Evening journal., 1899-01-12
III PaICs OF ngIa EVBB.R
is 1T Due TO THE SCARCITY o.
las trs7-Q.sr

pericds q b 81 pr.css. l1t.1T - -.
a faU o. 40 pr cert l-l -ors .o-s
pace in tle imneLateg s11e-- q.
years. seeing that no rutle- frll ca
attempted piantasi-us o. ttat care FL.
ccue irS1 the u.arket- S1. re U
icok around Tor cttCr c1rrrs. 1-l U.
think they wih be fcurd under -r.
main heads. These are the s1crnes'
& native labor n the forests and
tescn.at.on. Though the former may Be-
eons.dered a. The more important. The
seringos. CT natives BY whom the rub.
Der IN the Amazon dfstricGs Of souta
America Is entirely collected, are. com
paratively speaking, limited body OF
men. the fetal numoer Of whom has
been rouDdly stated at 1000, though
we da not YOuch FOR this figure. Nov.
these men, like most others on the
face Of the globe. being free agente,
prefer to sell their lebor to the high.
est bidder and, owing to the fact Tint
the coffee planters have been short
handed, there has been a spirited con
test between the rubber and coffeemer.
chants or the available labor. The
consequence has been that the higher
terms offered by the latter have Sc
dueed the natives from their former
adherence to the rubber collecting
business 4
A very similar stale Of affairs has
occurred more thsn once in wees
Africa, where there is competition foi
labor between the rubber and palm oil
merchants. Market reports from this
area have described the scarcity OF
either Of these commodities at certain.
tmes to be due 10 the leclt OF lafuh
This condition CT things in either con.
D tinent is not one that can be easil,
remedied. as. owing 10 climatic causes.
Il ia only certain constitutions that
can successfully ward off the dangers
TO be apprehendad So much in a few
words for what appears to us to be the
cause Ct the present high price, and ii
Will be seen at once that any amOuns
q Plantations viii not prove apal.ia-
tive. CT COURSE, X is a question foi
consideration as to how ,ong the rub.
Der f5res.s Of South America will STAND
the increasing drain upon their re
souroes. not only by ourselves, bai
also by the United States, Russia ano
Germany. Az present there seems nc
reason for alarm, as there are large
areas CT ground comparatively III
touched. and there is ample scope fol
their exploitation under correct con
aitionSs. 1t is pity tnat the law
which was passed against the fel.ins
Of trees in any parts OF the watershed
OF the Amazon and Orinoc0 SCENE Il
be hJnorsd in the breach rather thar
in the observance. and this theme sue
gests itself as one upon which ener.
getie and concerted action might profit
ably be taken.
Az one time the best rubber came
principally from the .ower REACHES Of
the Amazon, for the main reason that
as it was nearest TO the shipping pori
There was 40, Necessity or object Il.
surm0unting the difficulties to be ex-
perienced in tapping the trees OF the
more inaccessible regions. To-day.
however, the area is being rapidly ex-
tended, and Bolivian rubber is quoted
fraction higher than Para. AS tn,
quality OF the rubber may be stated e
depend largely, II not entirely, on eli
masic conditions. there seems no rea-
con TO suppose that as good rubber as
that produced in the watershed of the
Amazon may not be found Wherever
the climatic conditions are similar
This question Of climatic conditions il
an dmDoShnt-wery importaut-one
and II does not seem TO have received
proper recognition at tie hands Of
promoters Of rubber plantations.
With an enthusiasm untempered by
an Intimate knowledge Of the subject
proposals have been advanced to p.Ant
the Para rubber trees in divers com.
tries and in all soISs OF climates. Now
though we do not wish to say that No
sucesss whatever has followed the
planting Of the Para tree CFIevea Bra
ziliensis) out OF South America. vet IL
no case has the yield OF the tree beeL
found equal TO what is Obtained in
Brazil. or up to the expectations OF The
planter. The venture has not been &
suscess, and the sooner the fact is hon.
ostly recognized the better. Il Is moi
only a damp atmosphere. but the
amount OF damp that is Of primary
importance; in other words, the prob
,em is a quan1itative as well as ousN-
tative one, and as there is an obvious
difficulty in regulating such a matter
as the rainfall g district. it behooves
would-be plantede 10 bear this fact az
10 the necessity Of an adses.ase rain
fall well in mind. The Para tree mus
stand in water for a great part Of the