2 9 2 



economical and expeditious, and at the same time it will com- 

 mand as good or a better price than crepe or sheet, then there 

 can be little reason against making the change. 



The market prices of Malayan plantation Para showed a 

 considerable decrease on the previous year, during which prices 

 owing to shortage of stocks, stimulus to rubber manufacture and 

 and other reasons, had reached the maximum of 6s. iod., while at 

 the same time Brazalian Para had also reached the highest price 

 touched, 5s. g\d. The close agreement in the fluctuations in the 

 market prices of the two varieties of rubber, wild and cultivated, 

 is interesting, showing that the demand for rubber as a whole and 

 not for any special quality of rubber is the dominating factor. 



During 1906 the prices of best cultivated Para, which in 

 January stood at 6s. ifrf. after a gradual rise of l\d. up to the 

 end of March, began to recede in an evenly descending scale, 

 ;overing a little 

 ng being 5s. 9 d - 



The prices of Brazalian Para took practically the same course, 

 beginning at 55.5^ and receding to ^s.id., being as a rule about 10 

 per cent, to 12 per cent, below the cultivated article. 



The fact that the Brazilian Para contains about 20 per cent, 

 of water bring the price of the caoutchouc sold in Brazilian 

 blocks to 10 per cent, more than that fetched by the caoutchouc 

 in the pure cultivated biscuit or crepe rubber. 



The factors which affect the price of rubber, and which must 

 be considered in trying to foresee the future market price of this 

 product, are many and various How much the demand tor 

 rubber will increase is not easy to foretell, but rubber at the 

 present high prices continue to 'find fresh markets and new uses 

 and there seems no reason, except the perhaps natural one tnai 

 such a satisfactory state of things is too good to last, which can 

 be given for prophesying any considerable drop in price. 



Alienation of Land for Planting. 



J he ^ u X °( deciding whether land is of first or second-class 

 ployed 



- «v. «uLy ui uecicung whether lana is 01 nrbi ui — - - 

 value, which falls to the Director of Agriculture, has occupied* 

 great deal of time which would have otherwise been employ 



scientific or other departmental work. More than 

 acres of jungle were examined and reported on, the knowi 

 thus gamed of the land available and suitable for rubber an 

 other products is most valuable, and leads me to the cone ^ 

 that there are very l arge areas of land quite as 5U» 8 



