January 1, 1912.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



185 



Some Notes on Rubber Planting 



THE ENGLISH PRESS AND ASIATIC RUBBEK PRODUCTION. 



In summarizing before leaving for Europe the results of his 

 recent journey through the Middle East, Mr. E. L. Killick, spe- 

 cial representative of the "Financier," of London, expressed the 

 view that the potentialities and absolute soundness of the rubber 

 growing industry are not fully appreciated by the public in gen- 

 eral. He saw nothing insurmountable in the apprehensions of 

 labor complications, disease, etc., and considered the only real 

 troubles, from the point of view of investors, are those arising 

 from the over-capitalization of properties during the boom. 



Dealing with the various sections covered, he stated that 

 British Malaya compares favorably with Java and Sumatra. 

 \\hile the soil of the latter is superior, the climate on the best 

 estates in Selangor and Negri Sembilan (an infinitely more im- 

 portant consideration) could not be surpassed. Java did not 

 keep up with Malaya, and its rubber would not, in his opinion, 

 do much, except in a few isolated cases. 



Ceylon, Mr. Killick remarked, compares favorably with all 

 other places, while the cost at that point will always be low in 

 comparison with a good many sources of rubber. Ceylon rubber 

 he considers "as good as any." 



On the crucial subject of estimated production Mr. Killick 

 favors the more recent views which tend to make the figure much 

 lower than had at first been predicted. In his own words, "The 

 cry of over-production and the fears expressed of a fall of prices 

 to an unremunerative level, are nothing more than a bogey." 



The interest felt in rubber by the British investing public is 

 shown by the fact that Mr. Killick's tour is being followed by 

 that of Mr. F. W. Knocker (formerly an official in the Civil 

 Service of the Federated Malay States), who is going over the 

 same ground, as a special correspondent of the "Financial News," 

 of London. 



THE TRAINING OF PLANTERS. 



In commenting upon a suggestion for the establishment of a 

 College of Tropical Agriculture either in England or Ceylon, 

 a local correspondent of the "Malay Mail" suggests as a counter 

 proposal the formation of an "Institute of Tropical Planters," 

 with headquarters in London and with branches in the Feder- 

 ated Malay States and Ceylon. There would be three grades, 

 students, associates and members. A student who displayed the 

 necessary preliminary qualifications would be sent out at his 

 own expense to one of the affiliated estates in Malaya or Cey- 

 lon, where he would remain six to twelve months, on a small 

 salar}', studying the various branches of planting, in addition 

 to native languages, management of labor and kindred sub- 

 jects. At the end of the time named, provided he could prove 

 his acquaintance with the details of planting, he would be eligi- 

 ble for associateship in which grade he would have to pass 

 three to five years before he would be entitled to full mem- 

 bership. 



Owing to the fact of many retired planters living in England, 

 the centralization of such an institute would be of advantage, 

 while the co-operation of the men controlling the finances of 

 Malaya would also be secured. These considerations, it is re- 

 marked, are becoming more and more important, now that rub- 

 ber planting has settled down into a steady industry. 



The comprehensive and exceedingly informing chapter on 

 rubber in the report from the Federated Malay States for the 

 year 1910, to which reference has been made in recent issues of 

 The India Rubber World, was prepared by the Director of 

 Agriculture, L. Lewton-Brain. 



OLD AND YOITNG RUBBER. 



Interest attaches to an opinion expressed at the recent London 

 meeting of the Kwaloe Rubber Estates, Limited, by the chairman, 

 Mr. Richard J. Hoffmann, who had lately returned from the 

 East. According to his view, if he had to choose between rubber 

 five or six years old as yet untapped, and rubber eleven or twelve 

 years old, he would certainly choose the younger plantation. This 

 opinion is based on the fact that most of the older trees would 

 have suffered from thinning out, intended to remedy too close 

 original planting, as well as from irregularity in methods of tap- 

 ping. By modern methods that operation is less drastic in 

 character. Hence, Mr. Hoffmann remarked, the trees of the ris- 

 ing generation should have a longer life and should give better 

 yields. 



DRYING CREPE. 



Owing to several parcels of tliick crepe having recently arrived 

 in London, not thoroughly dried, and the preference usually ac- 

 corded that grade has been less marked than usual. Messrs. 

 Gow, Wilson and Stanton, Limited, of London, have, in a recent 

 circular, advised rubber planters not to pack pure crepe until 

 thoroughly dried ; while, if this cannot be relied upon, it is far 

 better to roll the crepe out thinner. 



COMPARISON OF CEYLON AND MALAYA FINANCES. 



Among other points in which Malaya seems to have been suc- 

 cessfully employing modern methods, is that of government 

 finance. In comparing the results thus obtained with those of 

 the sister colony, the "Ceylon Observer" calls attention to the mis- 

 take in the latter case of not funding separately the proceeds of 

 all land sales, the latter forming the "capital" of the colony. It 

 is added that : 



"We in Ceylon were too late in realizing the importance of 

 these financial administrative steps .... and now they 

 have (in Malaya) nearly as many miles of railway as we have — 

 but all free of any debt! and plenty of money to go on extending." 



RUBBER AND RELIGION. 



Seeing the profits of rubber investors, and with appropriate 

 reference to their source, the Bishop of Singapore appeals to 

 shareholders in rubber companies to contribute funds for the 

 purchase of motor cars, to be used by the clergy in the Malay 

 Peninsula. The various estates are long distances apart, without 

 railway facilities, so that the converted Chinamen, Tamils, 

 Malays and Indians are in danger of relapsing into heathenism. 



MALAYA FUTURE PRODUCTION OVER-ESTIMATED? 



While Sir John Anderson's estimate of 70,(XX) tons as the 

 Malayan production for 1916 has come to be more or less re- 

 garded as an official standard, having been practically confirmed 

 by the independent estimates quoted in Mr. Figart's recent con- 

 sular report, it has been criticised by Mr. H. L. Coghlan, of 

 Singapore, now in England. He states in a letter to the Lon- 

 don "Globe" that the estimate in question was based on an antici- 

 pated boom in the fall of 1910 which never materialized. 



The prospective result of this turn in the market is empha- 

 sized in Mr. Coghlan's expectation that at least 40 per cent, of 

 the "boom" plantings will not reach maturity. He considers it 

 would be nearer the mark to divide recent estimates by 2, par- 

 ticularly in the case of smaller concerns without plenty of 

 available working cable. 



NEW PROCESS OF RUBBER TAPPING. 



In a communication to the press, Mr. J. Sheridan Patterson, 

 of Warwick, Ambawella, Ceylon, calls attention to a new system 

 of tapping introduced by him. The originality of the plan is 



