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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[April 1, 1916. 



Rubber Planting Notes. 



DECXIITE OF WILD RUBBER IN FRENCH INDO-CHINA. 



WITH the development of Eastern rubber plantations, the 

 gathering of wild rubber is becoming a rapidly declining 

 industry. The recently published report of a French 

 military, geological and topographical commission which ex- 

 plored the Laos country of French Indo-China in 1913, contains 

 interesting notes on rubber gathering. 



The Laos country is located in the French protectorate of 

 Annam and Siam and embraces all the upper reaches of the 

 Mekong river. Rubber vines, which furnish most of the crude 

 rubber that is exported from Vinh and other ports of Annam, 

 grow wild in the forests covering the slate hills of the central 

 districts of the Laos country. 



In these rubber districts most of the natives neglect all agri- 

 cultural pursuits to devote themselves exclusively to the gather- 

 ing of rubber, which they sell to French traders in such centers as 

 Luang-Prabang, Vientiane, Xienghouang, Kham-Keut and Na- 

 Pe. 



The rubber sold at Luang-Prabang comes from Muong-Phoun, 

 from the valley of the Nam-Ta ( Vien-Poukha) river and also 

 from the forest districts of Siam. The Siamese rubber is carried 

 on pack elephants to Thadua and from there down the river to 

 Luang-Prabang. 



The rubber marketed at Vientiane is obtained partly from the 

 Muong-Phoun district and from the Pou-Nieni mountains, which 

 are parallel to the Mekong, south of Moung-Phoun. Xienkhou- 

 ang, Kham-Keut and Na-Pe receive their rubber from the moun- 

 tains near Muong-Mo as well as from the Muong-Phoun dis- 

 trict. The Muong-Phoun rubber reaches Xienkhouang by pack 

 horse caravans. The rubber purchasing season begins in January. 

 In 1913 the natives were receiving from 1.20 to 2 Straits Settle- 

 ments dollars per kilogram [30 to SO cents per pound] for dry 

 rubber. 



From the trading centers the rubber is sent by river boats and 

 parcel post to the ports of shipment on the seaboard. 



The French explorers were unable to obtain any definite figures 

 as to the quantities of rubber handled at the different trading 

 points, but they learned that Xienkhouang was by far the leading 

 center and that Luang-Prabang was second in importance. Also 

 that the industry was fast declining owing to the destructive 

 methods of the native gatherers. 



RUBBER WASHING IN WEST AFRICA. 



At the present time difficulty is being experienced in the 

 Manihot rubber industry in West Africa, apparently due to the 

 over-washing of the product. Manihot rubber should be 

 treated differently than Hevea, as it is much more resinous than 

 the latter and is consequently softer. Repeated washings are 

 said to result in loss of "nerve" and cause the formation of oxi- 

 dized films, rendering the rubber unsuitable for first-class manu- 

 facture. Too extended drying in the producing coiuitry has been 

 suggested as the cause of the oxidation of the rubber, as the 

 water in Manihot rubber is supposed to contribute to its 

 preservation. 



South Cameroon rubber acts in a somewhat similar manner. 

 It comes in small cubes that are damp and lose 30 per cent in 

 weight. This rubber has long given good results to manufac- 

 turers. It is purchased by trade-marks and without samples. 



EXPORT TARIFF ON CRUDE RUBBER FROM BRITISH EAST AFRICA. 



The British "Customs Tariff Amendment ( Xo. 3) Ordinance 

 of 1915" reduces the export duty on rubber other than planta- 

 tion rubber, from the British East -Africa Protectorate, from 10 

 per cent ad valorem to 4 per cent ad valorem. 



Rubber plantation companies, in general, place the so-called 

 "all-in" cost of production of rubber before their shareholders. 

 Opinions are divided, however, as to the wisdom of giving these 

 details to the public. Officials of some plantation companies be- 

 lieve it injudicious to enable purchasers to learn the cost of pro- 

 duction, reasoning that a buyer paying $1.00 for an article which 

 to his knowledge costs but 25 cents to produce will naturally 

 make it his aim to reduce as much as possible the profit he 

 knows the seller is making. By boasting of the low cost of pro- 

 duction the rubber grower arms the rubber dealer with a weapon 

 which the latter will use against him. The practice of publishing 

 "all-in" costs is certainly peculiar, for in few other lines of 

 business is it customary to take the public so completely into 

 confidence as to the costs of production. 



WORLD'S ACREAGE OF PLANTATION RUBBER. 



It is estimated by the Rubber Growers' Association of 

 London that the total area of planted rubber is approximately 

 one and a half million acres, which is divided as follows: 

 Malaya, 670.000 acres; Ceylon, 224,000 acres, Dutch East 

 Indies, 517.000 acres; Southern India and other countries, 

 90,000 to 100,000 acres. 



PARA RUBBER SEED. 



According to the "Gardens" Bulletin," Straits Settlements, 

 from observations over a period of eighteen years at the Botanic 

 Gardens, Singapore, it is estimated that about 1,400 trees are 

 required to yield 2,000 pounds of Para rubber seed, or 1,200 

 pounds of kernels. It was further noted that a large crop of 

 seed is usually followed by an insignificant crop at the next 

 seeding. 



RUBBER PLANTING IN ST. LUCIA, B. W. I. 



According to the annual report of .\rchibald J. Brooks, F.L.S., 

 F.C.S., agricultural superintendent for St. Lucia, British West 

 Indies, labor conditions in that island render the cultivation and 

 preparation of rubber unprofitable although both Casfilloa elas- 

 tica and Hevea Brasiliensis grow and thrive well on the island. 

 Samples of CastiUoa rubber grown in St. Lucia were sent to the 

 Imperial Institute in London, which reported it to be of good 

 quality although of undesirable dark color and a rather high 

 percentage of resin. 



THE BATAVIA. JAVA, RUBBER TRADE ASSOCIATION. 



This association recently published its first report, which 

 covers the year 1915. Starting with 40 subscribers, 67 new 

 ones were registered in the course of the year, bringing the 

 total on December 31, 1915, to 107. 



During the year covered by the report 21 auctions were 

 held, rubber to the amount of 262 tons was offered, and 136 

 tons sold. 



The report makes no mention of forward sales in Java 

 during 1915. although there are reasons to believe many such 

 sales were made. 



BALATA POACHERS. 



Some time ago seven or eight balata bleeders deserted from 

 the service of the British Guiana Companies, crossed the 

 Rupununi Savannah to the Brazilian side of the Takutu river, 

 and there began bleeding operations on their own account. 

 Using the old-time destructive methods of cutting down the 

 bullet-trees, they soon had collected a considerable quantity of 

 balata. estimated at 10.000 pounds, and are now reported to be 

 on their way down the Rio Branco for Manaos. 



