406 



The accompanying extract from the Imperial Institute Journal 

 will be of interest : — 



Rubber output of the Amazon„Valley. The United States Con- 

 sulate, Para, reports that at the close of 1901, the receipts of rubber 

 at Para were nearly 30 per cent, greater than ever before at that 

 season. Business was good in 1900, Exchange low, and credits 

 easy. The labourers and middlemen indulged in many luxuries. 

 The end of the season found the crisis at hand, Exchange rising 

 rapidly, the gatherers deeply in debt, and the price of Rubber 

 reduced 20 per cent. Now they are making a desperate effort to 

 pay off this indebtedness and make a fresh start. They are getting 

 a large proportion of their food from the streams and forests bv 

 hunting and fishing: they are purchasing only absolute necessities; 

 and are working overtime to increase the crop and liquidate their 

 bills. It was reported in December that there were on the way 

 down the river from the upper tributaries of the Amazon, about 

 700 tons more rubber than had ever hefore been shipped from that 

 section in one season, and that there were at least 200 tons more 

 to follow. About 30 small steamers and launches left Para and 

 Manaos for the Acre, Jurua, Purus and Beni rivers and were due 

 to return to Para in February. Altogether, adds the Consul, there 

 is reason to believe that this season's rubber crop will exceed that 

 of last year by a very considerable margin. 



The Selangor Planters' Association have made Para Rubber a 

 special feature of their 1901 report, and your Committee think that 

 they cannot do better than reproduce what has been already said 

 upon this subject, heartily endorsing the warm appreciation of 

 Mr. Derry's valuable work to which the Selangor Planters give 

 expression. 



EXPORT OF COFFEE, F. M. S. 



1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 



Selangor pkls. 2,588 4,532 7,046 12.491 22,948 26,407 34,295 37,664 

 N Sembilan ,, unknown unknown unknown 1,071 3, 163 4,541 6,199 9(7^9 

 Perak ., 1,362 1,937 2,209 2,759 2,837 93 2 4.269 3,806 



Total ,, 3,956 6,469 9,255 16,321 28,948 31,880 44,763 51,239 



