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n made since the year 1893-94. The total area of the plantations 
Sireally established is estimated at about 2000 acres, but it is admitted 
that many parts are not fully stoc 
Great difficulty has been experiencel in preserving the trees from 
illicit tapping by the natives even in the reserves. “It is rare to find a 
vigorous of any sort, and then it is C iovo too old to yield 
rubber in quantity.” The present posit ion of the rubber industry in 
Assam is very fully yer ina Note on an Inspection of Certain 
Forests in Assam," by Mr. H. C. Hill, Officiating Inspector-General of 
Forests, dated the 3lst Stroh 1896. From this note the following 
extracts are taken :— 
The continued destruction f naturally-grown rubber trees and the 
impossibility of preserving them. — The illicit tapping of trees in 
Bálipara and Charduar reserves, south and west of the Bhoroli river, 
with perhaps 10 or 20 trees to the square mile in the richest parts, even 
if men could be got to stay in the forests in the rainy season. Under 
are withdrawn. The northern boundary abuts the Akha and Duffla 
hills and is uninhabited and trackless except for wild elephant paths, 
therefore the he once collected is easily carried across the line to be 
reimported as foreign produce. Formerly, when the right to oles 
rubber within e a forests other than reserves and to import 
from foreign territory was leased, gangs of Nepalese employed to collect 
rubber beyond the Inner Line defied the forest staff, and, assembling in 
rumbers within the reserves, tapped everything fore them. ‘This 
began the erent eee Now, with fewer trees to work on, and licensed 
tapping goes on ind the ctor d is passed o off to Thi purchasers as 
foreign rubber. The result is the continued destruction of the trees in 
reserves as well as in unclassed forests. And, if this is the state of 
Mg within the Inner Line, it may be safely éoncláded that the trees 
e being generally killed off across the Line, unless the reported 
religious regard for the tree in the Abor hills is affording it protection 
in that country. . 
Plantations are the only means of assuring a continuous rubber 
supply.—T he quantity «s eI exported frum Assam saaeally at at p.esent 
amounts, in round num o 3500 maunds, worth in Caleutta 34 lakhs 
of rupees (35,000/.). Th de Govériaiéti royalty at Rs. 12 a maund 
amounts to Rs. 42,000 (4200/.) a year, and it will, I think, be admitted 
that, with a view to m this supply continuous it behoves Govern- 
ment to invest a fair proportion of these receipts, if they can be 
profitably invested, with this object in view. The only prospect of 
success, financial or other, seem € He in the direetiou of artificial 
plantations, where tke trees can bé coneentrated on eee area, the 
effective protection and exploitation of ‘whieh will be possi 
Financial prospects of the plantations.—Can these pli antations be 
expected to become a profitable investment? Hitherto the Government 
