December f, 1920 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



215 



Geographical Distribution of Estates 



Acreage Acreage Crops in 1918 



Planted Tapped Pounds 

 I^ritish India — 



Wynaad 61.47 



Nilgiris KU 52 6,615 



Malabar 10,967. J5 7,744.16 1,192,426 



Anamallais 1,071 480 48,628 



Totals 12,233.72 8,276.16 1,247,669 



Conrg 779 590 21,013 



Native States — 

 Travancore — 



Mundakavam 12,164.97 10,378.56 2,132,944 



Kanan IVvans 819 549 73.485 



Central Travancore 112 112 10,016 



South Travancore 10.081.85 8,114.96 1,883,510 



Xorth Travancore 4,268.35 3,725.52 778,763 



Totals 27.446.17 22,880.04 4,878,718 



Mysore— North Mysore ISO 80 8,632 



Cochin Stale 5,027.75 4,245.61 723,251 



Grand totals 45,666.64 36,071.81 6,879,283 



The total mitnber of laborers employed during 1918 was 27,381. 



It is noted that the cultivation of both tea and rubber is being 

 taken up by Indians. There are now about 20 rubber coinpanies 

 with estates aggregating some 14,000 acres under Indian inanage- 

 ment in Travancore. 



At a recent meeting of the United Planters' Association of 

 Southern India it was resolved that the Government be ap- 

 proached as regards its willingness to help to establish a factory 

 in Southern India for the manufacture of rubber goods. 



THE RUBBER INDUSTRY IN UGANDA 



ACCOKUING to a recent Government report, the acreage under 

 Para rubber on European owned plantations is estimated at 

 11,255. The tappable area, however, is still small, owing to the 

 great number of trees planted in recent years. For the year 1918- 

 19, the exports of plantation rubber amounted to 253,063 pounds, 

 value £12,893. This shows an increase of 108,336 pounds over 

 the previous year, and an increase in value of £2,928. In cer- 

 tain districts, the natives are taking up rubber-planting with en- 

 thusiasm. It appears that a rubber planter with experience in 

 Sumatra and Malaya declared that the prospects for rubber in 

 the Baganda Province are good, provided the industry receives 

 the proper assistance while yet in its infancy. This authority re- 

 gards the soil as superior to that of the Federated Mal.iy States, 

 the conliguration of the land as almost ideal, and the risk from 

 disease small, since the areas under cultivation were originally 

 grass and not forest land. As to rainfall, this is less, but alter- 

 nate daily tapping will remedy this. He further considers that 

 the growth of trees here will be as rapid as in Sumatra. Alto- 

 gether this is quite a satisfactory opinion. 



On the question of the appointment of an official adviser 

 on rubber, the investigating commissioners are of opinion tliat 

 this would not be practical, and recommend, instead, that 

 planters join the Rubber Growers' Association, the Government 

 bearing part of the expense of subscription. This association, 

 it is understood, would then arrange for a competent rubber 

 chemist, and, if possible, a mycologist should be sent out, the 

 Government again sharing the expense with the planters. If 

 Uganda is to get any benefit of technical advice, this should be 

 done at once. 



The commissioners also recommend the enforcement of the 

 Plant Pests Ordinance, which would greatly benefit the estates. 



.•\t present the industry is a good deal hampered by the rates 

 charged on the Uganda Railway; it has, therefore, been suggested 

 to aid planters by reducing the rate, asking the railway to accept 

 lare weight for rubber as is dune in the Federated Malay States, 

 and to reduce tlie very high r;itc of insurance now imjjosed. 



.^s regards labor, it has been found that the local native is 

 good at all work on rubber estales except tlie most important 

 of all — tapping. It is, therefore, advised to subject prospective 



tappers to a term of apprenticeship, if possible, on expiration of 

 which they should be given certificatesi by the Agricultural De- 

 partment, according to their merits, and should then be engaged 

 on contract. To encourage labor, the Sumatra custom of giving 

 native labor a bonus on results is offered for consideration. 



CURTAILMENT OF RUBBER PRODUCTION 

 PROGRESSES 



THE comme.ndations regarding a 25 per cent curtailment in 

 the production of plantation rubber made by the Rubber 

 Growers Association of London have been accepted by 80 

 per cent of the producing acreage owned by members domi- 

 ciled in the United Kingdom. 



Seventy-five out of 111 members of the Rubber Producers' 

 .\ssociation of Malaya have agreed to restrictions to date, 

 and the Japanese Planters' Association, representing 65,634 

 planted acres unanimously decided to restrict on similar lines. 

 The local associations are endeavoring to bring the Chinese 

 producers in Malaya into line, and the agents of tlie principal 

 Shanghai companies are working to that end. It is assured 

 that over 70 per cent of Ceylon local producers are willing 

 to restrict output, and the members of the International 

 Association at the Hague present at a recent general meet- 

 ing were almost unanimous in favor of the restriction scheme, 

 and their council has sent out a circular recommending a 

 25 per cent reduction, to which they are asking at least 70 

 IK-r cent of their members to adhere. 



Many companies are already carrying out a policy of re- 

 striction and others have cabled instructions to their estates 

 to i)repare for restriction becoming effective on November 1, 

 1920. and continuin.g until January I, 1922. 



BALATA PRODUCTION IN DUTCH GUIANA 

 DECLINING 



Exkikt.s of balata from Dutch Guiana in 1919 showed a 

 decrease in value of $147,919 from the figures for 1918, wbicli 

 lotaled $900,032. The total amount for 1919 was valued $752,113. 

 Rubber showed a gain, from $2,577 in 1918 to $5,014 in 1919. 



Declared exports invoiced at the consular agency at Paramaribo 

 for shipment to the United .States during 1918 and 1919 inchided 

 balata and rubber as follows : 



I91S 

 A 



Value 



ilalata 

 Rulilie: 



.I'ounds 



$106,127 

 2,913 



1919 



Quantity Value 



338,750 $302,456 



Quantity 



118.720 



4,095 



The production of balata shows a steady decline, althougli the 

 prices received were considered good. The industry is gradually 

 falling into the hands of two or three large corporations, and 

 this year saw the selling out of one of the oldest individual 

 o|>crators to one of the larger interests. This is mainly due 

 to the fact that areas that pay to exploit are getting farther 

 from the coast, and the transportation and cost of labor are 

 tlierefore steadily increasing, so that only firms with lar.ge finan- 

 cial backing and organized forces of lalior can continue in this 

 business. 



It is believed that fro.m 75 to 90 per cent of the motor cars 

 imported into China arc of .\merican make. Shanghai imports 

 of motor cars have increased from l(i2 in 1913 to 961 in 1919. 

 Most of these are four or five passenger cars, only 20 or .W 

 per cent Iioiiig of the heavier seven-passenger ty])e. The cbmbn- 

 tire is used on many of tliese cars, and for the trucks, which arc 

 of ilie li.yhler kinds, both solid rubber and pneumatic tires arc 

 used. 



