246 THE RUBBER INDUSTRY 



are owned by British companies, and more than half 

 the capital invested is of British origin, the work is 

 superintended by Dutch or Swiss representatives, with 

 very few exceptions. Probably the fact that fixed 

 salaries are 40 per cent, lower in Sumatra accounts 

 for this to some extent ; on the other hand, a liberal 

 bonus based on profits is customary. The system of 

 plantation management and accounts in vogue in 

 Ceylon and Malaya is gradually being introduced on all 

 rubber estates, and will become universally established 

 in the course of the next two or three years. 



The erection of factories has been pushed forward 

 rapidly on the many young estates where tapping has 

 commenced. They are constructed on the model of 

 those working in Malay and Ceylon, and therefore no 

 need exists for a repetition of the description already 

 given in connection with those two countries. The 

 same machinery and the same methods are employed 

 in the curing and preparation of the rubber. One 

 point, however, merits notice. Attention has been 

 attracted to a new process for preparing the latex, and, 

 if successful, it will undoubtedly be adopted extensively. 

 It is the invention of a Swiss, Mr. Freudweiler, the 

 manager of the Sennah estates. The principle is to 

 coagulate and dry the latex by means of hot smoke 

 charged with carbonic acid gas, and without washing 

 or creping or using any acids. Briefly described, the 

 method is to pass the latex from a receiving tank 

 through fine sieves into a secondary tank, the latter 

 overflowing into three smaller settling basins. From 

 the last of these the latex falls gradually on to a wheel 

 of some 15 feet in diameter, fitted with a 15-inch 



