678 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



August 1, 1917. 



is regarded with some apprehension. Moreover, there is a large 



German population that desires to have its own bank, and rumors 



are already heard that the Deutsch-Ost-Asiatische bank intends 



to establish one or more branches. 



THE 1916 RUBBER PRODUCTION IN THE DUTCH EAST INDIES. 



It appears from the statistics compiled by "Nethcrland-India 



News" that the direct exports of plantation rubber from the 



Netherland-Indies amounted to 15,121 tons during the first lialf 



of the year 1916, as follows: 



Java Ions 5,498 



Re-shipmcnts 622 



6,120 

 Outside districts 9,001 



Total ■ 15,121 



The 622 tons from other localities, which were sent to Java 

 for re-shipment to foreign countries, were primarily destined for 

 the Batavia market, and originated for the larger part from 

 Tapanoeli (221 tons), Lampongs (194) and West Borneo (76). 

 The total product of the Netherlands-Indies for the year 1915 

 was only 20,100 tons. 



THE SITUATION IN MALAYA. 



By a Special Correspondent. 

 MALAYAN COMMERCE. 



VIEWED as a whole, business during 1916 was distinctly satis- 

 factory. Money is plentiful and no failures of importance 

 have been recorded. Figures show an all-round increase, though 

 in the case of imports, the actual volume of trade was less than 

 in pre-w^ar times. Importations from Japan, however, have been 

 growing rapidly, while the fact that the export trade — chiefly 

 rubber and tin — with America ii'a the Pacific Ocean, is under- 

 going an equal degree of development, is admirably illustrated 

 by the following figures : 



Tons. 



1913. 1914. 1915. 1916. 



2,800 3,800 13,000 15.200 



Shipping difficulties are causing a great deal of anxiety, and 



it is feared that if conditions continue getting worse, the trade 



record for 1917 will fall greatly below that for the past year. 



At Penang, the arrivals and gross tonnage for 1915 and 1916 



were: 



Ships Entered Gross 



at Port. Tonnage. 



1915 2,284 2,813.061 



J 1916 2,209 2,577,020 



Decrease 75 236,041 



In spite of this condition, shipments of rubber were larger 

 than ever. Singapore noted an increase of 60 per cent over the 

 previous year, while from Penang exports of rubber for 1916 

 were 17,850 tons as compared with 14,738 tons during 1915 — a 

 difference of 3.112 tons. Prices for rubber were considered 

 satisfactory. In the Federated Malay States, 2s. lyid. was the 

 lowest price obtained for Smoked sheet; at Penang, First latex 

 brought prices ranging from 3s. 8>^d. to 2s. 2^(i. per pound. 



The motor trade, which experienced a setback during 1914 

 and 1915, is recovering rapidly, due to the prosperity of planters 

 and miners, who can take advantage of the fine roads through 

 magnificent tropical scenery. The wealthier Chinese, however, 

 are the best customers, since they are rarely satisfied with one 

 car when once they take to motoring. It also seems likely that 

 there will be a big demand for motor tractors in the near future. 



The following figures show that the larger part of the supply 

 comes from the United States, although in 1914 the United 

 Kingdom leads : 



1913. 1914. 1915. 

 £ Sterling. £ Sterling. £ Sterling. 



United States 149,503 65,884 52,073 



United Kingdom 133,709 88,429 29,521 



Belgium 5,086 834 



Germany 4,831 1,852 



France 1,644 858 1.338 



Italy 1.283 1,364 1,050 



The total imports of cycles, automobiles and accessories at 

 Straits Settlements ports were as follows : 



£ Sterling. 



1913 323,824 



1914 169,301 



1915 93.622 



1916 rnine months) 260,983 



For the Federated Malay States the values were £129,816 and 

 £44,060 in 1914 and 1915, respectively. 



BANGKOK TO SINGAPORE BY RAIL. 



Thanks to the energies of the general manager of the F. M. S. 



Railways, the Bangkok-Penang line has been completed, and it 



is now possible to travel from Bangkok, Penang and Kuala 



Lumpur to Singapore by rail. The construction of this new 



Stecial Train Passing the Marble Hill near Ipoh, Perak, 

 Federated M.\lay States. 



line will undoubtedly play a great part in the development of 

 the rich kingdom of Siam, and the Malay Peninsula may con- 

 fidently look forward to a share of the benefits flowing there- 

 from. Penang, as the only deep-water outlet on the west coast 

 of the peninsula, from Burma down, is certain to gain in im- 

 portance. 



INDIAN LABOR. 

 In a previous letter, mention was made of the existing dif- 

 ficulties in connection with the labor question. It can, therefore, 

 be imagined that the news that the Madras Government had 

 ruled that from April 1, 1917, immigration to the Federated 

 Malay States would be limited to the lowest possible minimum, 

 was received with anything but pleasure. It is hoped, however, 

 that some arrangement will be made whereby the difficulties, 

 thus augmented, may be diminished. 



THE MALAY HOLDING. 



Attention has lately been called to the hidden danger in the 

 Malay holding. Malays are incorrigible fatalists; therefore, if 

 their estates are attacked by some kind of pest or disease, and 

 the most primitive methods fail to produce improvement, they 

 calmly allow the destruction to go on, resignedly declaring it to 

 be the will of God. Consequently it is feared that if things are 

 allowed to continue in this way, pests and diseases which, 

 strangely enough, do not do so much damage to small plantations 

 as to larger ones, will spread from these small Malay estates 

 to the European holdings in the form of practically unconquer- 

 able epidemics. Proposals have gone iorth to put the matter 

 before the government and urge that a staff of efficient inspectors 

 be organzied whose duty it will be to inspect the Malay estates 

 at certain intervals and deal drastically with any cases of disease 

 or pest they may find. 



A fire occurred on Malacca Rubber Plantations, Serkam 



