462 
in clean washed crepe, which it is hoped will be used without fur- 
ther washing and sheeting, every care should be taken to prevent 
the layers adhering to one another, and to avoid the use of any 
packing material which can make a dust out of itself, or which 
will admit dust and grit from outside. This can be effected by the 
use of clean, well made and fitted cases, which should not contain 
more than 80-100 lbs. of rubber, and which might with advantage 
be partitioned to prevent the whole of the rubber resting with full 
weight upon itself.. No inner lining of common paper or other 
friable material should be used — such wrapping is bound to get 
broken in transport, and particles of it work their way between 
the layers of rubber, and obstinately adhere to the rubber. The 
first shipment of crepe rubber which I saw unpacked had been 
enclosed in wooden cases with paper lining. When the folds of 
separate layers of rubber were pulled apart, a shower of fine grit, 
particles of paper, and dust, w T as then thrown out from the rubber 
This rubber,, though well, cleaned and washed on the estate, would 
for fine work have required re-washing. The separate sheets of 
crepe had adhered firmly into one solid mass which required a 
crowbar to separate into the original layers, and the whole had 
shrunk leaving a space of about an inch between the rubber and the 
sides of the case. If any wrapping to prevent the intrusion of dust 
and grit be used it should be either smooth and strong such as 
sheet zinc lining or else made adherent to the sides of the cases — 
as, for instance, strips of smooth paper pasted over the joints in 
the wood inside the cases. With less perfectly prepared rubber in 
biscuit, or worm form, which will require washing before use, a less 
careful form of packing might be adopted. It must be of course 
always remembered that the rubber is valued by its appearance very 
largely, and uniformity in size and colour of the sheets will have 
some influence in determining the price, though really being no 
guide to the actual quality of the rubber. 
QUALITY OF PLANTATION RUBBER. 
11. On this subject I met with a perfect uniformity of opinion 
among those who had practically made trial of Straits and Ceylon 
rubbers. All were agreed that the rubber was good and very ser- 
viceable, but that it was by no means as good as South American 
line Para, either hard or soft cure. The plantation rubber is lacking 
in nerve, it works soft between the masticating rollers, and its 
keeping qualities are inferior to South American Para. After 
vulcanisation the tensile strength is less and the elastic recover}^ of 
shape after deformation by stretching or compression is less perfect 
than shown by South American Para under precisely similar con- 
ditions. This result is disappointing and quite contrary to the 
report which the late Dr. Weber made on plantation rubber, when 
he stated that he found the tensile strength to be superior to that 
of South American hard-cure ^ara. 
12. That the result of practical experience of the rubber manu- 
facturers must be accepted, there can be no question. There was 
no hesitation on their part in demonstrating to me the difference 
