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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[April i, 1910. 



Amazonas Theater, under the presidency of Senhor Waldemar 

 Scholz, the head of the Associacao Commercial of Manaos. At 

 these preparatory sessions, held on February 19, 20, and 21, 

 various preliminaries were discussed, and the work of the Con- 

 gress marked out. For example, a special jury was appointed for 

 awarding the four prizes of five contos [=about $1,500] each 

 advertised for the best dissertation on the following theses: 



I. The best way of developing the mercantile marine in the Amazon 

 valley. 



II. How to colonize the soil of Amazonia. 



III. How to develop agriculture in the Amazon valley. 



IV. The best way to develop the planting of rubber trees in Amazonia 

 and the best methods to employ in the preparation of the latex. 



The jury took formal possession of the essays which had 

 been forwarded to the association, in response to the advertise- 

 ments published. 



It was decided to divide the work of the Congress into three 

 groups, each to be the special care of a commission, and presi- 

 dents of these commissions were elected : Baron of Solimoes, 

 for that on agriculture ; Dr. Huber, for that on rubber ; and 

 J. C. Mesquita, for that on commerce. 



Following the preparatory sessions came the inaugural or 

 opening session of February 22 and afterwards ordinary ses- 

 sions during four days, the program ending with final session 

 on Sunday evening, February 27. 



The first day's ordinary session was reserved for the presenta- 

 tion of "projects" for the consideration of the Congress. On 

 the second day the jury presented its verdict on the various 

 essays which had been submitted. On the third day the con- 

 clusions arrived at by the various commissions were read and 

 discussed as well as the projects put forward at Wednesday's 

 session. On Saturday a series of final conclusions were ap- 

 proved by formal vote, after discussion. These conclusions, fif- 

 teen in number, are printed in full in this paper as summarizing 

 the sentiment of the Congress. It will be noted that they all 

 relate to india-rubber. 



As an illustration of the ideas advocated during the sessions 

 may be mentioned the motion by Dr. Rey de Castro, recom- 

 mending the study, by the governments represented at the Con- 

 gress, of the best means for developing cooperative societies in 

 Amazonia. 



Dr. Magalhaes presented a motion recommending means of 

 promoting better hygiene and medical assistance on seringacs. 



Proposals were made regarding improved means of transpor- 

 tation ; in fact the program of the Congress was so broad as to 

 permit the introduction of whatever proposal any delegate might 

 regard as having a practical bearing upon the development of 

 the Amazon country. 



The three commissions, for the three sections into which the 

 congress was divided, were organized finally as follows : 



Commerce. — J. Claudio Mesquita (chairman) ; Rafael Benoliel, J. G. 

 Aranjo, Jose Teixeira de Souza, Luiz Rodriques, W. Stuart Gordon, Emil 

 Zarges. W. Robilliard, J. Mendes Cavalleiro. 



Extractive Industry, — Dr. J. Huber (chairman); Candido Marianno, H. 

 Weaver, Passes Mirando, Lyonel Gamier, Leopoldo de Mattos, A. F. Mon- 

 teiro, H. C. Pearson, J. A. Mendes, Carvalbo Leal. 



Agriculture. — Baron of Solimoes (chairman) ; Angelino Bevilacqua, Eneas 

 Pinheiro, G. Sanders, Laurence Thury, Monteiro de Souza, M. A. Garcia, 

 Theodore Bottinelly, Ellis Schwabe. 



A committee composed of the following was named to edit 

 tlie official report of the Congress, including the various essays 

 presented : Baron of Solimoes ; Dr. Jacques Huber, director of 

 the Para Museum ; Passos de Maranda, representative >: f the 

 government of Para ; Dr. Eneas C. Pinheiro, of the Pan? agricul- 

 tural Society; Dr. Adriano Jorge, of the Manaos Correio do 

 Norte; and Jose Amandio Mendes. of A Provaciucia do Para. 



A committee was formed to pr/epare gold medals and other 

 awards for the principal exhibitors at the rubber exhibition in 

 connection with the Congress and to the authors of the principal 

 essays presented at the sessions of the Congress. This committee 

 consists of the Baron of Solimoes; Dr. J. Huber; Laurenco 

 Thury, of the Amazonas Society of Agriculture ; and J. A. de 

 Magalhaes. 



At the inaugural session of the Congress, on Tuesday evening, 

 February 22, under the presidency of Governor Bittencourt, 

 there was not only a full attendance of the delegates to the 

 Congress, but there were present many representatives of the 

 government, military officers, judges, the clergy, and leading 

 business men. Addresses were made, of welcome to the del- 

 egates, and by way of outlining the purposes of the Congress. 

 Sympathetic responses were made by visiting delegates, and by 

 the close of the session the Congress was already well under 

 way, though nothing of a formal nature had been offered. 



The first speaker of the evening was Senhor Scholz. Dr. 

 Jacques Huber, as the representative of the government of the 

 state of Para, addressed the audience, being followed by Dr. 

 Candido Marianno, prefect of the department of the Alto Purus, 

 representing the federal territory of the Acre. Incidentally Dr. 

 Marianno mentioned that the first Amazon rubber congress had 

 been held in the Acre district, in August last, at Senna Madureira, 

 where in five years' administration he had succeeded in creating 

 in a "dark forest'' a comparatively prosperous city. The Manaos 

 Commercial Association, by the way, was represented officially 

 at the Senna Madureira congress. 



Another speaker was Mr. J. A. Mendes, who in addition to 

 having had an intimate relation with the rubber trade, appeared 

 as representative of A Provincia, the important Para newspaper. 

 In saluting the governor and the delegates of the congress, he 

 joined with his own sentiments those of Mr. Pearson, of The 

 India Rubber World. 



* * * 



■ 



It is not proposed here to take up in detail the proceedings of 

 the various daily sessions of the congress. The publication of 

 the "Conclusions" reached is alone a summary of the results. 



The essays presented at the Congress will appear in an official 

 report to be made in charge of the committee organized for 

 the purpose. In view of this intended official publication The 

 India Rubber World is not presenting any of them at this time. 



The jury of award on prizes for essays were unable to bestow 

 the prize offered by the governor of Amazonas for a paper on 

 developing navigation. The two prizes offered by municipalities 

 in the state of Amazonas were awarded. The fourth prize was 

 that of the Commercial Association for a paper on planting 

 rubber. It has not been stated before that essays were sent in 

 signed only by a nam de plume. The report in relation to the 

 fourth prize was : 



The jury, after careful examination of the theses presented, have found 

 of equal merit, though from different points of view, those signed "Pro 

 Bono" and "Planto Raymundo," and have resolved to divide the prize be- 

 tween them, as they are authorized to do in such cases. 



The two papers referred to were those of Carlos Eugenio, of 

 Manaos ("Planto Raymundo") and Henry C. Pearson, of New 

 York ("Pro Bono"). The rubber planting prize was divided 

 equally between these two gentlemen. The jury recommended 

 for honorable mention a paper on rubber planting by Dr. Cer- 

 querio Pinto, whose name is familiar to readers of The India 

 Rubber World. 



The final session of the Congress — that of formal adjournment — 

 was held on Sunday evening. February 27, under the presidency 

 of the Vice Governor of the State. This meeting was well at- 

 tended, and the delegates expressed themselves as pleased with 

 the results attained, and in view of the success of the Congress 

 the opinion prevailed that future sessions would be desirable. 

 When it was proposed by a delegate from Para that the next 

 congress be held in that city, it was pointed out that the by-laws 

 of the Commercial Association of Manaos provide for biennial 



