RUBBER IN PERAK. 
Klang, F. M. S. 
14th May , rgc>4. 
DEAR Sir, — At the annual meeting of the Selangor Planters’ 
Association held in Kuala Lumpur on 30th April, 1 was asked to 
place on record, in the form of a short letter, my impressions of the 
work now being done in connection with the cultivation, tapping, 
and preparation for the market, of Para Rubber, by Mr. K A. 
STEPHENS of Tebong Estate in Perak, and this I gladly agreed to 
do, inasmuch as I think that we are under adebt to Mr. Stephens, 
the magnitude of which will perhaps be realised by those who care 
to hear what I have to say about the part he is playing in the 
development of this important industry. 
Mr. STEPHENS commenced tapping in October last, and up to the 
end of March he had collected 4,004 lbs. of wet rubber, equal _ at a 
20% loss to 3,203 dry. The cost in labour was ^929.49, with a 
Check Roll average of 44.8032 cents. More than one small lot has 
already been shipped and sold, the price realised for the last con- 
signment being 45. (W. On the seas at present, is another lot, this 
time of no less an amount than 14 piculs, or 1,867 Jbs., anc ^ ' n his 
drying-shed, is a stock of sheets in various stages of preparation, 
which i n itself would provide food for thought for men over here, 
could they only see it. The Ceylon export for 1903 is given at 
41.684 lbs. so that Mr. Stephens has in six months collected on 
his Estate, about -jCth of the whole Ceylon production for last 
year. Mr. STEPHENS kindly let me see his books, and from them 
it is clear that the collecting, curing, packing, despatch to Europe, 
payment of export duty and all other charges, have cost him 55 cents 
per lb. of dry rubber. The account is made out as follows: — 
Tapping, Curing, and Packing on Estate per lb. ... 3octs. 
Account Sales. Including all Penang & florae charges 23 ,, 
Export dutv and freight to Penang . . 3 
Total... 56 
The big commission of had been paid to Agents and Brokers, 
and as Mr. STEPHENS pointed out, this made his account sale 
charges very heavy. With a Check Roll average of 35c'. therefore, 
planters may, if they are as successful as Mr. STEPHENS has been, 
calculate under 50c. per lb., as the cost of their rubber from the tree 
to the buyer. There are obviously other items which have to be 
taken into consideration, such as Management, Buildings, Weeding 
and so forth, hut as these differ with each Estate, 1 do not propose 
to deal with them here. It is enough that Mr. STEPHENS has shown 
us what the actual handling expenses of the rubber are. An ordi- 
nary clothes mangle, a heavy ink bottle as a preliminary roller, some 
kerosine oil tins cut in half lengthways in which the latex is poured 
to set, a fine mesh sieve, jam or milk tins to collect the milk, far- 
riers' knives costing 75 cents each and bought in any kedei, lines 
