February 1, 1915.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



29: 



Some Rubber Planting Notes. 



F. M. S. DECEMBER EXPORTS ESTABLISH A NEW RECORD. NEW RUBBER MARKET AT BATAVIA 



ACCORDING to information cabled by the Government to the The Consul General fif thc Netherlands at New York> A Van 



Malay States Information Agency, the exports of planta- de Sande Bakhuyzen, advises us, under date January 19, of the 



tion rubber from the bederated Malay States for the month receipt of in f ormalion by cable from the chamber of Commerce 



of December amounted to 3,361 tons, as compared with 2,889 tons at Batavi;i tlm , rub ,, er market wj] , be estabHshed in Bataviai 



in November, and 2,616 tons in the corresponding month of 1913. Netherland bast Indies 

 Appended are the comparative statistics for 1912. 1913 and 



1914 . STATISTICS OF NETHERLAND INDIES. 



1912. 1913. 1914. Official statistics show that in June, 1914. then were in the 

 January tons 1,218 2,131 2,542 Netherland Indies 555 separate rubber undertakings, as corn- 

 February 1,212 1,757 2,364 pared with 548 in June, 1913. Of these undertakings 332 at 



N ' art , h J'nS ! •' '',' o'fc? the earlier date were in Java, 216 in other possessions: at the 



April 1,020 l,t>2d 2,151 . . ,.. . T ,-,,,. , 



M a .. 1 (Xi7 1225 2069 ater flate , ' 4 " , '" J ava anc ' 2 '' in other possessions. 



June ....... 1.029 2^005 2,306 The planted area had increased from 442,192 acres in 1913 



July 1,204 1,781 2,971 to 511,682 in 1914, although in Java there was a slight restric- 



£ u S ust , | .633 23t .3 1 ,850 tion {rom 21 7692 to 213,507 acres. 



September 1,326 2.(*ki 2,879 ., _- ' , 



October 1435 2160 2 897 About 90 per cent, of the total planted area was under Hcvea, 



November 1,394 2|062 2^889 the remainder under Ficus. Rubber alone was planted in about 



December 1,649 2,616 3,361 half of the acreage, while the remainder was in mixed cultures. 



Total 15,506 23,463 30,697 bain in java. 



It will be seen that the figures for December establish a new Considerable anxiety has been felt in Java by reason of the 



record for one month's export, while the total for the year, the drought which has prevailed in that island since the middle 



biggest yet recorded by the Federated Malay States, shows an of June. According to recent advices, the dry spell has 



increase of 7,234 tons over last year's record. It is interesting, ceased, much to the relief of those engaged in the local 



for the sake of comparison, to give the aggregate export of planting industry. 



plantation rubber from the Malay States for the past six years : latex coagulation in ceylon 



1909, 2,641 tons; 1910, 5.452 tons; 1911, 8,792 tons; 1912, 15,506 „, . , '. .. , ' , , 



mii ii Ant ^ ,„,, ,n^<T7 * lh e shortage ot acetic acid, used as a coagulant for rubber 



tons; 1913, 23,463 tons; 1914, 30,697 tons. . . • n , .. _ .. . , _ _ 



latex in Ceylon, now that the supply from Germany is cut off, 



WHY PUBLIC SALES? . , . . , . , , 



t-. ,, , , -. , , ,. , . . , , . , , has led to various suggestions as to substitutes for the product. 

 The alleged benefits of public rubber sales have lately been 



,. x , . , „„ . T ., „ Ti . , , I he manufacture of the acid locally, by the destructive distilla- 



discussed in the columns of Iropical Lite. It is remarked . r , ,.,..,.., , 



, . ,, ... . .., ... , . . . ., tion of woods, of which it is claimed that there is a good supply 



that public sales are still withheld, but there is no reason _ . . . , , rr J 



. , ,. . . , .... „ „ ., , ., in Ceylon, is urged particularly, the residual product being a grade 



why any should take place. What sells, sells easily, and those ., , . . ,_,/-. . , , , ^ 



....... * „ . .. . ' . ,-, . of charcoal that would find a ready market as fuel. Dry coconut 



qualities which do not attract the large buyers are not likely , „ , , , J ,,:..,,. 



