INTRODUCTORY. 3 



While the demand for rubber continues to increase, the 

 supplies from some sources are steadily decreasing. This is 

 especially the case from different parts of Africa, which furnish 

 a considerable portion of the world's supply. The decrease is 

 largely owing to the disastrous methods employed by the natives 

 in collecting rubber. 



It must, however, be borne in mind that the imports of 

 rubber from some other countries have considerably increased 

 during recent years, and have more than compensated for the 

 failure of other supplies. Of these Brazil, Uruguay, and Peru 

 are amongst the most important. The exports of rubber from 

 the Amazon valley alone rose from 22,216 tons in 1896-1897, 

 to 29,997 tons m 1901-1902. 



Until quite recent years rubber was obtained solely from 

 plants growing wild, but as the demand threatened to exceed 

 the supply, attention was drawn to the advisability of meeting 

 this demand by cultivating rubber-producing plants on an 

 extensive scale. 



It has been objected that the cost of establishing plantations 

 of rubber trees would prohibit the rubber produced by them 

 competing in the market with that collected by natives from 

 wild trees. In regard to this question, the difficulties under 

 which the native collector labours must be taken into considera- 

 tion. The collection of rubber from wild trees often necessitates 

 the undertaking of long and arduous journeys of several weeks' 

 duration, in order to reach a rubber-producing district. It must 

 also be borne in mind that the collection of rubber in a mixed 

 forest, where rubber trees are comparatively scarce, is far more 

 expensive than it would be in a plantation, and requires a 

 frequent change of headquarters. 



Again, there is no comparison between the facilities provided 

 on a plantation for curing the rubber and those obtainable in 

 the forest. If there be added to all these considerations the cost 

 of transport the objection becomes untenable. 



The rubber prepared from cultivated trees is generally rated 

 at a higher market price than that collected from wild trees in 

 consequence of its greater purity. The loss from "fine Para" is 

 from TO to 15 per cent, in manufacture, whereas that from the 

 " biscuit " rubber prepared from cultivated Para rubber trees is 

 generally less than I per cent. 



