264 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD. 



[May I, 1908. 



Banquet cf the Rubber Sundries Manufacturers' Association — Delmonico'Sj New York. 



tations. and congratulations upon the success of the dinner, 

 the company departed. 



Looking at the dinner in retrospect, many interesting details 

 come to mind, such as the souvenir that each guest will long 

 preserve as a remembrance of an unusually pleasant occasion. 

 It was a beautiful stein or "jack" made of leather with gold 

 lining, the brim in silver, and on a shield in front the initials of 

 the association and the date. This was delivered in an elegant 

 plush bag bearng the well known trade mark of the Gorham 

 Manufacturing Co. 



There were present some 30 diners and guests, the companies 

 represented being The B. F. Goodrich Co., Tver Rubber Co., 

 Hodgman Rubber Co., Eberhard Faber, Davol Rubber Co., 

 Davidson Rubber Co.. Seamless Rubber Co., Parker, Stearns & 

 Co., National India Rubber Co., Vant Woud Rubber Co., and 

 Goodycar's India Rubber Glove Manufacturing Co. 



RUBBER AND PROGRESS IN PERU. 



A RECENT visitor to Peru was Mr. Charles P. Knill, treas- 

 urer of the Peru-Para Rubber Co. (Chicago). He went 

 in the interests of the company named, which controls large 

 rubber grants rn tributaries of the upper .Amazon, in the de- 

 partment of Loreto. Mr. Knill gathered no little information 

 of interest to rubber men. Ocean steamers, as is known, ply 

 regularly between New York, European ports and Iquitos, the 

 inland port and rubber metropolis of Peru, situated 1900 miles 

 up the -Amazon and within easy reach of important rubber pro- 

 ducing properties. 



Over 7000 passengers arrived in Iquitos during IQO", almast 

 solely in the interest of rubber. Twenty-seven dealers in that 

 city exported nearly 7.CCC.C00 pounds f f rubber of all .grades 



during the year, of which more than two-thirds were of the 

 grades known as "Para," and the balance "caucho." The im- 

 portance of rubber to Iquitos is indicated by the fact that 

 during the year 540 steamers weighed anchor at that port, their 

 principal business being that of carrying in supplies and carry- 

 ing out rubber. 



The government of Peru has become very energetic in the 

 development of its resour.ces and this is particularly true as 

 applied to the Loreto region. One of the principal rivers in 

 this district is the Ucayali, which flows into the .Amazon at 

 Iquitos, and is navigable for ocean steamers for 800 miles from 

 that port. The government and rubber concessionaires are 

 rapidly redeeming this country by modern business methods and 

 in the building of roads, bridges, and the like. 



There is a large amount of American capital invested in Peru. 

 This capital has, in the past, been employed about equally in the 

 mining and rubber industries and the railroad development oi 

 that country, but there seems now to be a decided tendency in 

 favor of rubber. The Peru-Para Rubber Co. is fortunately lo- 

 cated on the Blanco river, which admits of the passage of 2CX) 

 ton steamers, and is an affluent of the Ucayali, navigable for 

 ocean steamers, and is between 200 and 300 miles from Iquitos, 

 thus making possible continuous water transportation from its 

 property to New York or Europe. 



I\Ir. Knill reports very favorably m regard to the aflFairs of 

 the company and through Oscar MaviTa, a former Peruvian 

 naval cominander of note, and who is in charge of the work on 

 this property, states that the building of the roads which connect 

 the property with other districts is progressing rapidly and 

 that very soon a large territory will be able to avail itself of 

 reaching the market in quick time by the use of these roads 

 and the rivers running through the company's property. 



