August 1, 1917.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



679 



Estate, on March 29, early in the morning, causing considerable 

 damage to the dry rubber factory. Fortunately there was no 

 wind blowing and the offices and store close by escaped. 



SINGAPORE EXPORT DUTIES HAMPER JAPANESE RUBBER INDUSTRY. 



According to the "Far Eastern Review," the export duties on 

 Straits rubber shipped through Singapore are likely to prove 

 a heavy blow to Japanese manufacturers. Many factories have 

 already suspended work temporarily because of the situation. 

 Japan's rubber goods industries have been expanding rapidly of 

 late and last 3'ear's imports of crude rubber up to November 

 30 at Yokohama amounted to 2,879,rX)0 yen, as compared to 

 1,232,000 yen in 1913, rubber to the value of 2,109,000 yen, or 

 7i per cent coming from Singapore. Of the nation's demand, 

 9,000,000 yen worth is supplied by domestic goods, while im- 

 ported articles amount to only about 800,000 yen. 



BRAZILIAN NOTES. 



ly^AY 13 was the anniversary of the day upon which the bill 

 ^'•*- for the emancipation of slaves became law. From various 

 parts of the country came reports of more or less brilliant festivi- 

 ties in honor of the occasion. 



THE STEVEDORES' STRIKE. 



For several days shipping activities at Para were interfered 

 with owing to a strike of the stevedores. Of the many vessels 

 held up at the port, were some waiting to be freighted with 

 rubber for New York and Liverpool. Fortunately this state of 

 affairs was soon brought to an end, thanks to the efforts of 

 the governor. Dr. Lauro Sodre, who worked hard to bring about 

 an understanding between the strikers and the shipping com- 

 panies. The Lloyd Brasiliero, the Booth S. S. Co. and the 

 Empresa Port of Para were among the companies affected. 



A feature of the strike was that the conductors, motormen 

 and chauffeurs threw up their work in sympathy with the 

 stevedores. 



RUBBER TRADE CONDITIONS. 



Trade during 1916 was very profitable in the states of Ama- 

 zonas and Maranhao, in the former owing to the high prices 

 ruling in the rubber market. The fall in Brazilian exchange 

 also benefited the exporting centers, Manaos and Maranhao. In 

 spite of this, representative men are of opinion that the pros- 

 perity here is purely artificial and that the future is very un- 

 certain. The British vice-consul at Manaos goes so far as to 

 advise British export firms to refrain from extending large or 

 lengthy credits. This is not without significance seeing that 

 the greater part of the exports has up to now been financed 

 by means of letters of credit issued by London bankers and 

 merchants, although considerable amounts have been drawn for 

 on New York in United States currency. 



The fact that the output of rubber and caucho ball has re- 

 mained stationary for some years while the Eastern production 

 has not only increased by leaps and bounds, but has attained 

 a perfection of quality comparable if not surpassing the best 

 Brazilian rubber, is causing uneasiness even among the most 

 optimistic. More scientific methods and the encouragement 

 of planters and scringueiros are constantly urged. 



The imports of rubber goods, including tires, show an enor- 

 mous increase in favor of the United States, being 784 per cent 

 in quantity and 554 per cent in f. o. b. value. The increase in 

 quantity, 468,526 kilos, compared with the falling off of 456,720 

 kilos from Germany, shows that America has successfully re- 

 placed the former country in the favor of Brazil. 



United Kingdom exports fell off 12.8 per cent in quantity. 



Consul George H. Pickerell, at Para, reports that the total 

 exports of crude rubber from Para and Manaos during May, 



1917, amounted to 9,219,605 pounds compared with 7,314,826 

 pounds for the same month in 1916. Shipments to the United 

 States aggregated 7,690,816 pounds and to Europe 1,528,789 

 pounds, compared with 5,884.222 and 1,430,604 pounds, respective- 

 ly, last year. There were no shipments from Itacoatira, Brazil. 

 The several grades of rubber exported are shown in the fol- 

 lowing table : 



From Para. From Manaos. 



/ ' V , ' , 



To United To To United To 



Grade. States. Europe. States. Europe. 



Fine />oii)irfi 1,710.727 565,905 570,082 315,042 



Medium 194,820 14.375 125,970 148,587 



Coarse 1,220,651 27,118 350,625 13,081 



Caucho 2,321,412 136,964 1,196,529 307,717 



Totals 5,447,610 744,362 2,243,206 784,427 



THE TIEE TRADE OF ARGENTINA. 



As a measure to prevent German resumption of the tire supply 

 of Argentina after the war "The Commercial Motor" points out 

 that the *Germans own extensive rubber estates in Para, Brazil, 

 and that it would be to the advantage of British manufacturers 

 to control their sources of rubber supply in a similar manner. 

 While about 75 per cent of the automobiles are of British manu- 

 facture and Dunlop and North British tires were well repre- 

 sented, the German Continental tire people were gradually get- 

 ting the bulk of the trade. 



Road conditions in Argentina are improving under the able 

 directorship of British managers of the Argentine railways, 

 many of which have formed a road board and are setting aside 

 regularly 3 per cent of their gross earnings for the improvement 

 and maintenance of the main roads and byways linking the 

 up-country farms with the principal railway depots. Responding 

 to this stimulus, the future trade in pleasure and commercial 

 motor vehicles and accessories of every sort promises to be 

 brisk. It has been predicted that a large measure of South 

 American development will be due to heavy motor lorries, and 

 already there is beginning to be a field for the sturdiest 3 and 

 S-ton American trucks, our lighter commercial vehicles having 

 failed to stand up under the necessarily hard usage. The dis- 

 patch, during the past four years, of no fewer than six American 

 commissions to Argentina, indicates that manufacturers in the 

 United States are not altogetlier neglecting their trade oppor- 

 tunities with sister republics of the western hemisphere. 



BRITISH HONDURAS INCREASES CHICLE EXPORT TAX. 



By an ordinance in effect June 16, 1917, the duty on chicle 

 exported from British Honduras is increased from }^ cent to 

 XYz cents per pound. Statistics for the exports during 1916 

 have not yet been published in Honduras, but in 1915 there 

 was exported 3,467,696 pounds of chicle gum, valued at $1,231,- 

 655. The imports of chicle gum from British Honduras into the 

 United States during the fiscal year 1916 amounted to 712,288 

 pounds, valued at $248,067, while the imports from Canada, 

 which also originate in British Honduras, amounted in the same 

 year to 2,152,933 pounds, valued at $1,214,963. 



RUBBER GOODS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 



The total imports of rubber and rubber manufactures of the 

 Dominican Republic amounted to $58,547 for the year 1916 as 

 compared to $34,676 for the year 1915. Tliis substantial in- 

 crease of $23,871 indicates a growing use of rubber goods in 

 the island republic. Of the 1916 total, goods to the value of 

 $56,752 came from the United States. Porto Rico was the next 

 largest source, its business amounting to $1,668. 



*Our esteemed contemporary is surely misinformed in this particular. — 

 The Editor. 



