COST OF PRODUCTION 109 



3. Commissions and Expenses at Port of Shipment. 

 These include a charge of 2\ per cent, for brokerage, 

 carting, grading, and storage; at the lowest possible 

 calculation they cannot be reduced below an average 

 expenditure of i'8 pence per pound. 



4. Administration, including Labour Expenses apart 

 from the Collectors. This item covers charges for salary 

 of managers and assistants and wages of the labourers 

 on daily or monthly pay, together with the maintenance 

 of the staff. The average cost is not less than fourpence 

 per pound of the annual output. 



5. Disbursements on Account of Charges for recruiting 

 Labour ers t Interest on Loans, and Depreciation of Build- 

 ings. Under this heading a reasonable allowance would 

 be 10 per cent., equal to 2*4 pence on the present local 

 price of rubber ; in most cases this amount is exceeded, 

 and the average is probably slightly higher than the 

 figure now given. 



6. Ocean Freight. The rates to Europe or the United 

 States are sixty and sixty-five shillings per ton of 

 40 cubic feet from Para and Manaos respectively ; this 

 is equivalent to slightly less than three-quarters of a 

 penny per pound weight of rubber. 



7. Export Duty and Other Charges previous to Ship- 

 ment. Including the dock dues, the average amount of 

 these charges on the total exportation is 4*9 pence 

 per pound. 



8. Commissions and Expenses in Europe or the United 

 States. At the present value of rubber the average 

 aggregate of these charges for brokerage, handling, 

 storage, and incidental expenses, is r8 pence per 

 pound. 



