97 
Singapore  market  in  balls  of  40  to  50  catties  weight,  mixed  with 
petroleum  and  water,  and  shipped  loose  in  bags  or  j)acked  in  cases 
ready  for  shipment.  It  is  not  treated  in  any  way  in  Singapore  but 
simply  repacked  where  necessary  and  reshipped.  It  is  often  adul- 
terated with  sago  flour,  clay,  earth,  wood  and  stones. 
All  that  is  imported  is  exported  again  except  a little  used  by 
the  Chinese  for  adulterating  Gutta  percha.  The  greater  part  comes 
from  Borneo,  viz.  Pontianak,  Sambas  and  Sarawak  and  is  exported 
to  Great  Britain,  America  and  the  Continent  of  Europe. 
The  price  fluctuates  a good  deal,  in  1895,  f^e  price  was  §1.60 
per  picul,  and  it  gradually  rose  in  value  to  §8  a picul,  but  is  con- 
stantly fluctuating  between  §6  and  8S.  At  present  it  is  §7  a picul. 
Exports  from  Singapore  in  piculs. 
To  (jreat  Britain. 
U.  S.  America. 
Europe. 
1899 
2,527 
74.987 
4. '39 
1900 
•••  21,935 
58,169 
5.836 
1901 
...  6.394 
104.893 
12,867 
1902 
• 3.500 
140,000 
I 1,600 
I am  indebted  to  Mr.  VoGLER,  of  Huttenbach  Brothers  & Co.  for 
the  above  details  of  Import  and  Export,  and  to  Mr.  Shelforh  for 
notes  on  the  plant  of  Borneo. 
H.  N.  RIDLEY. 
THE  BUSINESS  OF  GATHERING  RUBBER. 
Of  all  natural  products  which  have  become  widely  recognized  as 
necessities  among  civilized  peoples.  India-rubber  stands  alone  in 
that,  with  all  the  aids  of  modern  industrial,  commerical,  and  finan- 
cial development,  the  means  of  securing  this  commodity  have  un- 
d(irgone  little  improvement,  and  the  cost  of  securing  it  becomes 
greater  rather  than  less  other  tropical  products,  with  places  of 
origin  equally  remote  from  the  world’s  markets,  have  been  rendered 
vastly  more  accessible  of  greatly  reduced  in  price  to.  consumers. 
While  new  rubber  districts  continue  to  be  opened,  in  order  to  meet 
the  constantly  growing  demand  for  the  raw  material,  crude  rubber 
now,  as  in  the  beginning,  continues  to  be  produced  on  a small  scale, 
by  unintelligent  labourers  employing  primitive  methods  and  between 
the  forests  and  such  markets  as  Manaos  and  Para  or  Antwerp  a 
single  lot  may  change  hands  half  a dozen  times  before  it  comes 
within  the  control  of  the  traders  who  supply  the  manufacturers. 
There  is  little  rubber  in  use  to-day  which  docs  not  cost  the 
manufacturer,  at  least,  §1,000  per  ton,  and' within  recent  years 
large  quantities  of  the  better  grades  have  gone  into  consumption 
at  a cost  at  the  factory  of  more  than  §2,000  per  ton.  Naturally  it 
has  occurred  to  capitalists  aware  of  these  facts,  that  through  opera- 
ting on  a large  scale  and  by  the  introduction  of  economies  under 
intelligent  supervision,  rubber  might  be  produced  at  a cost  so  far 
below  the  prevailing  prices  for  this  material  as  to  aflord  handsome 
