230 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[January 1, 1915 



ENGLISH VIEWS OF PROSPECTIVE RUBBER PRODUCTION. 



Mr. A. Lampard, the well-known authority on rubber, has ex- 

 pressed the opinion thai the plantation production of 1914 will 

 amount to 70,000 tons, and that from the present acreage under 

 plantation rubber there will be a gradual increase up to 180,000 

 tons. 



The wisd England having an independent supply of 



rubbei demonstrated by the present war. Owing 



to the g 1 quality of plantation rubber and the economy of its 



produ believes that the practical elimination of wild 



rubber will soon become an accomplished fact. 



iling with the probable future of plantation rubber, Mr. 

 John McEwan, chairman of the Rubber Growers' Association, 

 thinks that the threatened check to production is likely to be 

 only temporary. He declares that he is pessimistic as to the 

 future of rubber, but only so far as it relates to large yields and 

 low prices, lie looks for low prices as the inevitable result of 

 the coming large production, but the existence of these factors 

 holds out promise of large development of trade. He adds that 

 with plans thoroughly organized, producers have little to fear 

 from low prices, as the high yields per acre at low costs per 

 pound will give excellent returns on reasonable capitalizations. 



WAR CONDITIONS IN STRAITS SETTLEMENTS. 



In an official report Consul General Caspar L. Dreier, at Singa- 

 pore, has summarized the measures taken by the Straits govern- 

 ment to meet the conditions arising from the war. Arrangements 

 were made for making advances on rubber to planters, in order 

 ilitate the working of the estates without a material reduc- 

 tion of labor. 



r risk on general cargo shipments was taken by the govern- 

 ment at 5 per cent., but in view of the insurance companies re- 

 ducing the rate to 2 or 3 per cent, the official rate was only made 

 use of to a slight extent. 



The banks, which at first had been stringent in their action, 

 soon relaxed this policy, with the result that produce began 

 to move again. Xo local moratorium had been declared. 



Statistics of the total exports for 1913 from the Straits Settle- 

 ments and the Federated Malay States show: Gutta percha, 

 $2,968,186; Para rubber, $46,847,474. The proportions sent to 

 the United States were $66,991 and $4,366,443. The exports 

 from the Federated Malay States alone for 1913 are given as, 

 respectively, $26,114 and $32,524,024. 



I mmenting upon local conditions, the report shows total im- 

 ports of about $135,000,000, including cotton blankets and piece 

 goods to the extent of about $18,000,000. The importance of this 

 market both as a source of supplies and an outlet for manufac- 

 tures is thus illustrated. 



THE FUTURE OF RUBBER PRODUCTION IN FRENCH OCCIDENTAL 

 AFRICA. 



The rubber crisis in Brazil has opened the eyes of French 

 colonial officials to certain dangers which may result to French 

 Occidental Africa by an undue preponderance of rubber produc- 

 tion in the economic resources of the colony. Official inquiries 

 which have been extended to the British rubber plantations in 

 the East, and French plantations in Indo China, have given the 

 impression that those plantations, in consequence of their better 

 working methods and cheaper and more efficient labor, will be 

 able to undersell the African product. This would threaten the 

 destruction of the rubber production of those regions and en- 

 danger the economic life of the whole colony. It seems, there- 

 fore, necessary that rubber production in French Occidental 

 Africa be raised to the same level as in the Federated Malay 

 States and Indo China. As this, however, would be very difficult, 

 it seems likely that rubber production in the colony may be dis- 

 couraged in future, in favor of more promising products. 



WEST AFRICAN RUBBERS. 



The latest bulletin of the Imperial Institute, London, con- 

 tains a group of interesting reports on various rubber samples 

 of Wi an origin. These include Para rubber from the 



Gold Coast and Sierra Leone, and Funtumia rubber from the 

 former source. 



PARA RUBBER FROM GOLD COAST. 

 On the Gold Coast the government agricultural stations (nota- 

 bly those of Aburi anil Tarquah ) have very successfully under- 

 taken the cultivation of Hevea Brasiliensis, besides which Euro- 

 pean cultivators have established a number of plantations, some 

 • if which have now reached the productive ^tagc. In many parts 

 of the country the natives are devoting attention to the tree, 

 and tapping at tin above named stations has been successful. 



In tapping blocks of trees at Aburi average yields were ob- 

 tained for 15S tappings of 1 pound- 10 ' .. ounces, and for 156 

 tappings of 2 pounds 13 ounces. At Tarquah experimental trees 

 eight years old gave an average yield of 3 pounds 12 ounces of 

 dry rubber when tapped on alternate days. 



A sample of smoked Para biscuit from trees thirteen years old 

 at Aburi, received in January. 1''14, and valued in July of the 

 same year at 2s. Id. (50.68 cents) per pound, gave the follow- 

 ing results: Loss in washing (moisture and impurities), 0.8 per 

 cent. 



Composition of dry washed rubber: 



Caoutchouc per cent. 94.1 



Resin 2.9 



Protein 2.7 



Ash 0.3 



PARA RUBBER FROM SIERRA LEONE. 

 Two samples of Para rubber produced experimentally in 

 Sierra Leone — one of them from trees five to six years old — 

 dated with lime juice and dried in smoke, showed 94 per 

 cent, of dry, washed rubber. In composition it compared favor- 

 ably with eastern plantation Para, being, however, somewhat 

 deficient in elasticity and tenacity. This feature is attributed 

 to the method of coagulation, and the use of acetic acid is sug- 

 gested. 



The second sample, from trees four to five years old, coagu- 

 lated h_\ evaporation, air-dried and smoked, yielded 92.6 per cent, 

 of caoutchouc, and showed in physical properties superiority to 

 No. 1. With this grade it is likewise recommended to use acetic 

 acid in place of coagulating by evaporation, which increases the 

 amounts of resin and protein in the rubber. 



FUNTUMIA RUBBER FROM THE COLD COAST. 

 In January, 1914, a sample of Funtumia was received at the 

 Imperial Institute from the Gold Coast, prepared by the addi- 

 tion of 1 per cent, of formalin to the crude latex and by drying 

 in a smoking chamber. The rubber was clean, and its physical 

 properties good. Analysis showed 81.7 per cent, of caoutchouc, 

 10.1 per cent, of resin and 7.5 per cent, of protein. In July, 

 1914, this quality was valued in London at from Is. lOd. (44.60 

 cents) to Is. lid. (46.62 cents) per pound. 



RUBBER IN PAPUA 



According to a recent statement of Mr. A. S. Blomfield, of 

 Melbourne, who lately visited Papua to look after his rubber 

 interests, the total area controlled by his various companies is 

 about 30,000 acres, of which 1,500 acres are under rubber. The 

 first rubber trees were planted six years ago, the stumps coming 

 from Ceylon, from which source, as well as from Singapore, 

 seeds were subsequently, obtained. Planting was on a scale of 

 22 x 16J^ feet, or 112 trees to the acre. While the rainfall was 

 fairly light (about 65 inches), the growth of the trees was good. 

 Tapping commenced at the age of 3 l /> years, when the circum- 

 ference exceeded 18 inches at 3 feet from the ground. 



In 1913 7,000 trees were tapped, which produced 10,000 

 pounds of rubber, the best of which realized 2s. 7>Vid. (55.75 

 cents) in London. 



