The physical treatment of the Brazilian Para which is sent 

 home in blocks consisting of a series of thin films of rubber, each 

 dried so that it contracts and produces an automatic pressure, is 

 most probably one of the factor- which give it its resilience and 

 elasticity. This has been imitated by artificial pressure, under a 

 screw press, of the rubber into blocks of approximately the 

 same density as the Brazilian Para. The presence of a certain 

 percentage of water in the Brazilian block may be one of the 

 factors which add to its good qualities and the retention of a 

 percentage of water instead of the complete drying which had 

 previously been carried out in the Federated Malay States rubber 

 has now been tried with success. Wet block rubber sent home 

 fr m Malaya and Cevlon was received with satisfaction by the 

 buyer and fetched a higher price than any other plantation rubber 

 on the same day. This price was higher than that given for 

 plantation rubber, and as the wet block contained about 9 per 

 cent, of moisture, the price of the dry rubber in the block instead 

 of being 5s. iojrf. was 6s. &d. 



It will be well for the Federated Malay States rubber industry 

 to adopt a uniform method of preparing rubber for the market, 

 "various forms of rubber biscuit, sheet, crepe, worm, etc., are 

 sent to England as well as block the buyers and manufacturer 

 Jje not able to form a sound judgment of the merits ot 

 Malaya plantation rubber. The manufacturer can get large 

 quantities of equal quality of Brazilian Para. He knows by 

 experience what treatment and admixtures to this rubber are 

 necessary to produce a certain manufactured article. He is 

 doubtful, from lack of experience, as to how plantation rubber 

 *ould be manufactured to give the proper resilience, colour, 

 durability, etc., which is required in the articles he has to make. 



large " breaks " of uniform quality of plantation 



Quired effect inThe^Tnufactured 1 

 , The manufacture of wet block rubber, i.e., rubber which 

 a ter being coagulated and asepticised is at once pressed into 

 ^ ^ a gr?at saving in time, and in the space and plant 

 ^quired. Rubber can be prepared for shipment a few hours 



er the latex has been taken from the tree. 

 ev The block rubber travels better without the deterioration 

 J^ r y° which the other forms having large surfaces exposeo 



The production of wet block, free from putrefaction,. of a 

 convenient size anH w P i<rht and containing a un form quantity 

 « water, sa ^ IO a £ ^ *'^™^t*i«fo* doubt the 

 ^ method. While it appears to be a P pity to abandon the P re- 

 ° f 0ur "epe anfsheet, both of which the buyers have 

 tc > appreciated but if the preparation of wet block is more 



