480 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



RUBBER CULTIVATION IN JAVA. 



ABOUT 98,000 ACRES PLANTED ; OR 

 115,000 ACRES FOR JAVA AND BORNEO. 



We are indebted to Mr. Noel Bingley, a 

 well-known English planter of many years' 

 standing in Java, for the following paper, 

 being a copy of what he has furnished to 

 H. B. M. Consul in Batavia : — 



" The increase in Rubber undertakings in 

 Netherlands India during the years 19'J6-7 has 

 been noteworthy, and, in the case of Java, is 

 largely accounted for by the cheap cost at which, 

 compared with neighbouring rubber-growing 

 countries, Rubber can be brought into bearing. 

 This feature in the industry is to be largely 

 attributed to the plentiful and cheap resident 

 labour which Java possesses. At the first Rubber 

 Congress held in Java at Djember in October, 

 1907, were represented 13,200 bouws ( = 23,100 

 acres) under private cultivation, and 10,000 bouws 

 ( = 17,500 acres) under Government, or a total of 

 over 40,000 acres, of which most of the Govern- 

 ment and probably about one quarter of the 

 private cultivation were ' Ficus Elastica,' whilst 

 excepting for a small acreage under Ceara, 

 the rest was planted with ' Hevea brasili- 

 ensis.' No statistics are available of the 

 acreage not represented at above Congress; 

 but from informations taken, this can be 

 safely put at 33,000 bouws, or about 58,000 

 acres. It should be noted that the above figures 

 include the acreages which at the time of 

 the Congress were already opened for rubber, 

 but the planting of which had still to take 

 place during the planting season (October 

 1907-March 1908) as well as what was actu- 

 ally planted at that time (October 1907). 



" Trustworthy statistics for Sumatra and 

 Borneo are at present not available. The 

 acreage given at the end of .1907 in the ' India 

 Rubber World ' as alienated for rubber in Suma- 

 tra was 85,000 bouws, but there is no mention 

 of the acreage planted, though mention is 

 made in place of a planted acreage in Borneo 

 of 7,000 bouws. Assuming that, 25,000 Bouws 

 in Sumatra are under exploitation for 

 rubber which there is reason to believe 

 is a safe taxation, and including the above 

 mentioned figures for Java and Borneo, the total 

 estimated acreage for these countries amounts 

 to about 65,000 Bouws, or say 115,000 acres— of 

 which most of the older Rubber, and nearly all 



that in bearing, say one-half of the whole acre- 

 age must be 'Ficus Elastica', as with a very few 

 exceptions the cultivation of the Para varioty 

 (Hevea brasiliensis) dates from 1905 onwards. 

 From the above it will be gathered that Exports 

 of Rubber from these countries are still inconsi- 

 derable, as most of the Hevea and a largo portion 

 of the Ficus are not yet in production, though 

 in the space of a few years the Dutch Indies 

 should prove an important factor on the Rubber 

 markets of Europe. 



"There is no longer any doubt as to the 

 extreme suitability of the climate and soil in 

 most parts of Java, and at any rate on the East 

 Coast of Sumatra for this cultivation, which 

 fact, coupled with the undoubted labour ad- 

 vantages which Java possesses above most other 

 tropical countries, has resulted in a steadily in- 

 creasing trend of European Capital towards 

 Rubber enterprises in Netherlands India. Of 

 this Capital by far the larger part has been 

 hitherto British and Belgian, whilst a certain 

 amount has come from Germany and Holland, 

 though in the latter case the interest is a 

 maximum one when the advantages in rubber 

 growing that her Colonies possess over most 

 tropical countries are considered. According 

 to statistics lately compiled by a Dutch Firm 

 in the Hp-gue, it was shown that the capital 

 of British Companies, interested in Rubber in 

 the Dutch Indies but domiciled in England, 

 amounted to nearly £1 500,000. This, however, 

 does not include the numerous Companies 

 formed during the last few years, also with 

 British Capital, but domiciled in Java, which 

 can be put at another £350,000.— Tji Wangi 

 Estate, Feb. 1908." 



It will be observed that some of the figures are 

 not very clear in Mr. Bingley's statement ; for, 

 apparently, he gives 40,000 plus 58,000 or 98,000 

 acres altogether asunder rubber in Java ; arid 

 25,000 bouws or 43,000 acres as " under exploi- 

 tation " in Sumatra and 7,000 bouws or 12,000 

 acres forBorneo— which would make a grand total 

 of 153,000 acres. But he winds up with only 

 115,000 acres " for Java and Borneo " and appar- 

 ently leaves out Sumatra altogether. In any case 

 the figures show much more progress in Java 

 than had hitherto been anticipated and affords 

 a stronger argument than ever for delaying any 

 further " Rubber " Extensions or plantings in 

 the East, until it is seen how the market 

 will stand the fast-increasing yearly supplies 

 from the East, Mexico and other quarters. 



