Gums, Resins, 



274 



what progress the inventor has made with that we shall be interested to hear. 

 It is doubtful if sufficient of the proper palm nuts are grown in Ceylon to supply 

 the rubber industry as suggested ; bat certain timbers will probably supply smoke 

 containing the active principle of creosote. We have heard it claimed that certain 

 washed rubber will not heat ; and a certain gentleman interested in rubber has 

 given his opinion that carelessness in the use of acetic acid is responsible for heat- 

 ing. There may be something in both these arguments. Certain it is, however, 

 that on the plantations machinery will largely come into use, and plantation rubber 

 will not be turned out as "large balls, bottles or cakes," which would be very 

 inconvenient for packing. We have had certain particulars given to us of a 

 machine which will coagulate and wash the rubber and turn it out ready " creosote- 

 coated," and that seems well on the way to what is sought by Messrs. Lewis aud 

 Peat. In his " Hevea Brasiliensis " Mr. Herbert Wright says regarding smoking 

 rubber in the Amazon that the nuts used produce smoke containing small quantities 

 of acetic acid, acetone and creosote ; " acetic acid is probably the agent responsible 



for effecting the coagulation ; the creosote acting as an antiseptic The 



decomposition may be prevented by the addition of suitable antiseptic reagents 

 to the latex when the rubber is prepared in other ways, though quickness in 

 drying and complete extraction of the moisture from coagulated rubber is often 

 sufficient to bring about the same result." The italics are ours, and show how 

 different is Mr. Wright's opinion from that of Messrs. Lewis and Peat's adviser. 

 Further on in his book Mr. Wright says:— "The development of bacteria which 

 has been shown to be associated with putrefactive changes of rubber can, however, 

 be overcome either by inoculation, effective drying or the use of antiseptics." 

 Mr. Wright will probably go into this matter more fully in his second edition. 

 Meanwhile we shall be glad to hear from planters and others interested their 

 opinion on the letter from Messrs. Lewis and Peat, and the matters therein brought 

 up. The subject concerns the whole industry, and cannot be too well ventilated. 



London, March 16th, 1906.— At to-day's auction, 121 packages of Ceylon and 

 Straits Settlements plantation-grown rubber were under offer, of which all but 3 

 were sold. The total weight amounted to about 6J tons, Ceylon contributing less 

 than | ton and the Straits Settlements rather more than 5£ tons. These small 

 supplies met with good competition, everything of importance changing hands at 

 rates showing an advance on last sale of from \d. to l\d. per lb. Fine sheet was 

 again in much request, 9 cases from the Highland Estate realising 6s. 3\d. Vallam- 

 brosa was also represented by a large invoice amounting to just over 2 tons which 

 sold at an average of 6s. 2d. per lb. Quotations.— Fine sheet, 6s. 3d. to 6s. 3\d.; fine 

 pale crepe, 6s. 3d.; darker, 6s. 2d., and dark from 5s. lid. to 5s. 4Jd.; fine biscuits, 

 from 6s. 2d. to 6s. 3d.; rejected biscuits, from 5s. 6cL to 6s.; good to fine scrap, 4s. lid. 

 to 5s. 3\d. Plantation Biscuit aud Sheet to-day.— 6s. 2d. to 6s. 35c?., same period last 

 year, 6s. 4cZ. to 6s. Qd. Scrap, 4s. lid. to 5s. 3^d., same period last year, 4s. 2d. to 4s. 

 8d. per lb. Average price of Ceylon aud Straits Settlements plantation rubber. — 121 

 packages at 6s. id. per lb., against 139 packages at 5s. 10|d. per lb. at last auction. 



Particulars and prices as follows :— 



PLANTATION RUBBER MARKET REPORT. 



CEYLON. 



MARK 



QUANTITY DESCRIPTION 



PRICE 

 PER LB. 



Kanambyle 

 Tallagalla 



do 



do 



2 bags Ball and rejected biscuits 



3 case Fine dark biscuits 

 1 do Fine palish scrap 

 1 do Barky scrap 



...3s. and 6s. 

 ... 6s. 3d. 

 ... 5s. 3d. 

 ... 5s. 



