COST OF PRODUCTION 113 



tion of this feeling can be found than in the fact that 

 the price and market movements of rubber are ignored 

 completely in the commercial sections of the Rio de 

 Janeiro and other southern newspapers, and a similar 

 policy is maintained in regard to coffee by the Press in 

 the northern States. 



In January, 1912, a law was sanctioned by the 

 Brazilian Congress for relieving the industrial situation 

 in the Amazon Valley, and on April 17 of that year 

 the measure was declared operative by the Executive 

 authority. Under this legislation a sum of 520,000 

 was provided by the National Treasury to meet the 

 necessary disbursements for the establishment of various 

 spheres of work in connection with the rubber industry, 

 and an office designated the Superintendent da Def esa 

 de Boracha was created to carry into effect the pro- 

 visions of the Act. This organization was placed under 

 the direction of Dr. Raymundo Pereira da Silva, a 

 clever and energetic administrator, who immediately 

 set afoot plans for the betterment of conditions in 

 Para, Amazonas, and the National Territories. From 

 the beginning, however, his efforts were crippled in 

 many directions, not the least of his difficulties being 

 the class of men available for service in the northern 

 Spates. In Rio de Janeiro commercial business was 

 flourishing and employment easy to obtain ; therefore 

 the Amazon Valley presented no attractions to capable 

 persons, in spite of the high salaries offered. In these 

 circumstances it was not surprising that the results 

 achieved by the various expeditions despatched for the 

 purpose of opening experimental farms for the cultiva- 

 tion of food products and the encouragement of agricul- 



