294 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



II'EBRIARV 1. 1917. 



Rubber Planting Notes. 



RUBBER TAXATION IN THE FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



AlCOKDIXCj to recent advices from the Far East, there is in 

 Malaya considerable agitation with the object of adding still 

 further to the export duty on crude rubber. 

 At the present time the export duty is 2'-i per cent ad valorem. 

 It is suggested that at the next Federal Council of the Fed- 

 erated Malay States a motion may be introduced to provide for 

 an additional export duty of one Straits Settlements dollar per 

 picul [$0,367 per 133;<) pounds] to be levied upon all crude rubber 

 exported during the year 1917. In fact, there are rumors of a 

 still higher ta.x being imposed. 



STRAITS SETTLEMENTS RUBBER INDUSTRY AND TRADE. 



The American Consul at Singapore, Straits Settlements, re- 

 ports that the development of the rubber industry in the Malay 

 Peninsula has seriously affected the cultivation of most of the 

 other agricultural products of the country. The cultivation of 

 rice, for instance, was first supplanted in large areas by cocoanuts 

 and later by rubber. From the cultivation of rice the native 

 was able to work out a bare livelihood, but with a small rubber 

 plantation he has the possibility of becoming in a few years 

 a comparatively rich man. 



There were imported in 1915, 23,114 tons of crude rubber 

 from the Malay States, 2,198 tons from the Netherlands Indies, 

 and 709 tons from other countries. The figures in 1914 were 

 9.661 tons. 556 tons, and 274 tons; and 4,073 tons, 188 tons, and 

 189 tons in 1913. 



The exports of crude rubber from the Straits Settlements in 

 1915 are given as 12,824 tons (value $13,744,621) to the United 

 Kingdom: 21,075 tons (value $25,598,597) to the United States, 

 and 4,383 tons (value $1,776,367) to other countries. In 1914 they 

 totaled 13,376 tons, 4,510 tons, and 2,^20 tons, with 7,168 tons, 

 2508 tons, and 731 tons, the corresponding figures in 1913. 



INCREASED RUBBER EXPORTS FROM SUMATRA. 



The American consul at Batavia, Java, reports that exports 

 of plantation rubber from Belawan, Deli (Sumatra), for the 

 first eight months of 1916 amounted to 19,947,704 pounds, com- 

 pared with 8,300.817 pounds in the corresponding period of 1915. 

 Shipments to the United States increased from 2,309,072 to 

 5,549,025 pounds. This indicates continued growth in the trade 

 with the United States, which had previously leaped from 67,200 

 pounds in 1914 to 4,074,560 for the entire year 1916. The figures 

 for eight months are ; 



Countries. 1915. 1916. 



United .States pounds 2.369.072 5.549,025 



Great Britain 4,517,429 3,863,088 



Netherlands 948.158 31,592 



Straits .Setllementb 466,158 1,503,999 



Totals, 8,300,817 10,947,704 



DUTCH EAST INDIES RUBBER TRADE, 



The latest complete official reports on the rubber trade and 

 industry in the Netherlands East Indies now available are for 

 the calendar year 1915. 



As has already been stated in The Indi.\ Rubber World, in 

 consequence of the trouble experienced in shipping merchandise 

 to the United States via the Netherlands at the beginning of 

 the war, all goods from Sumatran ports to the United States 

 in 1915 were shipped either via Java by direct steamer to New 

 York, or via Singapore and Hong Kong to San Francisco and 

 Seattle. 



The direct monthly service to the east coast of the United 

 States being found insufficient to meet the increasing demand 



for cargo space, was changed to one of three weeks, and still 

 all boats sailed with all the cargo they possibly could carry. 

 Freight rates to New York had increased about 50 per cent 

 by the close of the year, and shippers fotmd that they could 

 send their goods to American .Atlantic ports via San Francisco 

 and rail at less expense than by sending by direct steamer from 

 Java lo New ^'ork. 



EXPORTS FROM J.WA. 



Of the total crude rubber exports amounting to 14,262,235 

 pounds, 4,732,264 pounds went to the United Kingdom, 2,831,748 

 pounds to the Netherlands, 1,024,423 pounds to the Straits Set- 

 tlements, and 11,000 pounds to France. 



Exports of gutta percha amounted to 678,269 pounds ; all went 

 to the Netherlands, as did also the exports of gutta jelutong, 

 which amounted to 1,584 pounds. 



EXPORTS TC THE UNITED STATES. 

 Exports of crude rubber to the United States in 1915 amounted 

 in value to $5,918,570, against $338,315 in 1914; those of gutta 

 jelutong amounted to $45,353, against $4,969 the previous year, 

 and exports of gutta percha were valued at $31,533 against 

 $10,007 in 1914. 



RUBBER CULTIVATION IN THE NETHERLANDS INDIES. 



A report of the International Association for Rubber Cultiva- 

 tion in the Netherlands Indies estimates the total area under 

 rubber in the islands of Sumatra and Java at 570,000 acres, about 

 half of the total capital involved being English, the Dutch in- 

 terest coming next, while France, Belgium and the United 

 States are represented in the balance. The export of crude 

 rubber from the Dutch possessions for 1915 is given at 18,765 

 metric tons, of which 11,307 tons came from Sumatra and 7,458 

 tons from Java. In 1914 the total export w'as 10,046 tons, of 

 which 6,234 tons came from Sumatra and 3,812 tons from Java. 

 This illustrates the rapid growth of the industry in recent years, 

 and in the case of plantations on the east coast of Sumatra the 

 development of the estates would appear to have been particularly 

 rapid. 



CEARA RUBBER FROM NIGERIA. 



Reporting on two samples of Manihot rubber received from 

 government plantations in Nigeria for analysis and tests, the 

 British Imperial Institute states that the first sample had been 

 prepared by a native from trees three years old, having an aver- 

 age girth of IS inches at 3 feet from the ground. Sixty trees 

 were tapped 14 times during a period of one month, the total 

 yield of dry rubber being 118 ounces. The rubber was dark 

 brown and in the form of thin, rough sheets. It was in good 

 condition, containing only a small amount of impurities in the 

 form of bark. Its physical properties were quite satisfactory. 



The results of chemical examination were as follows : 



Loss on \\'ashing (moisture and impurities) Per cent.. 5.3 



Composition of dry washed rubber: 



Caoutchouc 83.1 



Resin 5.3 



Protein 9.9 



Ash 1.7 



The sample was valued at 2s. Id. per pound in London, with 

 fine hard Para at 2s. (>%d. per pound, and dark-brown plantation 

 Para crepe at 2s. 4d. per pound. 



The rubber, although derived from young trees, compared 

 favorably in composition with many samples of Ceara rubber 

 previously examined by the Imperial Institute. 



The second sample had been obtained from 96 trees which 

 were tapped 26 times during the months of May and October. 



