CURING AND PREPARATION OF RUBBER ,101 



before shipment to Europe or the United States must 

 pay the export duty, the municipal and other taxes, the 

 port charges, consular fees, cost of delivery at the quay, 

 and the charges for boxes and packing in cases con- 

 taining 350 pounds for the small and 700 pounds for 

 the large size. 



Freight rates to Europe and the United States are 

 by measurement of 40 cubic feet, at the rate of sixty-five 

 shillings and sixty shillings from Manaos and Para 

 respectively. This is equal to nearly double that 

 amount per ton weight. 



A question asked frequently is why fine rubber from 

 the Amazon Valley obtains a higher price than planta- 

 tion in the European and American markets. Although 

 the age of the trees undoubtedly exercises an influence, 

 the great difference existing in favour of the Brazilian 

 product is not due altogether to the quality of latex or 

 to the method of preparation, as is supposed generally 

 to be the case, but also to the systematic manner of 

 careful grading employed to separate the fina, the 

 entre fina, and fraca. This work is done in the ware- 

 house at Manaos and Para by a totally uneducated class 

 of men who often can neither read nor write ; but long 

 experience has taught them to distinguish accurately 

 the various grades of rubber passing through their 

 hands, and when they have completed this work the 

 classification of the raw material is practically without 

 a flaw. It is no exaggeration to say that less than 

 J per cent, of the total export from the Amazon Valley 

 is of other quality than is specified in the shipping 

 documents. In view of this fact manufacturers pay a 

 higher price for the security of obtaining an even 

 quality. Brazilian methods of grading may be cum- 



