192 THE TROPICAL, AGRICULTDRIST. [Sept. 1, 1902. 
VIEWS OP A MANAOS RUBBER 
J" MERCHANT. 
•■ During a recent visit to Ncv York of Mr N H 
Witt, a leading rubber merchant of Manaos, the 
rubber centre of the upper Amazon, he was 
asked by " The India Kubber World" for his 
Views on the practicability of companies being 
organised to work on a large scale in the move- 
ment of rubber direct from the producing districts 
to the consuming markets. 
" I do not believe that such a thing can be 
done as yet," said lie. " The difGculty of the 
labour problem is an old story which continues 
to be repeated. In the Amazon valley all the 
labour must be imported, together with provisions, 
" There are no European peoples who can stand 
working in the climate of the Amazon valley. 
Something might be done with coolies, but it 
is a difficult matter to arrange with the 
government of British India for their introduc- 
tion into South America. There has been talk of 
importing Chinese, but they would likely all turn 
traders and desert the rubber camps. 
" I am convinced, therefore, that for a good 
while to come the safest way to deal in rubber is 
through the establishment of trading houses at 
the principal centres, as at present, and buying 
such rubber as may reach the market, from what- 
ever source." 
In answer to a question as to whether the exist- 
ing rubber fields on the Amazon were showing indi- 
cations of becoming exhausted, Mr Witt said : 
• : All the fields which yield rubber other than 
Caucho still seem to produce the usual output. It 
is probable, however, that in some districts on the 
lower Amazon the trees have ceased to yield, 
and the fact that more rubber has been shipped 
this season from the state of Pard than last season 
may be due to the fact that the rubber workers 
have gone into new territory. In some cases the 
men may have worked harder, as we call it, forced 
by the low rubber prices ruling now. The in- 
creasing total production of the Amazon valley 
is due, of course, to the general widening of the 
distj ict gone over in the search for rubber. 
" One thing which indicates that the trees 
in the distiicts which have longest been worked 
are becoming less productive is the fact that the 
rate of shrinkage in the Island's rubber received 
at Pard, gradually beeomes greater. I remember 
that in 1885 a shrinkage of 6 per cent, was expected 
in Islands rubber, and the rate has gradually 
increased until now a shrinkage of 14 per cent, 
or even more is not unusual. And meanwhile 
there has been no important improvement in 
means of transportation between the Islands dis- 
tricts and Pard. Evidently there is a smaller 
percentage of solid rubber in the milk than when 
the trees were fresher, and with the same amount 
of smoking as formerly more moisture is retained in 
the rubber to be lost during shipment. In other 
words, while the trees apparently yield as much 
milk; as formerly, the real production of rubber 
per tree is less. 
Mr Witt spoke of the rapid exhaustion of 
Caucho in all the districts where the Peruvians 
went in search of it, and it was his impression that 
the trade of Iquitos, largely based upon Caucho, was 
not, for this reason, showing any increase. There 
was a possibility, however, that with the total 
exhaustion ot Caucho on the upper Amazon — say 
within the next ten years— the Peruvians might 
turn their attention to gathering fine rubber, and 
thus replace in a measure the Caucho trade. — 
The India Bubber World, July 1. 
TRIMIDAD PKODUCE REPORT. 
Trinidad, July 2nd, 1902. 
Produce. —Cocoa. — Owing to a less active demand 
for European account, and ali-.o in consequence of 
slightly better receipts from the country during the 
earlier part of the fortnight under review, our local 
market has become somewhat easier and we quote to- 
day from 5iI3'25 to §13-75 per fnuega as in quality. 
The alternate dry and wet weather which we have 
been experiencing has had a beneficial effect on the 
cultivation and the outlook for the next crop appears 
to be rather hopeful at present. There have been 
further moderate arrivals from the Venezuelan coast 
and we quote for Good Ordinary grades from $13'50 
to $13"60 per fanega. 
Gopra. — Receipts from the country are small and the 
price i;i firm from $2'85 to $3 per 100 lbs. Quality 
made is very ordinary on account of the difficulty of 
drying with the present rains. 
"CAPITAL" ON THE INDIAN TEA CESS. 
The writer of Current Coin in Capital, in the 
issue of August 7th, thus comments on the Indian 
Tea Cess : — " I do not anticipate that there will 
be any violent representations against the im- 
position of the Cess, though the unexpected nob 
infrequently occurs. I am not at all sure that the 
proposed Cess will do more than lessen the returns 
to the shareholders ; but as drowning men clutch 
at straws, so shareiiolders, who have not received 
any return on their capital for years, must be 
ready to clutch at any expedient, for it cannot put 
them in a worse position. I consider, however, 
that a Cess of one-fourth of a pie per pound on 
all Indian teas exported by sea from India is not 
at all a happy idea. The biddings at the auctions 
here advance by pies per lb. The tax is to be nob 
more than one-fourth of a pie per lb. The question 
is — On whom is this tax bo fall, on the consumer or 
the producer? The accepted doctrine is that all taxes 
fall upon the consumers, but this is not so when 
the supply is in excess of the demand. If the 
tax is to fall on the purchaser of teas at auction 
in Calcutta, he will surely protect himself by 
bidding one pie less, and consequently to obtain 
one-tourth of a pie for advertising purposes tea 
growers will give away three-fourths of a pie. 
Can anyone imagine a more wasteful scheme ? 
Of course in the case of teas shipped direct by 
the gardens to London this argument does nob 
obtain. But the effect of the Cess will be to 
encourage the direct shipment of teas to London 
by a bounty of three-fourths of a pie per pound. Is 
this intended ? Ihe right mode ot levying the Cesa 
would be by an octroi on all tea coming into 
Calcutta or Chittagong, and this could be as easily 
levied as an export duty. All tea conies by rail 
or river steamers, and the matter could be easily 
adjusted. The present idea is clumsy. 1 am noli 
in tavor of a compulsory cess but, ii there is to 
be one, let it be levied on business principles. 
There is one thin-? that shareholders in Tea gar- 
dens should bear in mind, and that is that t is 
nob in the interests of the managing agents to 
curtail the output of tea. There are so many 
little profits to be made out of the handling of the 
