THURSDAY, JUNE 25. MORNING SESSION. 



The Factors which determine Variation in Plantation 

 Rubber, with Special Reference to its Uses for 

 Manufacturing Purposes, 



Chairman: THE PRESIDENT. 



THE PRESIDENT : We have to deal this morning with a very 

 important subject, " The Factors which determine Variation 

 in Plantation Rubber, with Special Reference to its Uses for 

 Manufacturing Purposes." If you will allow me to do so, 

 I would make this suggestion that the subject naturally 

 divides itself under three heads. Firstly, we should like to 

 hear from the manufacturers and users exactly what the 

 variations are. Secondly, we should like to hear from 

 specialists, chemists and others, their own experience of these 

 variations in the properties of plantation rubber. Then, 

 lastly, we should like to hear the views of the planters on the 

 general question of these variations, and the ways in which 

 the variations can be avoided. I do not propose myself to 

 say anything at the moment beyond this that, of course, 

 we all recognize that Para rubber from South America is an 

 exceedingly well established commercial product, which has 

 been sold for a long time in very definite grades. Plantation 

 rubber is a new product from the point of view of the manu- 

 facturer, who naturally regards it with suspicion at first. 

 There has been a great deal of misunderstanding about plan- 

 tation rubber, much of which might be cleared up by a 

 definite discussion as to facts, which I hope is what we shall 

 adhere to to-day. Now having regard to the division I 

 have mentioned, which seems to me the natural division of 

 the discussion, I will ask Mr. Williams, of the North 

 British Rubber Company, to say a few words. 



