November i, 1903.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



65 



NEW TAX ON RUBBER AT MANAOS. 



NEW TRADE PUBLICATIONS. 



THE state of Amazonas (Brazil), by a law enacted Septem- 

 ber 9, 1903, grants to the Banco Amazonas, a credit in- 

 stitution to be established at Mandos by Charles Figueiredo, 

 the right to levy a tax of 100 reis per kilogram on all Rubber, 

 and 80 reis per kilogram on all Caucho produced in that state 

 at the time the same is placed upon the market. This is in ad- 

 dition to all other taxes now levied upon rubber at Manaos. 

 The new tax is to be levied by the state authorities and deliver- 

 ed monthly to the proposed new bank, the capital of which is 

 required to be 2,000,000 milreis [ = $500,000], with the privilege 

 of increase. The concession is to exist for ten years. The 

 bank shall have a department for mortgages and commercial 

 transactions, and may engage in all branches of the banking 

 business. One provision is that after the profits of the new 

 bank shall exceed a certain percentage, new shares equal to the 

 gain shall be created and distributed gratis to the producers of 

 rubber in proportion to the amounts they may have paid under 

 the levy, said shares to be entitled to dividends from future 

 gains of the bank, but not from the proceeds of the tax. 



The United States consular agent at Mandos (.Mr. George 

 E. Pell) estimates that with an annual production of rubber in 

 Amazonas of 16.000 tons, the new tax— equal to 1, 600 000 mil- 

 reis— will, at the present rate of exchange, amount to $4°c>.c> 00. 

 He adds: 



At certain times in the year many native houses require money to tide 

 them over until they receive rubber from upriver. At such times in the 

 past it has been customary to borrow money from the foreign houses 

 here. Casually looking at the law, it appears that this bank is to be or- 

 ganized and run as an accommodation to the native business houses, 

 thus taking these loans from the hands of the foreigners, but many think 

 that a " corner" in rubber is to be attempted with the aid of this tax. 

 It would result seriously to our very large American rubber trade if a 

 corner could be managed controlling the rubber produced in this state. 

 The rubber manufacturing trades of England and the continental manu- 

 facturers would also suffer. 



According to United States Consul Kenneday, at Para, "the 

 new law has created consternation among the rubber buyers 

 throughout the Amazon valley," and "exporters here are al- 

 ready indulging in gloomy forebodings." He quotes a Para 

 merchant, favorable to the plan, as saying that the intention of 

 the law is to facilitate commerce, and especially the rubber 

 trade, " by the establishment of a bank which shall be able to 

 advance necessary funds to the aviadores and commerce in 

 general in a place where ready money is very scarce and ex- 

 pensive, and business is handicapped accordingly." 



But the sentiment of all the Paid merchants is not so favor- 

 able to the law. Frank da Costa, a very large exporter of rub- 

 ber from Paid is thus quoted by Consul Kenneday : 



This law is sure to work harm to the general rubber trade, but it is 

 yet too soon to say how serious its effect may be. This bank will have 

 100 reis (2.5 cents) per kilogram advantage over every other buyer in 

 Manaos, and this means practically a corner on the rubber market at 

 that point and an extra annual cost of at least $400,000, provided the 

 enterprise is well managed. This law is certainly a menace to the whole 

 trade in northern Brazil. However, we can only wait and let matters 

 develop themselves. I have seen other obnoxious and dangerous laws 

 repealed. It may happen again. 



With 12 pence as the price of the milreis, the new tax will 

 equal £5. or $24.33 P er metric ton, which is a trifle over 1.1 

 cent per pound avoirdupois. 



THE Peerless Rubber Manufacturing Co. (New York) 

 manufacturers of Mechanical Rubber Goods, issue under 

 date of October, 1903, their Catalogue No. 60, which embraces 

 not a little new material in relation to their standard products of 

 Packing, Belting, and Hose, together with numerous specialties 

 in allied lines. Particular mention must be made of the section 

 devoted to Mats, which is attractively illustrated, with mat de- 

 signs in colors and fac simile. This is one of the most attract- 

 ive looking of the many attractive catalogues of the Peerless 

 company, and a copy will be appreciated by every dealer in 

 rubber goods who secures it. [$ 7 /s" )<.&%'■ 150 pages. 1 



Typke & King (16, Mincing lane, London) have issued a 

 pamphlet of instructions for using the specialties for India- 

 rubber of which they are manufacturers, including golden and 

 crimson sulphurets, various pigments, lead, magnesia, and the 

 like, and also their line of India-rubber Substitutes. The trade 

 in America may obtain this useful little book from the firm's 

 representative, Joseph Cantor, No. 56 Pine street, New York. 

 [3#"X5^'- 16 pages] 



The M. Lindsay Rubber Co. (New York and Washington) 

 are sending out a handsome illustrated catalogue of their 

 " Agnota " Process Rubber Specialties, several of which have 

 been described in The India Rubber World. The list in- 

 cludes gloves, nipples, ice caps, ice bags, finger cots, and so on. 

 In fact, the process may be applied to any seamless specialties. 

 UM" X W- 22 pages.] 



Mulconroy Co. Inc. (Nos. 1213-1215 Market street, Phila- 

 delphia) issue a neat illustrated descriptive catalogue of Piston 

 and Sheet Packings, for steam, hydraulic locomotive, and am- 

 monia requirements. A wide variety is listed. [3%" X 6". 24 

 pages.J 



The Diamond Rubber Co. (Akron, Ohio) have issued a 

 neat catalogue of Rubber Garden Hose, listing their numerous 

 brands, for a variety of purposes, and illustrating their markings 

 in fac simile. A few lines of helpful descriptive matter appears 

 in each case. [sW X 3)4". 36 pages.] 



ALSO RECEIVED. 



The Foster Rubber Co., No. 370 Atlantic avenue, Boston. — Friction 

 Plug Specialties, ig pages. 



[Perfection Rubber Co.] John J. Cook, Trenton, New Jersey = Per- 

 forated Mats. 8 pages. 



Tennant Auto-Tire Co., Springfield, Obio=Automobile Tire Talk. 

 [Tennant's puncture proof pneumatic tires.] S pages. 



Knickerbocker Manufacturing Co .Chicago, Illinois. =; Knickerbocker 

 India- Rubber Fountain Brush. 12 pages. 



The Nippon Rubber Co., Tokio, Japan. = Catalogue and Price List 

 [of rubber belting and hose], 4 pages. 



Bauer & Black, Chicago, Illinois. =The Struggle for Supremacy. 

 [Descriptive of the " O PC " suspensories] 16 pages. 



Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio. = The Pneumatic Golf 

 Ball. 12 pages. 



Continental Caoutchouc Co. . No. 2g8 Broadway, New York. = Price 

 List [of "Continental" automobile tires, from the company's factory 

 (Hanover, Germany) for the American trade.] 



Considerable deposits of asbestos are reported to exist 

 near the Ropes gold mine at Ishpeming, Michigan, worth from 

 $50 to $200 per ton, and mining machinery has been ordered. 



Colonel William Jennings Bryan, of Nebraska, while 

 visiting Mexico recently, with his family, was entertained at the 

 " Hacienda Yale," an extensive private plantation, including 

 rubber on a large scale, the property of Alfred Bishop Mason, 

 the railroad man, and managed by his nephews, J. R. Trow- 

 bridge and R. S. Willis, near Tierra Blanca, in Vera Cruz. The 

 hacienda was named for Yale University, where the two young 

 men were educated. 



