 ounces dry rubber each." 



Promoters Cannot Wait for Reports By Mail. 



From more than one prospectus. 



"The statements in this prospectus relating to the estate are 

 based mainly upon the cable report by Mr. D , above re- 

 ferred to." 



"Mr. C in the above report gives no estimates as to 



yield ; he was accordingly asked to do this, and a cable has been 

 received from him giving the following, etc. :" 



The Chinese Know When to Get Out. 



The Chinese, who have settled in large numbers in the United States, 

 where they are excelled by no class as peaceable inhabitants (they cannot 

 become citizens), have gained the impression there of never conducting 

 a business proposition at a loss. 



A review of a recent "batch" of nine new rubber plantation 

 prospectuses indicates that in the case of five of the enterprises, 

 Chinese vendors stand to profit, more or less, by the transfer of 

 ownership of property. 



the Antwerp Market. 



economic organization of the colony: The Belgian government, 

 convinced of the great importance for the future of coordinating 

 the system of plantations, the latest and most authoritative data 

 concerning this industry (comparatively a very new one) in 

 order to have everything run smoothly in the future, has de- 

 cided to take this question under its patronage. 



"The obligations imposed on every one who gathered rubber 

 in the lands or forests of the State to plant a number of rubber 

 trees has been replaced with a tax of 40 or 20 centimes, accord- 

 ing to the method of rubber extraction from trees, lianes (vines), 

 or rhizomes (root rubber). This tax is levied on the amount 

 of rubber in kilograms exported. 



"This measure has been forced upon the government because 

 the application of the legal provisions has not produced the 

 results anticipated — the coordination of the plantations having 

 been found impracticable, as much on account of the imperfect 

 technical training of the persons employed for this purpose as 

 by reason of the difficulties daily to modify essentially the sys- 

 tems themselves that are put into practice. 



"The amount of this tax will be applied to a special fund for 

 replanting, in view of the regular establishment of state plant- 

 ings ; these will comprehend about 2,000 hectares [= 4,942 acres! 

 annually, so that in 10 years the colony would come to have a, 

 considerable fund, the revenues from which will largely increase 

 the budget and rapidly diminish the expense of operation. 



"We might add that the government is prepared to encourage 

 private enterprise in the direction indicated, and to this end 

 will put at the disposition of private enterprise all the data and 

 information that it possesses, as well as vacant land suited to 

 the culture, at very attractive figures. 



"In conclusion, we would also point out that the greatest 

 development of the Belgian Congo henceforward will be due to 

 the cultivation of the Hevca. That, of the Funluinia will be of 

 secondary importance, the same as the planting of other rubber 

 trees and lianes. 



"There is no doubt that the Belgian parliament will grant the 

 necessary approbation for the carrying out of this fine pro- 

 gramme, and we have this to thank for being able to face the 

 future with great confidence. 



"There is nothing special to be said this year about the 

 quality of the Congo rubber, which, in general, has been some- 



