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that they are at present preparing the rubber in Ceylon and the 

 Straits Settlements in the best manner." 



The Avon India-Rubber Co., Melksham, Wilts., say that: 

 "If it were possible to absolutely rely on efficient washing and 

 drying on all plantations, it would undoubtedly be a great 

 advantage. We fear, however, this would be impossible, and we, 

 therefore, consider that it would be preferable for manufacturers 

 to do this work themselves." 



This is an interesting series of letters, and the Editor of the 

 "India-rubber Journal" promises a further instalment of those 

 he has received from other manufacturers. Several ideas are 

 suggested on reading them which may be worth recording. One 

 is that of the relations of line Para rubber to that of Plantation 

 rubber. No one, I suppose, thinks that any actual difference in 

 the rubber itself has been produced as yet, at all events, between 

 that of trees growing on the banks of the Amazons, and that of 

 Selangor. If there is any difference it would doubtless be in 

 favour of the older trees in Para. The difference is solely in the 

 method of preparation. The clumsy aboriginal method in use in 

 the Amazons, requiring a great deal of skilful hand work, must 

 produce at times unsatisfactory lumps. But in the plantation 

 methods, which are easier and more mechanical, and are 

 superintended by a European manager possessing a knowledge 

 of what is required, rubber on all estates under European 

 management can be made perfectly homogeneous. It is just 

 the same difference as there was between the sugar prepared by 

 natives of India with a wooden mill, and the sugar as manufactured 

 by a well-equipped modern manufactory. There would be no 

 more difficulty in the planter's turning out tons of rubber 

 completely homogeneous all through, in, say, the form of crepe. 

 No good planter would allow any latex accidentally damaged 

 to go into the machine with the good stuff. The' accidental 

 contamination of the rubber on the way home, referred 

 to by Mr. Macintosh, would be less easy to obviate, but 

 it would be noticed that this contamination would be entirely 

 external, and could be removed without breaking the rubber up 

 again. 



As rubber is so easy to grow and manufacture here, w e may 

 expect that natives, especially Chinese, may go into the business, 

 and, in the usual native method, eventually put verv second-rate 

 stuff on the market. With their skill and perseverance in 

 discovering the best methods of adulteration, biscuits resembling 

 those of European plantations, but adulterated, might be made. 

 But the small grower who would try to supplement his product 

 by adulterating it, could not afford a crepe machine. He 

 could imitate biscuits, but not washed and cleaned crepe. In 

 this way, rubber as crepe, would be more or less guaranteed 

 as pure. 