. , . ... , , , t , .. ,. . . , .. . ,. shell can also be used for the same purpose, the dry distillation 



to do any better if dragged before the limelight of the public - , . „ . ... ' , , -. , 



. „ of 10 pounds of shell yielding about '/z pound of tar and 2 l / 2 to 3 



„,, ' . . , ,, , , , pounds of crude pyroligneous acid, containing about 12 per cent. 



Planters are urged to send to the market what buyers want , ^ . •,;,,•., ^- , , , 



. , , , . , , e . . . ot acteic acid. 1/ itltanca Loagulans, a plant that grows wild 



and not merely what they are able to turn out. Standard _ , . , , , , 



,. . . . . ,. . , , , , , ,, in Ceylon, is also proposed as a coagulant for rubber, 

 qualities of a good and reliable character are wanted, but they _ , , ° . . . , 

 . . , . Ci Experiments have also been conducted in the coagulation of 

 must be such as to command a readv sale at a good profit. . . , ,. . , .. 

 _..... ,. . . . ..^ J ■ . ,■ it . latex by means of toddy vinegar, but the most promising re- 

 public sales are time-honored institutions, but there are other * , . , ,„.,,.,, , , 



,,. , , , . . . suits are claimed for the fluid obtained from fresh coconuts, 



methods of selling — notably the inscription svstem. , , , _,. _ ., , , , , 



when broken for copra. I his fluid, left to ferment for a few 



BURMA PLANTERS SEEK GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE. . , _ . . . ' . . , . 



. . . , ,,,, . ,, .,,, . . . days, becomes sufficiently acid to effect the desired coagulation 



A recent issue of the Malay Mail reported an appeal on ' ' , . ' , . , B 



. . . T „ j-,, , . iU and the process is claimed to furnish a better product than acetic 



the part of the Lower Burma Planters Association to the . _ . . , , , 



.. ■ , • , ,i , i t • acid. Experiments are being made with other coagulants some 



lieutenant-governor, in which the local government is re- , . , . .,,,., , . . . , 



. , _ , , . . . , of which are impracticable, while others promise to furnish a 



quested to afford temporary financial assistance to planters ... , ... . . , _ . , . . . . ,., . 



. , . _. . , . . . . . , , utihzable substitute for acetic acid. Sulphuric acid in dilution 



in that section. The absence of foreign shipments of rubber . , , ,.t,, , ^., . , ,. 



, , , ., , , , . . . t. is also suggested as a coagulant, and the Planters Chronicle, 



since the war began, the small local demand in the Eastern , ,. , , . , . 



, r n . , ~ , , , ,.„ , . ... Bangalore, discusses at length its use for this purpose, 



markets of Singapore and Colombo and the difficulty in obtaining . . . . . , , . 



, , , , . . . , , ' . , . . One process ot coagulation consists in exposing the latex in 



loans from local or home banks, together with the fact that in . ... , , . 



, , . „ , , ,, . . shallow trays to the smoke in smoke houses, a thin layer being 



many instances loans have been called, has resulted in , , , ," , , , , ., . , 



,.„. , . r , , ... . added each day to that already coagulated, until in a week 



serious difficulties for the planters. Unless some such step ..,,., ,,. ., T r , 



, . , ,,..,,..., or two a fairly thick slab is produced. Layers of latex two 



is taken a point must soon be reached at winch coolies will . , . , , t , , ' , . , . _. 



, , ,. , , , , . . , , , , inches in depth are found to coagulate completely within 24 



have to be discharged and cultivation suspended, and such a , 



shutting down would entail the disorganization of the official 



staff and scattering of the labor force. It is suggested that 



the government advance or guarantee a monthly payment, The Indian Commercial Intelligence Department is making 



the amount to be determined, after enquiry by the deputy preparations to assist Indian manufacturers in the production 



commissioner or other government official. of goods hitherto imported from Germany and Austria. For 



rubber exports of Seychelles islands. this purpose, suitable leaflets will be circulated among Indian 



According to a British return, the following have been the manufacturers, describing these articles and showing the value 



shipments of Seychelles rubber, all of which has gone to the of the trade they represent. Exhibitions, showing samples of 



United Kingdom: 1912, 677 pounds, value $750; 1913, 1,768 the imported goods and of similar articles made in India, are to 



pounds, value $1,390. be opened in Bombay, Madras and Calcutta. 



