24 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[October i, 1907. 



The Putumayo-Caqueta Rubber Concession. 



THE references in recent numbers of The India Rubber 

 World to the Amazon Colombian Rubber and Trading 

 Co., and its concession in the regions of the Putumayo 

 and Caqueta rivers, have elicited some correspondence between 

 representatives of the two governments most closely interested. 

 The questions at interest are best defined, perhaps, in two letters 

 to the editor of the New York Times, which appeared in two 

 issues of that newspaper during the past month. The two letters 

 are reproduced below, together with tlie headings under which 

 they originally appeared. 



[from the new YORK TIMES.] 



RUBBER CONCESSION DISPUTED. 



Land of Concessionaires Claimed by 

 Peru as Well as Colombia. 



To THE Editor of The New York Times: I have read in The 

 India Rubber World, edition of May i, 1907, an article entitled 

 "To Exploit Colombian Rubber," wherein it is stated that the 

 Amazon Colombian Rubber and Trading Co. has filed articles 

 of incorporation, with an authorized capital of $7,500,000, and 

 that the object of said corporation is to acquire and work rubber 

 and timber resources controlled under a concession from the 

 Republic of Colombia — an estimated area of 47,000 square miles, 

 bounded in general by the Putumayo and Caqueta rivers, the 

 waters of both of which reach the Amazon — which concession 

 carries the exclusive rights of exploitation until 1930 and the 

 right to acquire 80,000 hectares (197,680 acres) in fee simple 

 anywhere within the limits of the concession. 



I have also read in the same periodical, edition of September i, 

 1907, another article, entitled "A Colombian Rubber Merchant," 

 wherein a reference is made to a letter of mine addressed to the 

 editor of The India Rubber World, in regard to which the said 

 editor mentions that my government considers part of the lands 

 covered by the concession to be comprised in that territory which 

 is disputed between Colombia and Peru. 



As most of these statements are quite misleading, and may be 

 misapprehended, permit me to make public through your valued 

 paper that the government of Peru, through its legation at Wash- 

 ington, has informed the Amazon Colombian Rubber and Trading 

 Co. that the Peruvian government regards said concession as 

 invalid inasmuch as it refers to a territory which is in dispute 

 between Peru and Colombia, said dispute being now pending 

 before an international court of arbitration ; that the Peruvian 

 government has been and is in actual possession of said territory, 

 maintaining custom houses and collecting taxes ; and that the 

 territory is furthermore subject to a modus vivcndi made some 

 years ago between the government of Peru and Colombia, which 

 provides that neither power should alter or disturb the status 

 quo until the dispute between them as to the sovereignty of said 

 region should be definitely settled. 



I beg to also mention that my government has given notice to 

 the department of state of the United States of the aforesaid 

 communication made by it to said Amazon Colombian Rubber 

 and Trading Co. eduardo hicwnson. 



New York, September 6, 1907. Consul General of Peru. 



[from the new YORK TIMES.] 



THAT RUBBER CONCESSION. 



Statement of the Colombian Charge 

 In Regard to Peruvian Claims. 



The following from the legation of the government of Co- 

 lombia in Washington, D. C, has been communicated to the editor 

 of The Times in regard to a recently published letter from 

 Eduardo Higginson, consul general of Peru, in which that gentle- 



man attacks the validity of the concession granted by the govern- 

 ment of Colombia to Messrs. Cano, Cuello & Co. : 



To the Editor of the New York Times : This legation is not 

 aware that the government of Colombia has received any protest 

 from Peru against the concession alluded to. Such protest should 

 have been made jointly with that which Mr. Higginson asserts 

 was made known both to the department of state of the United 

 States of America and to the Amazon Colombian Rubber and 

 Trading Co., by means of the Peruvian legation in Washington. 



The modus vivendi between Colombia and Peru in regard to 

 arbitration was signed in July, 1906, that is to say, one year and 

 a half after the government of Colombia had granted the con- 

 cession to Cano, Cuello & Co. (January, 1905), for the ex- 

 ploitation of a portion of the upper Putumayo territory, territory 

 that Colombia claims and has always recognized as her own; 

 consequently there is no foundation for the assertion made by 

 the consul general of Peru that Colombia failed to maintain the 

 status quo by granting said concession, which, as stated, was of 

 prior date to the modus vivendi. 



Inspired by the highest regards for all America, and to cut 

 short all dispute with Peru, Colombia agreed to submit to an 

 arbitration tribunal the question of Peru's pretensions to rights 

 on the Putumayo ; and even in case the result were favorable to 

 Peru, that country would have to respect rights acquired by 

 individuals and granted in good faith by Colombia. 



I have made a report of this incident to my government, and 

 especially of the statement of the Peruvian consul general that 

 Peru is maintaining customs houses and collecting taxes in the 

 disputed territory, since under the terms of the status quo invoked 

 by the said consul general, the two nations, Colombia and Peru, 

 agreed to withdraw all the officials and military force that they 

 had there until the decision of the abitrators. 



I consider, therefore, that there is no reason whatsoever why 

 this incident, which to my mind is of no importance, should cause 

 any apprehension or lack of confidence on the part of the stock- 

 holders or others interested in the exploitation of the territory 

 granted by Colombia to Cafio, Cuello & Co. j. m. pasos. 



Charge d'AfFaires ad interim. 



Legation of Colombia, Washington, D. C, September 19, 1907. 



W13 



MARKING RUBBER FOOTWEAR. 



VENN'S Perfection Shoe Marker, which is in such general 

 use in rubber shoe factories for marking soles with sizes 

 and widths — which work may be done while the shoes are on 

 the lasts or afterward — has been illustrated and described in 

 various issues of The India Rubber World. The device is now 



referred to for the pur- 

 pose of mentioning a 

 modification of it which 

 permits the use of much 

 larger figures and letters 

 than formerly, especially 

 for marking heavy boots 

 and shoes or coarse soling. The size of the letters is shown 

 here. These figures and letters are made of solid rubber and 

 are fastened to the machine by a device that is warranted to 

 hold until figures and letters are worn out. The marking paste 

 is deposited on the surface of the figures by motion of the thumb, 

 the same as on all other Venn markers. Mr. Venn is making 

 standard markers which stamp shoes with both American and 

 French sizes at one operation, if desired. The superintendent of 

 one of the largest rubber shoe factories writes that these markers 

 have been in satisfactory use in his factory for eighteen years, 

 and adds : "We have never heard of any machine better, or even 

 as good." [Frank Venn, P. O. box 76, Maiden, Massachusetts.] 



