392 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[May 1, 1912. 



NOTES FROM BRITISH GUIANA. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 

 THE EXPORT DUTY ON BALAT.\— A SUCCESSFUL AGITATION. 



THE annual meeting of the Legislature is now at an end and 

 its most momentous feature, so far as those interested in the 

 balata and rubber industry is concerned, is the abolition of the 

 export tax on balata, together with the rejection of the proposal 

 that all forest produce should be subject to a similar impost. 

 This happy culmination has only lieen secured by vigorous agi- 

 tation and untiring opposition. It will be recollected that in an- 

 swer to the charge that the tax was an invidious one the acting 

 governor wrote a minute to the effect that all forest produce 

 should be laid under a similar tribute. 



It was a tactical mistake in the first place to impose an export 

 tax instead of increasing the royalty, for this course placed the 

 critics of the proposal in an unassailable position, and the govern- 

 ment in a position where defence was almost impossible. The 

 second mistake, and perhaps it was of even greater magnitude 

 was the suggestion that the export duty should be applied to 

 other forest produce. Such a course did little to remove the 

 charges of discrimination, whilst it greatly increased the volume 

 of opposition. The publication by the acting governor of his 

 famous minute was followed by a series of interviews in the daily 

 newspapers with the leading representatives of the balata and 

 other forest industries, which foretold a sharp conflict if the gov- 

 ernment pressed its proposal to a division in the Legislature. 

 These gentlemen had little difficulty in demonstrating that they 

 were already handsome contributors to the revenue, and that the 

 export tax was more than the industries were able to support ; 

 that it was invidious and unsound ; and that the government was 

 pursuing a policy that was not likely to be favorable to the for- 

 tunes of the colony. They had a large measure of public opinion 

 with them, and received the cordial support of both daily news- 

 papers in their attitude. 



THE LEG1SL.\TI0N'S DECISION. 



'i'he Combined Court went into Committee of Ways and Means 

 on February 25. The acting government secretary, in introduc- 

 ing the budget, pointed out that on account of the industrial 

 stagnation created by the drought he anticipated that revenue 

 during the forthcoming financial year would fall short of the ex- 

 penditure that had been approved by $42,000, and if the balata 

 tax was abolished his deficit w'ould be $66,000. A majority of 

 the committee was sufficiently impressed by the arguments in 

 support of the abolition of the tax to approve of a motion that it 

 should be removed, but only after a lengthy debate in the course 

 of which much opposition was made to the proposal. The mo- 

 tion for abolition came from C. P. Gaskin, who is interested in 

 the industry. Mr. C. F. Wieting, a Water street merchant, said 

 that the industry was growing and it was a question whether it 

 should not contribute to the revenue. Mr. Russel Garnett, local 

 attorney of Curtis, Campbell & Co., said that the company's failure 

 to make profits was due to mismanagement by the men sent out 

 here by the companies, and it was a mistake to ascribe it to the 

 export tax. He agreed, however, that an export tax was wrong, 

 and if the court was in favor of taking it off he would agree, on 

 the understanding that a tax would be imposed in some form 

 next year. He thought the industry would not be overtaxed if 

 it were made to pay 4 cents royalty instead of 2 cents. Mr. Dias, 

 a "people's" representative, charged the government with weak- 

 ness in allowing itself to be led by the agitation carried on against 

 the tax in London. Dr. Rohlehr said that tlie industry was pay- 

 ing handsomely and could bear the tax. Mr. Russel Garnett then 

 moved as an amendment that the export tax be abolished and 

 that the royalty should be increased to 4 cents, the addition to be 

 utilized for the benefit of the industry. This was lost on a divi- 

 sion by 14 votes to 6, and the motion for the abolition of the tax 

 was carried with onlv two dissentients. 



THE CONTINUATION OF THE DROUGHT— WORK SUSPENDED. 

 The drought continues with unabated severity and the effect 

 on the industrial situation is becoming most serious. Its effect 

 upon tlie balata industry may be gathered from the fact that the 

 exports to March 28 were only 23,010 pounds, as compared with 

 72,533 pounds in 1911. The total rainfall has only been 2.41 for 

 the year as compared with 20.33 for last year. We are assured by 

 those experienced in these matters that the rains are some weeks 

 off yet. News has reached us that the conditions in Surinam are 

 infinitely worse than they are here. Operations have been com- 

 pletely suspended in the "bush," and Paramaribo, the capital 

 town, is full of "out-of-works." The government even has to 

 despatch special trains into the interior in order to supplement 

 the water supply. Descriptions of the scenes at the arrival of 

 the trains are graphic and distressing. Although things are not 

 so bad here, conditions are very bad. Very few expeditions are 

 being despatched and those that are report the greatest difficulty 

 in reacliing their destinations. An idea may be gleaned of the 

 severity of the drought if I add that gold-diggers are working 

 some of the beds of the rivers for gold. 



The reports from the interior are now serious, and navigation 

 is difficult from Rockstone onwards, the point where most of the 

 balata expeditions proceed, and from Tumatumari — which is now 

 about four days' distant instead of about 12 hours as normally 

 — it is impossible. Bush is burning freely on the river banks, 

 and it will be interesting, when work does commence again, to 

 ascertain if the balata tracts have been affected thereby. Most 

 of the companies have been advancing to their laborers, but, 

 nevertheless, there is much distress and the Government has ap- 

 pointed a committee with wide powers to devise relief works 

 for those who are in need and who want work. 



THE B.\LATA INDUSTRY AND THE RESOURCES OF 

 CIVILIZATION. 



In the Combined Court Dr. Rohlehr asked an interesting ques- 

 tion wliich elicited much useful information. He asked for a 

 report showing the number of laborers registered for the gold, 

 diamond, balata and timber industries of the colony; who is re- 

 sponsible for their medico-surgical care; how many have died 

 within the last 5 years ; how many succumbed while on the way 

 to the hospitals in Georgetown, New Amsterdam or Suddie; 

 what were the reported causes of death, and what were the quali- 

 fications of those persons who furnished the death certificates ? 

 The acting government secretary said that there were 7,118 reg- 

 istrations of balata laborers, that in the Northwest district tliere 

 were hospitals at Morawhanna and Arakaka, with a medical 

 officer and a dispenser in charge respectively; for the Cuyuni, 

 Mazaruni and Puruni District a hospital at Bartica, in charge of 

 a medical officer ; for the Potaro District a cottage hospital ; for 

 the Demerara River District a dispenser; for the Pomeroon and 

 Moruca Districts a medical magistrate, and three dispensers ; for 

 the Berbice River District a dispenser. No information could be 

 given regarding the number of deaths within five years either 

 on the grants or in transit. Death certificates need not be 

 produced when a death was registered. The registration was 

 made by the government medical officer when the man died in 

 hospital ; by a registered medical practitioner if so attended and 

 by a relative or friend when not so attended, and the probable 

 cause of death given. 



APPOINTMENT OF A GOVERNOR— A RAILWAY BUILDER. 

 Sir Walter Egerton, Governor of Southern Nigeria, has been 

 appointed governor of this colony to succeed Sir Frederic Hodg- 

 son. Sir Walter Egerton has had a very brilliant career in the 

 Colonial Civil Service, and his regime in Southern Nigeria has 

 been remarkable for the manner in which he has developed the 

 railway system of that tropical country. As I have said before, if 

 the hinterland of this colony is to be developed a railway is re- 

 quired, and Sir Walter Egerton seems to be the man to build it 



