388 



[Matt, 191B. 



GUMS, RESINS, SAPS AND EXUDATIONS. 



UNITED STATES STATISTICS OF 

 MALAYAN RUBBER GROWING. 



(From India Rubber World, Vol. ^LV., 

 No. 4, January 1, 1912.) 

 Recognising the importance to the 

 American rubber and kindred industries 

 of full and detailed information as to the 

 development of rubber culture in the 

 Malay States, a systematic investig- 

 ation of the whole question has lately 

 been made by the United States Govern- 

 ment. This difficult task has been ably 

 carried out by Mr. D. Milto Figart, 

 United States Vice-Consul General in 

 charge at Singapore, who has compiled 

 a report covering the four years 1997- 

 1910, which (though not yet published) 

 the Indian Rubber World has by the 

 courtesy of the Bureau of Manufactures, 

 Department of Commerce and Labour, 

 had an opportunity of examining, and 

 of which the leading features are re- 

 produced below :— 



The report includes (1) rubber acreage, 

 yield and production ; (2) cost of develop- 

 ment per acre and of production per 

 pound. Other points touched upon are 

 (3) comparative quality of product, prob- 

 able output, market value and divi- 

 dends ; while (4), labour, diseases and 

 other important points likewise receive 

 attention. Appealing, as it does alike to 

 the rubber manufacturer and to the 

 economic student, this skilfully com- 

 piled report amply repays perusal. 



Dealing with the history of the 

 "rubber boom," which occurred within 

 the last year covered by the report, Mr. 

 Figart refers to the inherent soundness 

 of the rubber trade, as being demon- 

 strated by the relatively small number 

 of failures, which marked the subse- 

 quent decline in values. 



Malayan Acreage and Product. 



Taking the first and last of the four 

 years dealt with, the total rubber acreage 

 of Malaya rose from 179,227 acres in 

 1907 to 362,853 in 1910, thus having more 

 than doubled within the period in 

 question. That the grand total of pro- 



duction increased from 2,278,870 pounds 

 ia 1907 to 14,368,863 pounds in 1910, would 

 show the largely augmented productive- 

 ness of Malaya as the result of method- 

 ical and scientific rubber cultivation, 



The acreage planted on December 

 31,1910 (362,853 acres) represented 632 

 estates (as compared with 534 a year 

 earlier) with an acreage of 292,033. Of 

 the 1910 acreage about one-fifth had 

 been planted during that yeai, while 

 the plantings of 1909 only represented 

 15 per cent, of the total cultivated acre- 

 age at the end of that period. 



Ceylon, while producing in 1910 more 

 than six times as much rubber as in 

 1907, had a much smaller quantity to 

 start with. Consequently the excess in 

 the Malayan yield, as compared with 

 that of Ceylon, now amounts to about 

 11,000,000 pounds, as illustrated by the 

 following comparison :— 



1907 1910. 



Pounds. Pounds. 



Malaya ... 2,278,870 14,368,863 

 Ceylon ... 556,080 3,298,652 



Comparative Acreage in the 

 Far East. 

 Much interest attaches to the follow- 

 ing details of the present rubber acreage 

 in various Asiatic countries : — 



Rubber Acreage. 



1910. 



Malaya 



362,853 



Ceylon 



241,885 



Netherlands Indies ... 



150,000 



Burma 



13,525 



Cochin China 



11,000 



South India ... 



30,000 



Total acres, 1910 



809,263 



From a comparison of this table with 

 the figures already quoted, it would 

 seem that Malaya, with 362,853 acres, 

 produced in 1910 14,368,863 pounds,, while 

 Ceylon, with 241,885 acres, only produced 

 3,298.652 pounds. 



Cost of Development per Acre. 

 Following the above important statis- 

 tical facts, is a valuable.es cimate prepar* 



