134 



it stands at 5*. $\d. In 1905 plantation rubber commenced the 

 year at 6s. o^d., touching 6s. lod. in May and finishing up at 6s. 2d. 

 in December. Fine hard para has also suffered similarly. Starting 

 the year at 5*. ^d. it has gone down to 5*. o%d. and, as the 

 "Times of Ceylon" remarks, ended the twelve months at 5$. i\d. 

 In 1905 fine hard para commenced at $s. id. rose to 55. g\d. and 

 after touching 5^ 2d. at the end of October recovered to 5* 5K 

 by the 31st of December. 



Present Value. 

 Messrs. Latham & Co., Singapore, have advices to the effect that 

 during the current month there has been an improvement in the 

 London auction prices, 5/6 to being: the quotation on the 4th 



instant, with the market strong; Singapore quotation $285 to $300 

 on same date. 



Exports in 1905 and 1906. 

 From Singapore (1905) 57,426 lbs. were exported; in 1906 about 

 500,000 lbs. From Penang (1905) 29,600 lbs.; in 1906 about 

 80.000 lbs. Ceylon exported 89.095 lbs. in 1905, while in 1906 

 there was an increase of 129,051 lbs. 



(Times of Malaya.) 

 GATHERING CAPSULES OP PARA RUBBER 



The Manager of the North Borneo Trading Company writes from 

 Sandakan as follows. 



The North Borneo Trading Co., Limited. 



Sandakan, January loth, igo7- 



H. N. Ridley, Esq. 



Singapore. 



Dear Sir,-Referring to mine of the 1st ultimo, I shall be glad 

 P ara n p V £ the . Sc6d COntained in the mature but unburst capsule ^ 

 Para R Rubber is j ust as suitable for planting as the seed collected 

 alter the capsule has burst. 



be^FV? \ great number ° f the fallen SeedS ' ^fhe k£g 

 bers are lost by the seeds being thrown into the river and the long 

 b rass on the banks when the capsule explodes. 



If it is feasible to collect from the trees, and artificially open a» 

 mature capsules with the certainty that the trees obtained from seed 

 t^S&X* as vigorous, large losses of seed 



nme to judge results. 



I have, etc., 



