103 
formed  in  Europe  to  work  rubber  estates  in  Brazil)  have  lost  their 
working  capital,  and  have  either  ceased  to  exist,  or  are  in  consider- 
able difficulty.  The  company  that  really  showed  the  best  results 
was  the  Rubber  Estates  of  Para,  which,  as  I have  said,  lost  about 
'35,000  in  the  first  two  years  of  its  existence  and  even  when  recon- 
structed, never  succeeded  in  making  a profit. 
Mr.  Witt  has  set  out  the  reasons  prettv  clearly.  The  directors 
and  managers  have  very  little  knowledge  of  the  conditions  sur- 
rounding the  trade,  but  in  one  case,  had  the  company. — The  Rub- 
ber Estates  of  Para,  Limited, — followed  the  advice  of  its  first  estates 
manager,  it  might  have  been  successful,  or  at  least,  it  would  not 
have  lost  so  heavily.  This  gentleman,  however,  had  had  eight 
years’  experience  of  Brazil. 
-Most  of  the  men  who  go  out  know  nothing  about  the  business. 
They  do  not  know  the  language  well,  and  have  few  facilities  for 
learning  anything  of  value.  Indeed,  it  is  not  in  the  interest  of  the 
Brazilians  to  teach  them  anything,  but,  on  the  contrary,  to  pluck 
them  and  the  companies  thev  re])resent  of  every  feather. 
As  Mr.  Witt  has  pointed  out,  the  collectors  have  to  be  imported. 
They  mostly  come  from  the  state  of  Ceara,  and  the  importation 
expenses  are  very  heavy.  Provisions  have  also  to  be  imported, 
and  instances  have  come  before  me  of  perishable  food  stuffs  con- 
signed to  an  English  company,  being  detained  three  months  in  the 
custom  house  at  Para.  When  cleared  the  goods  were  useless. 
This  was  of  common  occurrence  some  two  years  ago,  but  the  cus- 
toms’ service  has  been  improved  since.  The  taxation  is  tremen- 
dously heavy  ; whether  a profit  is  made  or  not,  a company  will  be 
taxed  anything  from  £600  upwards  a year,  that  is,  if  its  office  is, in 
a foreign  country.  If  a company  tries  to  grow  its  own  foodstuffs, 
it, will  find  it  .impossible  to  get  labour.  The  natives  will  not  work 
at  agriculture  of  any  kind.  1 am  not  aware  that  there  is  a farm,  or 
anything  approaching  one,  within  a thousand  miles  of  Para.  1 he 
men  will  only  collect  rubber,  and  unless  the  planter  could  pay  them 
as  much  for  agricultural  labor  as  they  can  earn  in  rubber  cutting, 
there  is  no'possibilitv  of  getting  them  to  work  at  the  former.  Mr. 
Witt  has  very  ably  pointed  this  out.  He  suggests  the  importation 
of  coolies  from  India,  but  the  British  government  would  never  per- 
mit it.  He  also  refers  to  Chinese,  a question  which  I have  studied, 
as  mv  companv  ('ommissioned  an  agent  at  Singapore  to  make  en- 
quiries with  regard  to  obtaining  Chinese  labourers  trom  the  Straits 
Settlements.  They  cannot  be  got  from  China,  as  was  pointed  out 
by  Sir  Haujday  MACARTNEY,  of  the  Chinese  P'mbassy  in  London 
to  the  writer,  for  the  reason  that  China  has  no  diplomatic  or  C on- 
sular representative  in  Brazil,  and  no  Chinese  subjects  would  be 
allowed  to  go.  I'he  Chinese  in  the  .Straits  .Settlements  are  mostly 
British  subjects.  I hev  also  would  not  be  allowed  to  leave  il  the 
I:Iritish  government  knew  where  they  were  going,  and  the  only  way 
to  get  them  is  to  ship  them  unknown  to  tlie  British  governtnciit, 
and  run  the  risk  of  being  found  out  and  losing  the  men.  1 he  ini- 
portation  of  Chinese  labourers  also  would  have  to  be  renewed  again 
and  again,  for  they  would  be  certain,  as  Mr.  \V  ITT  says,  to  turn 
