THE MALAY PENINSULA 227 



calculated for 650,000 acres averaging ten years of 

 age. 



In another ten years the rubber estates will form, 

 practically, a continuous forest from Penang to Singa- 

 pore, and the natural inference is that this great area of 

 rubber-trees will be treated as a forest proposition in 

 place of being exploited in the shape of comparatively 

 small estates, as is now the case. The principal motives 

 for this change of system will be greater economy of 

 administration and the necessity of standardizing 

 methods of production. It is too soon to lay down the 

 lines for this probable evolution of the industry, but 

 there does not appear to be any insuperable difficulty in 

 the direction of an amalgamation of existing interests 

 on the basis of acreage or number of trees with a fair 

 quota of the total output. The future of the industry 

 would be more secure under the control of a great 

 central corporation than can be the case if the numerous 

 properties remain in the hands of individual owners. A 

 pooling of interests does not mean a tendency towards 

 depreciation ; indeed, the result of any such action 

 would be, probably, to enhance values to a substantial 

 extent. 



