WE VISIT A RAW-RUBBER FACTORY 81 



of the estate. Remembering that I promised to bring 

 you to one of the finest rubber factories in the East, 

 you are disappointed when you see only a medium-sized, 

 one-story building, with a corrugated iron roof. In 

 your mind's eye you immediately compare this building 

 with some of the enormous factory piles you have seen 

 in connection with other industries, and you think 

 what a poor show it makes. Even when you go 

 inside, there are no striking sights which immediately 

 tempt you to alter your opinion. 



"Seems to me," you say to yourselves, "there's 

 nothing much to be seen here except dairy-pans and 

 mangles. What a curious mixture !" 



The explanation of your simple surroundings is that 

 the process of manufacturing rubber is extremely 

 simple, making no demands for huge machines such as 

 a sugar-mill, for instance. I can assure you that in 

 this factory you are going to see the process being 

 carried out by the most scientific of present-day 

 methods, with the assistance of the most up-to-date 

 machinery. But in order that you may fully appre- 

 ciate advanced methods of manufacture, let me first 

 tell you how plantation rubber was generally made 

 not so very long ago. 



The milk was poured into small, round, shallow pans. 

 To each panful a little acetic acid was added, to help 

 the milk curdle, and the mixture was then stirred by 

 fingers until it became a thick dough. Each little bit 

 of dough was taken out of its pan, laid on a board, 

 and a rolling-pin was passed over it to squeeze the 

 water out. The result was a thin, round little " biscuit'* 

 of rubber. These biscuits were hung over a line, and 

 when they were dry they were sent to market. Rubber 



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