49(3 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



had been obtained from the quickly dried pro- 

 duct which were far from satisfactory and he 

 expressed belief that although it was impossible 

 to say definitely which was the best method of 

 drying there was reason to believe that too rapid 

 and complete drying would be found a serious 

 mistake, and that they might be sacrificing 

 some strength, elasticity and lasting power by 

 the process. 



Mr. Bamber mentioned also that Continental 

 buyers seemed strongly in favour of rubber 

 being exported in block from 1 inch to 1^ inches 

 thick and about a foot square. 



RUBBER GROWERS AND MANUFAC- 

 TURERS' BANQUET. 



REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS. 

 At Olympia, Thursday, 24th Sept., 1908. 

 At the above dinner, 



Sik Henry Blake — proposed the Loyal 

 Toasts ; and then, again rising, proposed the 

 Rubber Industry. He said he must congratu- 

 late this assemblage on the great success of 

 the first International Rubber and Allied 

 Trades Exhibition ever held. They had got 

 together planters, growers and others interested 

 in rubber from all parts of the world. He 

 hoped to see the day when rubber would be 

 reduced — he would not say to what price in 

 the presence of those who were interested in 

 getting as much as possible for the material 

 they produced. His view was that if rubber 

 was considerably cheaper, it could be put to 

 such multifarious uses — one alone being the 

 paving of streets, of which in London alone there 

 were 5,000 miles — that the bogey of over-pro- 

 duction need not to be considered at all. He had 

 hoped to see more manufacturers present, and 

 felt sure that at the next Exhibition in 1910 

 this would be the case. He had not heard a 

 single complaint nor of a discordant note, 

 and he had never had experience of any 

 Exhibition conducted with so much success, 

 and he congratulated the Organising Manager, 

 Mr. Staines Manders, on the result of his 

 labours. He invited his hearers to drink to 

 to the great industry whose interests they 

 were all endeavouring to promote. (Loud and 

 continued applause). 



Mr. J. Loudon Shand— in responding to 

 this toast, said that he found himself in a 

 position which no planter cared to be, viz., 

 he was a substitute. 



MR. RUTHERFORD 



would have replied for the great industry he 

 that moment represented ; but as he 



HAD TO DEPART FOR BRITISH COLUMBIA 



the following morning, it was impossible for him 

 to be present. He would, with permission of 

 the President, read a letter addressed to that 

 gentleman by Mr. Rutherford, which would 

 explain matters : — 



Oxford Court, Cannon Street, E.C., 21st Sept., 190S. 

 Sir Henry A. Blake, G.C.M.G. 



Dear Sir Henry, — I regret exceedingly my inability to be 

 present at the Rubber Growers' and Manufacturers Banquet 

 on Thursday evening as I am on the eve of leaving for British 

 Columbia. As Chairman of the Rubber Growers' Associa- 

 tion I would like to convey to you on behalf of the members 

 of that body, their great appreciation of the keen interest 

 you have taken in making the Exhibition a success. From 

 the inception of the idea of the fulfilment lof its purposes 

 we owe you much for the personal efforts and enthusiasm 



you have shewn in everything that could further the in- 

 terests of the Rubber Industry. I feel convinced that the 

 interchange of ideas among experts, growers, and manu- 

 facturers which has taken place will prove of the greatest 

 possible advantage to us as growers, and that the work 

 of this lixhibition will bear profitable fruit in enabling us 

 to avoid mistakes in curing through imperfect knowledge. 

 From a Grower's point of view if the Exhibition had no 

 other result than shewing us how we could so improve 

 the treatment of our Rubber as to meet entirely the re- 

 quirements of manufacturers that gain alone would be 

 sufficient to justify the holding of such an Exhibition. I 

 trust we shall have the advantage once again of your leader- 

 ship in the Exhibition proposed to be held two years' hence 

 by which time great strides will undoubtedly have been 

 made in all branches of the Industry.— Yours very truly, 

 (Signed) H. K. Rutherford, 

 Chairman of the Rubber Growers' Association. 



Colonel Bosworth — then proposed 

 The Visitors. 

 It afforded him great pleasure to propose this 

 toast on this unique occasion, viz. at the first 

 International Rubber and Allied Trades Exhi- 

 bition ever held. Men of science, planters, 

 manufacturers and others had assembled from 

 every corner of the globe, to learn and teach. 

 He warmly welcomed the visitors from every 

 part of the Empire, from across the Atlantic, 

 and from other great nations of the world. 

 These meetings did more for the goodwill of 

 mankind than any Peace Conferences. He 

 specially welcomed the representatives of the 

 technical press, who, with a loud voice and 

 letters which remain, expressed themselves as 

 delighted with the treatment received at the 

 hands of the Committee, particularly with the 

 facilities accorded them for obtaining infor- 

 mation with reference to the conferences. The 

 toast was received witli much enthusiasm. 



Mr. Louis Hoff— of the Hurburg and Vienna 

 Rubber Works— responded in the following 

 terms: Mr Chairman and gentlemen, it affords me 

 great pleasure and 1 regard it as a great honour 

 to have been asked to reply to this toast, but 

 I trust you will be indulgent to me, if, in my 

 attempt to address you in English I should not 

 perhaps succeed in conveying my thoughts in 

 adequate and appropriate terms. However, 

 wishing to be understood by all assembled at 

 this festive gathering, I held it best to use the 

 language of the country where we the visitors 

 from abroad have met with so cordial a welcome, 

 and with such kind and sumptuous hospitality. 

 And now permit me first of all to express 

 my thanks and those of the visitors for the 

 kind words of welcome addressed to us by Sir 

 Henry Blake, our worthy Chairman. In doing 

 so most heartily, I feel that I cannot do better 

 than echo the words he has so eloquently spoken, 

 being convinced that this Exhibition will be of 

 immense benefit and far-reaching consequence 

 for tho industries interested in the Rubber 

 Trade. I am sure that I but express the senti- 

 ments of all the visitors assembled here, when 

 I say that this first Exhibition of its kind has 

 emphatically demonstrated to the whole world 

 the importance of our industry, and when we 

 think of the enormous amount of labour, of 

 trouble, and of sacrifices that was necessary to 

 avert the danger of the want of raw material 

 with which our industry was threatened, we 

 cannot but 



ADMIRE AND APPLAUD THE FAR-SIGHTED POLICY 

 OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT; 



for we must not forget that it was the British 

 Government which wisely initiated and sub- 

 sequently supported the first practical attempts 



