232 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[January 1. 1915. 



RUBBER AND BALATA NOTES FROM DUTCH 

 GUIANA. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



THE European trouble is having a most disastrous effect on 

 both rubber and balata undertaking, h is believed, how- 

 ever, by the rubber growers in the colony that the war is a 

 blessing in disguise and that prices will be increased in the 

 course of time. However true this may be. the present outlook 

 for both industries is decidedly black. 



Mention was made some time ago that a French combination 

 with headquarters- in Paris had formed a company to exploit 

 certain wild rubber tracts, and that a capital of live million 

 francs [$965,000] was to have been invested in ibis undertaking. 

 It is nn'.st regrettable to have to record the fact that soon after 

 the war broke out the promoters cabled to tin- colony saying 

 they were compelled to withdraw their engagements owing to the 

 unsettled state of the financial market. As the matter now stands 

 the owners of these wild rubber tract s have to look about them 

 for new investors. The United States is the only country at the 

 present time that can produce capital, and it would be wise for 

 the proprietors of these concessions to open negotiations with 

 capitalists in that country. I have been informed that the lands 

 are favorably situated and in close proximity to the capital of 

 the colony. A railroad runs through the heart of the properties, 

 and daily communication can be reckoned on. Transportation 

 is cheap and rapid. There is about 74,310 hectares of land (a 

 hectare equals 2}/ 2 acres) on which wild rubber trees grow, 

 and an average of 14 trees per hectare has been found on ex- 

 amination. 



The plantations that grow Para rubber, cocoa and coffee have 

 suffered considerably since the war broke out, especially those 

 whose products are shipped to Europe. The prices of cocoa and 

 coffee have been extremely low. and local consumption is lim- 

 ited to a very few kilos per month, the bulk of produce having 

 to be stored up against a rise in price and neutral bottoms to 

 export the product. 



It seems most unfortunate for Dutch Guiana just at this time, 

 when the colonial crops are so plentiful and the weather condi- 

 tions so favorable, that no adequate market can be found. The 

 government statistics show that 660,578 kilograms [1,453,272 

 pounds] of balata was produced from January to October, 1914; 

 1,078,757 kilograms [2,373,265 pounds] during the same period 

 in 1913. 



There is at the time of writing more than 200,000 kilograms 

 [448,000 pounds] of balata in the bush awaiting transportation 

 to town, but it is said the concessionaires prefer leaving it there 

 rather than to incur the expense of bringing it in. As I have 

 mentioned before in previous correspondence, balata can be 

 bought right in Paramaribo for only a few American cents per 

 pound. There are no purchases, however, for there is no ready 

 money. The article will deteriorate by the end of two years. 

 If balata is kept too long and confined to a closed room, it gener- 

 ally becomes shrunken and loses weight. 



It is interesting to mention that the majority of merchants 

 and others in the Colony are eager to become better acquainted 

 with American business methods. In fact, the majority of the 

 people in Paramaribo favor United States enterprise in prefer- 

 ence to any other, and hope that trade relations — on an extensive 

 scale — will spring into being between the two countries. 



The Government's rubber enterprise — Plantation Slootwijk — 

 will, in the near future, be a large producer of rubber. Many 

 thousands of florins have been expended annually on this estate 

 and the Government feels so certain of success that a further 

 large amount has been voted for expenses in 1915. No less than 

 fl. 90.859.33 [$36,343.73] is to be expended. Here are some of the 

 chief items in the estimate: 



Immigration expenses fl. 17,621.20 ($7,048.48) 



Labor fl. 41,650.00 ($16,660.00) 



Plant material fl. 300.00 ($120.00) 



Building fl. 3,000.00 ($1,200.00) 



Salaries, management, overseers, etc....fl. 11,640.00 ($4,656.00) 



Sick nurses, etc fl. 4.250.00 ($1,700.00) 



fools and implements fl. 4.<Km«i i $1,000.00) 



il 82,461 Jit ($32,984.48) 

 Slootwijk comprises 284 hectares under cultivation. The prin- 

 cipal products are Hevea Brasiliensis, coffee, cocoa and bananas. 

 I he reports from this undertaking constitute a feature of inter- 

 est, as showing the progress made in various cultivations. The 

 rapid and healthy growth of the rubber trees ami the satisfactory 

 tapping returns all go to prove that in the near future — should 

 the price of rubber increase — this undertaking ought to bring in 

 to the Government handsome returns on the capital invi 



FRENCH COLONIAL COTTON. 



According to the bulletin of the French Colonial Cotton Asso- 

 ciation the following was the cotton production of the French 

 colonies for the years 1912 am! 1913, under the auspices of the 

 association : 



1912. 1913. 



Senegal founds. 44,000 16,990 



Upper Senegal and Niger 220,000 217,252 



Dahomev 275.000 385,990 



Ivory Coast 87,421 



New Caledonia 363.000 567,666 



Tahiti 33.000 34,804 



Algeria 396.000 264,000 



Madagascar 7,700 



Total 1,338,700 1,574,123 



Above figures do not include the returns from I'ndo-China. 

 which colony is not under control of the association. 



FINANCING THE EGYPTIAN COTTON CHOP. 



The Egyptian cotton crop has been estimated as 800.000,000 

 pounds, being above an average yield. About 100.000,000 pounds 

 of last year's crop was carried over. These conditions are natu- 

 rally felt in Egypt, cotton forming that country's only source of 

 wealth. Egyptian banks have been accustomed to import yearly 

 from $50,000,000 to $75,000,000 in gold to move the crop, but 

 after the outbreak of the war gold imports practically ceased. It 

 was then decided that the National Bank of Egypt should make 

 advances to the planter, holding the cotton as security and issuing 

 notes against it of the same value as gold. This plan would 

 enable the cultivators to hold their cotton for eventual realiza- 

 tion when the international market becomes more settled. 



INDIAN COTTON CROP OUTLOOK. 



The 1914 Indian cotton acreage has been estimated at 14,710,000 

 acres as compared with 14,833,000 acres in 1913-14 and 12,095,000 

 acres in 1912-13. The crop is thus considered as likely to equal 

 the banner one of 1913-14. 



Samples received in France from Morocco indicate the value 

 of that country as a base of cotton supplies. Continuous drought 

 has affected results in Algeria. Good progress has been made 

 in Dahomey, but the opening up of the northern part of the 

 colony by railway must precede any important development in 

 that quarter. 



Should be on every rubber man's desk — Crude Rubber and 

 Compounding Ingredients: Rubber Country of the Amazon; 

 Rubber Trade Directory of the World. 



