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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



JtLY 1, 1921 



Ceylon. This iiilVriority of the growth of trots in Burma to that 

 of the Malayan trees, decreases toward the South. In many places 

 in the Mergiii and Tenasserine districts the averape growth of the 

 trees was only slightly, if at all inferior to that of Malaya. The 

 difference in the rate of growth in Burma is attributed to the 

 climatic conditions there, which are less favorable than in Malaya. 

 In Malaya the rainfalls are more or less evenly distributed 

 throughout the year but in Burma there is a wet and a dry season 

 and in the North less than 10 per cent of the annual rainfall oc- 

 curs during the five dry months, leaving 90 per cent to fall during . 

 the period June to Xovcmber. 



Mr. Pinchiui: found that planters in Burma took great interest 

 in the agricultural side of rubber producing, in contrast with 

 Malayan planters who have not gi\en this side of the matter the 

 attention it deserves. 



Burma estates were found to be well-kept, every care being ex- 

 pended in keeping trees in a healthy condition. Owing to the care 

 taken to keep the land free from jungle timber and jungle stuiups, 

 very few trees were found to be affected with root diseases like 

 those caused by Fowi-s ligiiosus, Ustulina ::onata, etc. In this 

 matter of clean clearing Burma estates are far ahead of Malayan 

 estates, where considerable trouble has been caused by root 

 diseases, groups of over 100 trees having been killed off by Fames 

 Ugnosus. 



The principal diseases met with in Lower Burma were those due 

 to different species of Phxtoplithora, as: black stripe canker, ab- 

 normal leaf-fall, pod disease, patch canker, pink disease, die-back, 

 Ustulina :oiiahi (not affecting the roots, however), and a few- 

 cases of brown bast were also observed. 



The average yields in Lower Burma are lower than the yields 

 from Malayan estates, which is partly due to the fact that from 

 six weeks to two months of tapping is lost during the Southwest 

 monsoon every year. A fair average estimated yield from 

 Burma trees according to age is : 



Age 

 years 



4— 5 



5— 6 

 5— 7 



7— 8 



8— 9 

 9—10 



10— 11 



Pounds 

 per acre 



50 (October to December only) 

 150 



180 (October to December only) 

 230 (October to December only) 

 300 (October to December only) 

 350 

 40O 



Factories and general establishments of Burma estates were up- 

 to-date and well-cared for. Labor is plentiful, rice cheap and 

 abundant, so that estates suffered no loss on this head. 



According to Mr. Pinching, Lower Burma should be as suc- 

 cessful a rubber-growing country as Malaya. Although present- 

 day yields do not equal those of Malaya, he believes that they 

 can in time approximate if not equal those yields. 



The conditions for tenure of rubber lands are easier in Burma 

 than in Malaya and these with the better later conditions in Bur- 

 ma should put that country in a very favorable position as a 

 rubber producer. Unfortunately the rate of exchange and the 

 cost of freights on rubber have been detrimental to the rubber 

 planting industry during the last few years. But, naturally, these 

 are matters l>eyond the control of the ruliber industry. 



RUBBER ROAn EXPERIMENT 



The first experiinental portion of rubber road was recently laid 

 down in Singapore. It consists of a small sample, three yards by 

 tv;elvc. and is located at the approach to a weighbridge, over 

 which heavy granite-laden larries leave the yard, and a record of 

 the traffic which these will carry over the rubber will be available 

 in due course of time. 



THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 



The efifects of the present dcpressicm in the rubber industry 

 are being felt more and more, particularly in Suiuatra where costs 

 are a good deal higher than in Java. It is reported that the 



number of discharged European planters' assistants in Sumatra's 

 cast coast already amount to over 60. Some have received free 

 passage to Europe plus four months' salary, while the majority 

 were not provided w-ith free passage and received only the usual 

 six weeks' salary. Most of the.se are still in Sumatra, while 

 some have gone to Java and to the Straits to try their luck 

 there. Complaint has been made that whereas the Government in 

 the British rubber producing colonies is helping European unem- 

 ployed, the local government is taking no action at all. 



Where assistants have not been discharged salaries have been 

 decreased. Three companies— the Anglo-Dutch Estates Agency, 

 ■Limited, Harrisons & Crosfield, and the Marihat Sumatra Plant- 

 agcn Cie., are known to have reduced salaries to pre-war levels 

 plus 100 gilders to meet the present high cost of living. 



.Reports have it that the firms on the west coast of Sumatra 

 in Tapanoeli have decided to decrease salaries temporarily by one- 

 third. 



Coolie wages are also being cut and hundreds of coolies have 

 been discharged and repatriated to Java. 



Up to the present nothing definite has been done here regarding 

 restrictions of output, but it is said that Sumatra planters are 

 beginning to think seriously of restriction and not only of 25 

 per cent, but SO per cent. 



In Java a note of optimism persists. Of course, it is realized 

 that the crisis is practically only just beginning and that it may 

 last a considerable time. 



Rubber experts advise producers to keep calm and rightly con- 

 sider that the controlling of panicky feelings and actions is the 

 only way to help in getting out of the present dismal situation. 

 Proper attention to lands is urged and it is advised to plant some 

 harmless growth on lands that have to be temporarily abandoned. 



The consoling factors here are the efficient experiment stations 

 and the cost of production. Regarding the first it is interesting 

 to quote what Dr. A. W. Nanninga of Deventer has to say. 

 He was sent by the Minister of Agriculture, Industry and Com- 

 merce on a study tour to Malaya, Java and Simiatra. In his 

 report to the Minister on his return, recently, he said that while 

 both the experiment stations and the plantations of Sumatra and 

 Java are hard at work trying to solve the many problems con- 

 nected with the planting and preparation of rubber, very little is 

 done in these respects in Malaya, and, he concluded — the Malayan 

 lubber industry may result as did the cinchona industry. This 

 industry is flourishing in Java but could not develop in India 

 where the land was just as suitable for cinchona as in the first- 

 named country. 



As to costs of production, at present Java and Ceylon produce 

 at a low^er cost than other rubber-producing centers and the two 

 islands together produce only about 100,000 tons of rubber. Con- 

 sequently both Java and Ceylon can sell at some profit so long 

 as they can manage to keep costs under selling prices, and a 

 good many estates in these places can do that even at prevailing 

 rates. 



JAVA NOTES 



Kroiu March 10. tlie freight rate for rubber was reduced to 

 27.50 gilders per cubic meter or 82.50 gilders per 1,800 kilos. 



It is reported that Mr. and Mrs. Alberto Pirelli are in 

 Java inspecting the rubber plantations belonging to the Pirelli 

 firm. On their way, the couple stayed in Malaya for a few days 

 to inspect the Johore estates. It seems that the Italian Pirelli 

 company has increased its capital to 100 million lire and intends 

 to form a dollar company in Singairare to supply the factories 

 with raw materials and also to facilitate the organizing of the 

 sale of their tires, cables and other goods in the Far East. 



The Second Netherlands East Indian Industrial Fair is to l)e 

 held at Bandoeng, Java, from September 19 to October 9, 1921. 

 According to reports by the committee, the great support given by 

 the local government, public institutions, industrials, and mer- 

 chants, promises that this fair will be a great success. 



