346 



State, not to mention the landowner, and what a contrast to the pre- 

 sent methods whereby such abandoned areas grow only noxious weeds ! 



The price of rubber has dropped considerably since this time last 

 year, and good plantation Para now fetches between 3s. and 4s. per lb. 

 It is, however, expected to rise somewhat, though not to the figures of 

 last year. Despite this, however, the opinion of those most interested, 

 as shown in the following extracts from the " India Rubber World " 

 for March, will be of interest : — 



" Mr. James Wilson, of England, chairman of the Ceylon Land 

 and Produce Company, on seven of whose plantation 5,695 acres have 

 been planted to rubber, after a recent visit to Ceylon, expressed the 

 opinion that rubber planting will pay for many years to come. He 

 thinks that the price ought to rise a bit when the money market re- 

 sumes its normal condition, but not to the high prices of a year ago. 



" A planter from Ceylon, who visited England lately, reports an 

 interview he had with one of the directors of the India Rubber, Gutta 

 Percha, and Telegraph Works Company, at Silvertown, who expressed 

 the opinion that rubber planting would be a good investment tor the 

 next twenty years at least. The rubber manufacturer felt that if rub- 

 ber remains as cheap as now, a marked increase in its use would 

 result." 



Rubber is being extensively planted in the tropical countries all 

 round us. In Sumatra alone, a correspondent of the " Ceylon Obser- 

 ver" states that 2,000,000 trees, representing 14,000 acres, have been 

 planted. He adds that three rubber trees on an old coffee plantation 

 are reputed to have yielded over 5 kilograms (11 lb.) each in one year. 



Even at a profit of Is. per lb., and a production of 1 lb. per tree, 

 the return per acre of 200 trees is good ; at 3 lb. per tree it will compare 

 favourably with any agricultural product whatever in the country ; and, 

 with a possibility of such returns as above quoted, or even a portion of 

 it, the returns, to say the least, are attractive enough for the most 

 sanguine. 



Rubber companies are quoting 15 to 30 per cent, dividends per 

 annum in Ceylon, the Straits Settlements, Java, Sumatra, &c, and 

 will shortly be doing so in the Solomon Islands and Papua. Why not 

 in north Queensland ? 



One more quotation, re synthetic rubber from the " India Rubber 

 World " is to the point : — 



" While a great deal has been printed in England and the British 

 colonies during the past year on the subject of ' artificial' or ' synthetic ' 

 rubber, and the possibility of some such material competing with na- 

 tural rubber, it does not appear that any real progress has been made 

 in the new field. In other words, the rumours referred to have served 

 only to scare some investors in rubber-planting companies. The sen- 

 timent of the British crude rubber trade, after a year of such rumour- 

 mongering, is well expressed in this paragraph from the review of the 

 trade for 1907, issued by Lewis and Peat, London rubber brokers : — 

 ' During the past year artificial rubber has been talked about a great 

 deal, but, so far, nothing tangible has been forthcoming, and we do not 

 know anyone in the rubber trade of any importance or authority who 



