694 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



June 1, 1921 



SWEDEN 



The prohibition on the exportation from Sweden of rubber 

 boots and shoes (Tariff No. 641) was withdrawn in a decree 

 on March 16. 



CHILE 



The Chilean law dated February 23, increasing import duties, 

 covers balls, former rate of duty 0.12, now 0.25 pesos per 

 kilogram gross; and rubber toys, formerly 2.50, now 5.00 pesos 

 per kilogram gross. 



BBAZH. 



Two presidential decrees maintain in force the preferential 

 customs treatment accorded to certain articles of United States 

 and Belgium origin on importations into Brazil. This treatment 

 consists of a reduction of duty for both countries of 20 per 

 cent on rubber manufactures coming under No. 1033 of the 

 Brazilian Tariff. 



MEXICO 



Mexican export duty on chicle has been changed from 15 

 cents (United States currency) per kilo (2.2 pounds) to 6 per 

 cent ad valorem. These duties are fixed bi-monthly. 



In a decree promulgated April 19, and efTective on the 23rd, 

 Mexican duty is increased on rubber tires for automobiles from 

 1 peso (50 cents) per gross kilo to l.SO pesos per gross kilo 

 of 2.2 pounds, and on rubber tires for motor trucks from 0.50- 

 peso (25 cents) to .75-peso (37Vi cents) per gross kilo. 



GERMANY 



An order dated April 29 permits the following articles to be 



exported without license : 



India rubber, gutia percha and balata, crude or refined, and 

 waste; used pieces of wares of these materials; "factice and 

 other rubber substitutes; wares of soft rubber fallinK under 

 Ta'iff Nos. 570 to 581: hard rubber and wares of hard rubber 

 falling under Tariff Nos. 582 to 586. 

 POLAND 



An order provides for the payment in paper currency, with an 

 "agio" of 400 per cent (at the rate of 5 paper marks for each 

 gold mark prescribed by the Customs Tariff) on the following 

 imports : 



Rubber driving belts, rubber hose, with or without fabric, 

 with or without spring inside, without metal covering on the 

 outside- rubber for packings; technical articles of rubber, not 

 combined with fabric; hemp and cotton driving belts (balata), 

 also with addition of paper yarn; canvas for making driving belts. 

 SIBEBIA 



The government of the so-called Far Eastern Republic has tem- 

 porarily prohibited the export of rubber in all shapes and also 

 manufactured automobiles, motor cycles and parts 



NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 



The following export duties are to take effect on August 16, 



1921: 



R„hh,T Export Duty 

 '*"'"'" advalorum 

 When the market price per J/5-kilog. amounts to — 



0.825 florin or less ;i--; i/'or 



More than 0.825 but less than 0.90 florin . A^ 



0.90 florin and more but less than 1 florin An 



1.00 florin and more but less than 1.10 florins l/o 



1.10 florin and more but less than 1.20 florins ^ /o 



1.20 florin and more but less than 1.30 florins J/» 



1.30 florin and more but less than 1.40 florins ^ /» 



1.40 florin and more but less than 1.50 florins =* 



1.50 florin or more ' '■' 



The duty on rubber in slabs will be the duty on rubber as pre- 

 scribed in the Export Tariff, decreased by 12 per cent. 



Though there is no national registration or motor cars 

 and trucks in Finland it is estimated that there are about 

 1,500 passenger cars and 300 to 400 motor trucks. Formerly 

 Germany and Italy met the requirements of this market, but 

 now .-Vmerican cars are preferred. Six hundred thirty-one 

 motor trucks and automobiles were imported into Finland 

 during the l^rst nine months of 1920, about 100 of which were 

 American and the balance German. During this time rubber 

 tires amounting to 323,507 kilos were imported. All automo- 

 bile tires are imported, the main sources being the United 

 States, Great Britain, Germany and Sweden. Clincher, 

 straight side or quick detachable types are used. 



RUBBER IN THE BRITISH WEST INDIES 



THE following notes on rubber in the British West Indies 

 appear in an article by C. .\. Brown.' 



While the exportation of rubber from the British West Indies 

 has not attained a leading economic importance, a large amount 

 of investigation has been conducted by the Imperial Department 

 of Agriculture' concerning the adaptability of the various rubber- 

 producing trees to the climatic conditions of the different islands. 

 In localities which have an evenly distributed rainfall of over 

 75 inches a year and a mmimum temperature of not less than 

 65 degrees F., such as obtain in parts of Trinidad, Dominica, and 

 Tobago, the Para rubber tree {Hcjca brasiliensis) thrives well, 

 giving on properly cultivated plantations an average yield of 

 20O pounds of rubber an acre. The Castilloa rubber tree grows 

 better in districts with a moderate rainfall, but the yield of 

 rubber is much less than with Hevea. With the latter tree there 

 is a steady flow of latex nearly all the year, while with Castilloa 

 there is but little wound response and the trees must be tapped 

 at frequent intervals. The prol4enis of tapping the Castilloa and 

 dealing with its latex give difficulty and have not been perfectly 

 solved. 



Probably over three-fourths of the plantation rubber made in 

 the British West Indies is coagulated from the latex by means of 

 acetic acid; lime juice is also extensively employed. According 

 to Collens', the cheapest and most efficient coagulating agent is a 

 five per cent solution of sulphuric acid, in the proportion of ten 

 drops to 100 cc. of latex. The rubber coagulated by this means 

 was found to be of excellent quality and showed no signs of 

 deterioration. 



In the process employed on plantations, the clotted cream, which 

 rises to the surface of the coagulated latex, is gently washed, 

 pressed, and then allowed to dry a day. The "biscuits" of 

 rubber thus prepared are then smoked for three or four days 

 until they become transparent, during which interval they take 

 on an amber color and acquire a characteristic smoky smell. 



The chief obstacle to the development of plantation rubber in 

 the British West Indies is the scarcity of cheap labor ; for this 

 reason it is doubtful if the industry there will ever achieve the 

 same degree of success as it has gained in Ceylon and the Malay 

 States. 



' "Industrial and Agricultural Chemistry in the British West Indies." 

 Journal ^f Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 13, page 78. 



- In charge nf Sir Fr:tncis Watts. Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture. 



> "Rubber Experiments in Trinidad and Tobago." West Indian Bulletin, 

 13, 219. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN THE FAR EAST 



By Our Regular Correspondent 



MALAYA 



T UDGING from what one can glean locally, it seems that the 

 "^ advocates of a "shake-out" (a survival of the fittest) are going 

 to win from those in favor of crop restrictions, and preferably, 

 compulsory restriction by SO per cent. The effect of a "shake- 

 out" would of course be that the poorer concerns would go to 

 the wall and the industry be left in the hands of the wealthy com- 

 panies who might take the opportmiity of combining to keep 

 prices at a profitable level and thus safeguard the rubber in- 

 dustry. Others consider that to drop the entire matter and 

 wait for the survival of the fittest would prolong the present 

 state of depression, without really benefiting anybody in the end. 

 It is interesting to note that the "shake-out" is even looked for- 

 ward to by some of the small planters. 



The attitude of the local government may be said to be helping 

 a "shake-out," at least the indications are that it will probably 

 not intervene to assist the rubber industry by enforcing restric- 

 tioi: and by giving financial aid to those concerns in need of it. 

 While it is recognized that government interference in aiding an 

 industry is economically unsound and hence undesirable, still it 



