462 



in clean washed crepe, which it is hoped will be used without fur- 

 ther washing and sheeting, every care should be taken to prevent 

 the layers adhering to one another, and to avoid the use of any 

 packing material which can make a dust out of itself, or which 

 will admit dust and grit from outside. This can be effected by the 

 use of clean, well made and fitted cases, which should not contain 

 more than 80-100 lbs. of rubber, and which might with advantage 

 be partitioned to prevent the whole of the rubber resting with full 

 weight upon itself. No inner lining of common paper or other 

 friable material should be used — such wrapping is bound to get 

 broken in transport, and particles of it work their way between 

 the layers of rubber, and obstinately adhere to the rubber. The 

 first shipment of crepe rubber which I saw unpacked had been 

 enclosed in wooden cases with paper lining. When the folds of 

 separate layers of rubber were pulled apart, a shower of fine grit, 

 particles of paper, and dust, was then thrown out from the rubber 

 This rubber, though well cleaned and washed on the estate, would 

 for fine work have required re-washing. The separate sheets of 

 crepe had adhered firmly into one solid mass which required a 

 crowbar to separate into the original layers, and the whole had 

 shrunk leaving a space of about an inch between the rubber and the 

 sides of the case. If any wrapping to prevent the intrusion of dust 

 and grit be used it should be either smooth and strong such as 

 sheet zinc lining or else made adherent to the sides of the cases — 

 as, for instance, strips of smooth paper pasted over the joints in 

 the wood inside the cases. With less perfectly prepared rubber in 

 biscuit, or worm form, which will require washing before use, a less 

 careful form of packing might be adopted. It must be of course 

 always remembered that the rubber is valued by its appearance very 

 largely, and uniformity in size and colour of the sheets will have 

 some influence in determining the price, though really being no 

 guide to the actual quality of the rubber. 



QUALITY OF PLANTATION RUBBER. 



11. On this subject I met with a perfect uniformity of opinion 

 among those who had practically made trial of Straits and Ceylon 

 rubbers. All were agreed that the rubber was good and very ser- 

 viceable, but that it was by no means as good as South American 

 fine Para, either hard or soft cure. The plantation rubber is lacking 

 in nerve, it works soft between the masticating rollers, and its 

 keeping qualities are inferior to South American Para. After 

 vulcanisation the tensile strength is less and the elastic recovery of 

 shape after deformation by stretching or compression is less perfect 

 than shown by South American Para under precisely similar con- 

 ditions. This result is disappointing and quite contrary to the 

 report which the late Dr. Weber made on plantation rubber, when 

 he stated that he found the tensile strength to be superior to that 

 of South American hard-cure Para. 



12. That the result of practical experience of the rubber manu- 

 facturers must be accepted, there can be no question. There was 

 no hesitation on their part in demonstrating to me the difference 



