THE SUPPLEMENT TO THE 



Tropical Agriculturist and Magazine of the C. A. 8. 



Compiled and Edited by A. M. & J. FERGUSON. 



No. 7.] JULY, 1910. [Vol. VI. 



THE RUBBER INBUSTRY ANB THE 

 PRESENT PROSPECT. 



(By an ex- Ceylon Planter.) 

 I have read through many cuttings on the 

 subject of the rubber boom. If the opinion of 

 one who does not own any interest in a single 

 rubber tree, is worth anything, here it is. The 

 boom has been a very wonderful one ; I do not 

 think it is likely to come to an end for several 

 years yet. Indeed, I think in the near future 

 it will be on a sounder basis because the shares 

 of the good Companies will get into the hands of 

 those who wish to keep them, and not into the 

 temporary possession of speculators. This is the 

 rubber age : everything from golf balls to cab 

 tyres has to be made of it, as no substitute has 

 yet been discovered, and a clear proof that the 

 present output of rubber from all sources — 

 70,000 tons— is far beneath requirements is the 

 fact that such a thing as a pure rubber article 

 cannot be got for love or money. For example : 

 I have an old tricycle and an old bicycle made 

 about 30 years ago, and an expert in the cycle 

 trade told me lately that he could not get the 

 same quality of tyres as on these old cycles, not 

 if he offered any price for them. As soon as 

 people get tired of inferior rubber articles, a 

 better quality will be asked for, and the quan- 

 tity required for manufacturing purposes will 

 increase. No article made of rubber is water- 

 proof nowadays. I have had to give up gum 

 boots and fall back on leather; and a waterproof 

 coat in my possession, exceedingly well-made 

 and with the appearance of being invaluable, is 

 not waterproof at all. I say, therefore, that if 

 rubber growers are to continue to hold the field 

 as producers of these articles, they must take 

 the manufacturing into their own hands and 

 make them what they profess lo be, waterproof ; 

 and not allow the good name of rubber to 



10 



be ruined by this class of adulterated goods. 

 Another thing that strikes me in connection 

 with the wholesale floating of rubber Com- 

 panies is the extraordinary scarcity of names 

 — on directors' boards— of persons of note as 

 financiers, or whose names have been heard of 

 before by most of the general public ? I receive 

 three or four prospectuses every day, and I am 

 well within the mark when I say that not more 

 than once a week do I come across the name of 

 a single director that I would give a snap of my 

 fingers for.* Some of the prospectuses of what 

 I call " wild cat 11 Companies differ greatly from 

 the good old Companies, whose directors' names 

 were known to all who are interested in the 

 East, and which Companies seem all to be pay- 

 ing quite handsomely, probably because they 

 were floated by men who know their business 

 and bought the properties at a price which did 

 not spell over-capitalisation. I note that Mr. 

 Barrett, of The Financier, rather prides himself 

 on having advised the public to buy rubber 

 shares four years ago, though brokers derided 

 him and called him a monomaniac. If your 

 "Senior" can recall the fact, he may remember 

 that, more than 25 years ago, I told him that, 

 if I returned to Ceylon, it would be to go in for 

 coconuts and rubber I even went so far as 

 to press some of my friends, who were largely 

 interested in one of your biggest tea Companies 

 to plant some rubber, if not systematically, at 

 least along the estate roads. Whether this was 

 done at my suggestion or not, I cannot say ; but 

 it was done, some years later, and the estimate 

 of rubber, for this year, of that Company is a 

 good way over 20, U00 lb. I may, therefore, claim 

 to have cast aprophetic eye from a much greater 



* Our correspondent must remember that 

 since his time in the East many authorities 

 have sprung up— especially on " Rubber "—whose 

 names were not known 24 or even 10 years ago 

 in the planting or financial world in the East or 

 in London.— Ed., C. 0. 



