The sun., 1900-12-21
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The consumption II rubber has in"rssed
! 50 enormously IN rocent years, ihsi 4 has
been diflouIt at TINES, 10 secure .nrcient
supply Tho question NJ rubber production
u Of special interest In the United states be-
cause II IL the largest consumer Great Brit
| ain N second and oil other markets for crud"
rubber fall far behind these two centres Of
consumption, though France and Germany
| buy large qusntln@ our own vsst rubber
interests are PARTICULARS conceusa IN the
development and projection Of Rubber grow
ing In Brazil because that country contributes.
either directly or through The EursLean mar
ket nearly four-hiths Of our supply. All
other American producers send us compnra-
lively lit'le rubber and the African product.
a. ct, scarcely figures in our market
The Belgians are straining every nerve TO
make the Congo product conspicuous. They
are meeting with considerable success and
the present prospect il that the Congo will
some day be Brazils nearest competitor in
rubber production. But Congo rubber
brings a smaller price than Para rubber. The
Belsians themselves admit its inferiority
though they assert that this is due wholly 10
better methods Of coaguls,on In Brazil and
that Congo rubber will be fully equal To the
Para product as soon as they can introduce
these methods However thi. may be. II is
Nel'diH iudt DfdZll Will long CbHttnut W uNdii
all other sources OF our supply.
The Bui,cnn de la Societe d Etudes Co,onidies
for November publishes the results Of an
Official inquiry made under the direction Of
the Belgian Ministry OF Foreyn Affairs az to
the ofncal measures taken In Brazil TO foster
ita great rubber industry. Ii was found
that the General Government OF the republic
has passed no laws relating to the industry.
II Is not regulated at all except so far as the
Legislatures OF tho several States have
adopted measures. Seventeen OF the twenty
States produce rubber. the climate being un-
favorable to rubber culture only in the three
southern States Of Rio Grande do Sui. Santa
Catharina and Parana Most Of the small
Atlantic Coast States in the rubber zone,
though producing more or less caoutchouo,
their rubber resources or to encourage or
Gfsas 6Ga s I9sss state n
gipe and Ceara. Most Of the rubber States
make the product contribute to the finances
Ssavs ON bSss su, yee
this attention to the industry except Minas
Gerass: which collects an an sIport duty Of
the first conner may harvest the crop wher-
ever be may find I. on The public domain,
which by far the largest shi hipmenn are made.
encourages the planting of caoutchouc by
onering premium OF Loo, 900 reis or over
planted. This law. which has been in force
only four years. u already stimulating the
development Of rubber plantations and It's
wisdom Is being concausively deInmstrated
This large State. which embraces all the lower
part Of the Amazon and some Of tts n.iahtiest
ing Years. upon supplies that grow wild In
the forests; In fact. no source OF rubber so
freely. tapped as that IN Para can be relied
Tho days Of exhaustion will come just as they
have overtasen the rubber vines of West
Africa. whc h have all bem L.lled for many
miles inland from the coast. The only way
crease the quantity. and that can be done oply
By rubber llanting. VIII ich. In a few decades,
will revolutionize the business. The world
now depends almost solely upon the wild
deal Of planta ion rubber in the rnarke, before
the next century is very far adv anced.
The State OF sac Paulo also offers hand
some premium for the development Of rubber
plantations; and both theee States impose a
OF rubber with the wise intention Of devotinE
q considerable part Of the receipts TO tho
conservation and announcement of the in
dustry. Matto Crosse. under the law of 1895
oilers special facilities for the requirement OF
fixed quantity OF rubber lands by those
who discover them in the vast part Of the
public doHain that IA stu uneIIlored Anna;
Inducements for rubber planting, but the
land laws. adopted by those States in 1897,
facilitate private ownership in rubber for
ests and this is long step toward establish
ing the industry on stable basis
All these improvements in the status OF tho
rubber industry of Brazil have been made
within the past four Years. They encourage
the belief that this great source Of wealth will
come, more and more, 20 be managed scisntiti-
cally IN the interest Of Brazil and of the world.