138 THE RUBBER INDUSTRY 



Allowing for the high rate of exchange now ruling, 

 this equals 10,000. Of this total expenditure, two- 

 thirds, or Rs. 100,000, is for payments to labourers 

 employed on the estate. The average rate of wages 

 for men, women, and children, is 35 cents per day for 

 Tamil coolies, and for an estate of 1,000 acres about 

 1,000 in all are required, these working twenty-four 

 days in each month. 



The total yield from an estate of 1,000 acres of six- 

 year-old trees in districts such as Kalutara or Kelani 

 Valley should be not less than 150,000 pounds of fine 

 dry rubber, equal to I pound per tree of dry rubber, 

 or one-third of a gallon of latex. In addition to this 

 yield of fine quality there will be 15 per cent, scrap. 

 Values in Colombo to-day (January, 1914) range from 

 2s. 2d. to 2s. 4d. per pound for fine plantation. At 

 these prices the value of the crop of 150,000 pounds 

 of first latex would be in round figures 16,708, 

 and in addition 2,000 for the value of the lump 

 and scrap, making a total of 18,700, leaving a 

 net profit of 8,700 to the estate. If prices fall 

 to half the present value, the net deficit would be 

 300 on an estate of 1,000 acres of six-year-old 

 trees, representing a capital investment of 30,000, 

 unless expenditure is curtailed below the present 

 scale, as probably would happen. The yield should 

 increase steadily during the succeeding years in much 

 greater ratio than the costs of production, and when 

 the trees are twelve years old the output from 1,000 

 acres of 150 trees per acre should not fall short of 

 450,000 pounds of dry rubber. When this period of 

 development is reached, the average cost per pound 



