Mr. VICE CONSUL TEMPLE’S REPORT ON THE 
STATE OP AMAZONAS FOR 1899, 
Continued. 
Shipment of the Rubber. 
The rubber having been prepared it is shipped from the estates 
in “ balls ” or “ pellets ” to merchants in Manaos, and by them 
sold to one or other of the export merchants in the same condition 
as received. By the export merchant it is cut up into small pieces 
the “ Fine ” separated from the “ Entrefine,” and then packed in 
wooden cases, each case holding about 170 or 160 kilos. It is then 
shipped to Europe or the United States as the case may be. Owing 
to the loss of weight already mentioned each merchant is obliged 
to have his own store, as no warehouseman could give a receipt 
for a quantity of produce the weight of which is constantly varying. 
For the same reason rubber is rarely sold by auction. 
The commercial system by means of which the working of rub- 
ber estates is effected is somewhat complicated. Goods are in the 
first place imported from abroad by one class of merchants named 
“ I mportadores. ” In Manaos and Para most of these are at pre- 
sent Portuguese houses. They usually buy on 90 days’ credit. 
The goods are then sold on the Manaos market to another class of 
merchants named “Aviadores,” who generally buy on a 12th 
months’ credit. These “ Aviadores ” then ship the goods up coun- 
try to the estate owners. The “ Aviador” business is chiefly in the 
hands of Brazilian and Portuguese firms. The estate owners then 
barter these goods to the men working their estates, who are not 
so much labourers as small tenants, the rubber trees being leased 
to them, for the rubber which they extract, paying them any dif- 
ference that may remain to their credit, over and above the value 
of the goods supplied to them in cash. This rubber is then shipped 
by the estate owners to the “Aviadores” in payment of the goods 
that have been consigned to them. The “Aviadores” on receipt 
of the rubber sell it without delay to avoid loss in weight, to one 
of the exporting firms, receiving payment at once in cash. With 
this the “Aviadores” pay the “ Importadores. ” The exporting 
house cut, pack, and ship the rubber drawing against shipments, 
generally on London credits, at 90 days’ sight, and selling their 
bills to bankers at Para. Shipping documents have generally to 
accompany the draft, and in case of shipments to the United States, 
a certified Consular invoice. Manaos being without telegraphic 
communication, and consequently without foreign banks, the ex- 
porting houses which buy rubber on this market are obliged to keep 
a supply of cash in hand to pay for rubber bought, which as has 
been already staled has to be paid for at once in cash. Such is the 
so called “Aviador” system, and so far it has been found to 
answer better than other methods of doing business. Suggestions 
have been made whereby it is proposed to eliminate some of these 
middlemen, and to bring the consumer into closer contact with the 
