August 1, 1917.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



63^ 



"Where can I see some of these trees?" said I eagerly. 



"When you return home, go to the Arnold Arboretum in 

 one of Boston's suburbs, and you will see several. They 

 have been growing there for some years." 



That was the gist of his chat and the primary reason for 

 his wish to see me. Of course we discussed Hevea planting 

 in the Philip- 



peoples, but by none so brutally or so universally as by the 

 Germans. So, as I said, both of our countries will enter the 

 war on the side of the Allies. In time, say a year or two, 

 there will come a shortage of labor. So great will this be 

 that the huge reservoirs of willing, tractable laborers, particu- 

 larly in China, will be needed. Labor unions will see that 



their members 



pines, which he 

 favored. Just 

 back from Sin- 

 gapore, he also 

 entertained me 

 with planting 

 gossip and in- 

 formation. 



As I was 

 leaving he 

 said: 



"Suppose 

 plantation rub- 

 ber in time 

 reached a level 

 of 30 cents 

 gold a pound. 

 As it drops 

 there would be 

 all sorts of 

 efforts on the 

 part of plant- 

 ers' associations 

 to create artifi- 

 cial uses for 



the surplus and to curtail production to bring prices up. Per- 

 sonally, I believe that new and great uses for rubber will render 

 such action unnecessary, but if one were a speculator there is a 

 better, surer way." 



"And that is?" 



"Secure the bulk of the world's vulcanized rubber scrap. 

 Distill it into caoutchoucin and other valuable by-products. 

 If the scrap was cheap 



Isothermal Lines Between Which Tu Chung Rubber Will Grow. 



enough, and one had 

 bought crude gum, 

 around, say, 30 cents, 

 when it went to a dol- 

 lar the profit would be 

 quite considerable." 



The next morning, 

 just before we sailed, 

 Mr. Chang came aboard 

 to say good-bye. As 

 usual, he had something 

 unusual to say. 



"It was not Tu Chung 

 rubber or a boom in 

 crude rubber that I 

 wanted to talk to you 

 about — to get you 

 thinking over," he said. 

 "It was this, and I hope 

 you will watch devel- 

 opments carefully. 

 The L^nited States and 

 China as well will get 



into the world war. The Prussian, through teaching his peo- 

 ple that they and their desires are all important, has come 

 to possess a super-egotism that is akin to madness. His 

 sense of proportion is entirely atrophied. The outrages in 

 America will bear their fruit. As for China, she has been 

 oppressed by many nations, and by the individuals of many 



are not men- 

 aced. First in 

 the tropics, 

 and later in the 

 temperate 

 zones, the Chi- 

 nese laborer 

 will be used 

 by the tens of 

 thousands. In 

 your own line, 

 on rubber 

 plantations, and 

 in .American 

 rubber fac- 

 tories, you will 

 see Chinese 

 help. America 

 is rich enough 

 to a fT o r d it, 

 and, mark my 

 words, before 

 the .A.merican 

 consents to put 

 his women folk 

 in trousers and force them into factories, she will scour the 

 world for masculine workers. And it should be so. It is 

 the beginning of the world federation that will utilize, guard 

 and profit by the producing capacities of every race under 

 the sun." 



"Perhaps you are right. At any rate, the tropical need for 

 your labor is great and growing greater," said I. "There is, 



however, a point you 

 seem to miss. You have 

 lots of labor. Why not 

 use it right where it is, 

 right at home?" 

 "How ?" 



"Well, you believe rub- 

 ber growing to be a good 

 proposition. Start your 

 millions of coolies grow- 

 ing milkweed, rabbit- 

 weed or some other 

 minor rubber product- 

 something that will give 

 an annual crop. Put a 

 million or so at it and the 

 rubber product will be 

 considerable." 



"Maybe some time. No 



can do now." said Chang 



with a smile. 



\\'ith that he departed. 



In the Inl.xnd Se.-^. and we proceeded down 



the Yellow River, turned 

 south and pointed the boat's nose for Luzon. 



It's a long way to Luzon — that is, from Xcw York ; it takes a 

 solid month to get there by railroad and steamer, two months 

 by magazine. Here I expected to find much that would be of 

 interest and my hopes were not disappointed. 



{To be Continued) 



