December 1, 1911.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



109 



The Future of Jelutong. 



By Philip Schidrowitz. 



ONE of tile most interesting features of the development 

 of the rubber industry in recent years has been the rapid 

 growth of the production of and the trade in the article 

 known to rubber men as Jelutong or Pontianak. The article 

 is so well known in commerce that it is unnecessary to enter 

 into details regarding its general nature, beyond stating that it 

 is a low-grade gum containing roughly 8 to 15 per cent, of 

 rubber and 25 to 40 per cent, of resin, the balance consisting 

 mainly of moisture. Although small quantities of Jelutong are 

 used outside the rubber trade, the bulk of the material is em- 

 ployed in this trade for one of two purposes, viz.: (1) for the 

 production of rubber therefrom by separating out the resin and 

 moisture; (2) for direct use as a friction or filling material. 

 The trade in Jelutong has grown to such enormous proportions 

 that the question of the continuation of the supply is a matter 

 of serious moment to the various branches of the rubber in- 

 dustry. From the point of view of the production of secondary 

 or industrial rubbers, the question of the supply of crude Jelu- 

 tong may indeed be regarded as only of secondary importance 

 to the similar problem in the Guayule industry. 



Twenty years ago Jelutong was practically unknown, but at 

 the beginning of the present century the trade had already risen 

 to considerable dimensions. In the fiscal year ending June 

 30, 1901, the United States alone imported roughly 4,600 (short) 

 tons of this material. In 1910 the quantity of Jelutong imported 

 into the United States was roughly 5^ times as great, amount- 

 ing in round figures to 26,000 tons. This represents an enor- 

 mous increase over the previous record, the highest figures for 

 preceding years amounting to 14,200 tons in 1907 and 12,400 

 tons in 1909. The latest figures issued, viz., for 1911, show that 

 there has been no material falling off from the high figures 

 for 1910. the figures for the present year being, in round num- 

 bers, 25,700 tons. From the course taken by prices it is obvious 

 that the enormous increase in the imports is not due to any ex- 

 cess of production over consumption, but the reverse, for while 

 the average price in 1901 was 2.6 cents per lb., this steadily 

 rose until during the past year it amounted to 5.6 cents. 



Areas of Production. — The Jelutong which comes into the 

 open market is produced almost entirely in Sarawak (Borneo), 

 in Dutch Borneo and in Sumatra. There are also a large num- 

 ber of Jelutong trees in the Malay Peninsula, and a certain 

 quantity of Jelutong is, I believe, being produced there, but so 

 far as I am aware none of this comes to the open market, being 

 derived from concessions granted to a British company which 

 utilizes the material directly for the purpose of producing rub- 

 ber therefrom. 



Sarawak. — Sarawak, which lies to the south of British North 

 Borneo, and is a British protectorate under an independent 

 Rajah, embraces a territory of about 50,(XX) square miles. The 

 whole of this territory is not, of course, Jelutong bearing, the 

 tree growing mainly in the more or less marshy or swampy 

 areas bordering the main rivers. While it is e.xceedingly diffi- 

 cult to form any idea of the actual Jelutong areas in Sarawak, 

 the capacity for production of this area may be gauged by the 

 fact that whereas Sarawak exported in the year 1902 3,356 tons, 

 this had risen in 1909 to 9,027 tons. In the period November, 

 1909, to MSrch, 1910, the exports corresponded roughly to 

 12,CKX) tons per annum. While opinions may differ regarding the 

 future production of Sarawak, I personally do not take the 

 view that the destruction of trees which was alleged to have 

 taken place in the past has seriously affected the productive 

 capacity of this territory. Judging by what I saw and from 



the information I was able to gather du.ring tlie course of a visit 

 to Sarawak in 1910, there had been no wholesale destruction of 

 trees, but the natives had in many cases shown an inclination to 

 "ring" or overlap trees, which would ultimately have led to very 

 serious injury. The Government of Sarawak, therefore, in 1910 

 issued regulations for the protection of Jelutong trees, forbidding, 

 under penalty of a heavy fine or imprisonment, improper methods 

 of tapping, and also strictly prohibiting the felling of trees. I 

 think, therefore, that it is fair to conclude that Sarawak will be 

 able to continue to produce at the present rate, viz., roughly 10,000 

 tons per annum, and it is probable that if the demand remains as 

 at present fresh areas may be opened up which will lead to an 

 increased production. In this connection it must be remembered 

 that tBe Jelutong worker can earn an exceedingly good living by 

 Jelutong gathering, even when prices are lower than they were 

 some ten years ago. With spot Singapore prices at four dollars 

 (Straits) per picul, the Jelutong worker can earn probably a dol- 

 lar to a dollar and a half per day, which is a higher rate of pay 

 than that obtainable by the same type of labor for any similar 

 class of work m those parts of the world. With regard to the 

 opening up of fresh territories in Sarawak, these facts must be 

 borne in mind, and it is just a question of prices whether it will 

 pay the Jelutong collector to open up native paths further into 

 the interior or not. 



Dutch Borneo and SiDiiatra — .According to figures published by 

 Dr. Tromp de Haas, the quantity of Jelutong exported from the 

 Dutch possessions in the East (principal ports Pontianak, Banjer- 

 masin and Palambang ) amounted in 1910 to roughly 28,(XX) tons, 

 of which 20,500 tons were exported to the United States. In the 

 past, particularly, I believe, in the Sultanate of Pontianak, a con- 

 siderable number of trees were cut down by the natives and bled 

 to death. The natives in that district were accustomed to fell 

 and treat gutta-percha trees in this manner, and they appear to 

 have been under the impression that this was the best method for 

 treating the Jelutong tree. I think that this, and not any inordi- 

 nate commercial greed on the part of the natives or dealers, ac- 

 counts for the destruction which took place over certain areas. 

 From all accounts, however, this destruction does not appear to 

 have been widespread except in certain portions of the specific 

 areas indicated. The Netherlands Government have taken steps 

 to safeguard the trees in the future, one of the measures being 

 the granting of large concessions for the exclusive right of col- 

 lection, one condition being that the concessionaire undertakes to 

 have the trees treated in a rational manner. From official and 

 other information which I have been able to gather, there appears 

 to be little doubt that the producing areas in Dutch Borneo and 

 Sumatra may be considerably increased, and with rational work- 

 ing, I see no reason why — provided the demand is maintained^ 

 the Dutch possessions should not produce from 30,(XX) to 40,000 

 tons per annum. 



Federated Mahy States. — While in Borneo and Sumatra Jelu- 

 tong trees grow mainly in marshy lands adjacent to the rivers, 

 and are frequently somewhat difficult of access, this is not the 

 case in the F. M. S., where, curiously enough, the trees appear to 

 favor the slopes of the higher ground. Notwithstanding this, the 

 quality of the Jelutong obtainable from the F. M. S. growth is 

 substantially the same as that derived from other regions. The 

 development of the Jelutong areas in the F. M. S. has only com- 

 menced within recent times, and as far as I am aware, no data 

 are available except those which have been published in connec- 

 tion with the concession granted to the United Malaysian Rubber 

 Co. This concession amounts to something like five million 



