Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-07
SEARCH FOR GUTTA
SCARCITY OF THE MATERNAL. FOB
SUBMARINE CABLES.
No Doubt That Tree Like the Dichop.
sis Grows in the Land Of
the Moros.
From the Boston rranserint.

From the Boston Transcript.
The recent activity in the laying Of cables
In the Pacific ocean calls attention to the
scarcity and increase in price Of gutta-per-
cha, so often confusedly classed in the pop
ular mind as q species OF rubber. Both
are gum extracts from trees (sometimes
from vines. In the case OF rubber). but they
are very different in almost all their quail
ties; in particular, elasticity Is the most dis
| tinctive characteristic of rubber, while 1t
Is wanting to gutta-percha.
The latter Is the only substance thus far
found really suitable for submarine cables.
The sources Of its supply are at present
practically limited to the Malay Peninsula.
Borneo and Java; and the destructive meth
DDS practiced in gathering It, combined
with the increased demand caused by the
expansion Of the worlds commerce, have
these last few years been sending its price
10 most extraordinary height. Last year
the most nearly pure gutta, of the sort re-
CURED Tor cables, was selling in Singapore
for $500 and $500 the picul, while what
little entirely pure gutta there was in the
market was at prohibitive prices.
In Mindanao.
It Is possible that the Philippine Islands
may soon come to the front to relieve the
pinch in this market. It has been known
for some time that gutta-percha was to be
found in the Island Of Mindanao, and Ger
tain shrewd Chinese traders have driven a
thriving business in obtaining It from the
ignorant Moro guardians Of the forests
where 1t grows, and marketing 1t in Singa-
pore, the worlds gutta-percha depot. But
one species of gutta-percha tree, however
exudes the very high-class gum used for
cable and for certain other special COM
mercial purposes. This species, Dichopsis
gutta. has never been automatically report
ed from anywhere outside of Sumatra, the
Malay Peninsula and Borneo, though it is
being grown successfully IN Java. So uni
form has been the failure to find it else
where that the British experts of Singapore
and the Dutch experts Of the Imperial b.
tantcal Gardens at Buitenzorg, Java, have
positively pronounced that it is confined to
this area, In the Islands named, and, rough
ly, within a belt lying between about four
degrees north and four degrees south Of the
equator. Except for the small supply COM
ing from Mtndanao, this area has thus far
produced all the worlds gutta. even Of the
various inferior species as well as of Di-
chopsis.
Groves in Cottabatto.
Now, the southernmost part Of Mindanao
lies about six degrees north Of the equator
The groves from which the Chinese traders
have procured supply are in the Cottabatto
district, the southwestern part of Mindanao
lying about the seventh parallel north lati-
tude. If the dictum of the experts Is final,
Dichopsis cannot be found here. But the
chance of discovering it was good that
In 1901 the Philippine government sent DR..
Penoyer L. Sharman, Chicagoan formerly
instructor Of chemistry in the University
OF Michigan, to make a special study Of
gutta and rubber culture in Java and the
Straits Settlements, and he has subsequent
ly used the knowledge thus obtained In ex-
ploratons OF the South Philippines. Wheth-
er ne identified the priceless Dichopsis gutta
In any part Of our possessions has not yet
been given out but enough Is known of the
results OF his Investigations to justify the
expectation that gutta and rubber gather
Ing and culture will become something
much more important than the insignificant
industry 1t at present is in the Philippine
Islands. 1t Is known that he found various
species OF gutta not alone in Mindanao but
also In the islands of Bongao and Tawi-
Tawi COT the Jolo group, at about five de-
grees north OF the equator, and In sight of
borneo, and also In one or two Of the little
ISLANDS clustering near Basilan, the island
just, to the south of Zamboanga 1t is
KNOWN also that the probabilities are all in
IaVor OF Dichopsis gutta growing well in
these regions, II not already to be found
there.
In the Moro Country.
1t Is to be remembered that the gutta
hitherto exported from the Philippines has
come from regions UNEMPLOYED by the Span
lards and in the heart of thickly settled
Moro country. Furthermore, the amount
OF 1t credited to the Philippines in Singa-
pores import statistics has been unduly
small, owing to the fact that the Chinese
traders smuggled much Of it to Sarawak.
North Borneo, and introduced it thence to
singapore as part of the Bornean product.
With the withdrawal of Spanish troops
from the Moro country in early 1899 and
the engrossing of American attention in
the North Philippines because of the in
surrection, this trade thrived, unhampered
by interference or regulations. 1t is said
that one sailing vessels cargo of gutta
and rubber from the Cottabatto region in
1900 netted the master of the enterprise
100000 Mexican in Singapore. 1t is to be
added that these Chinese traders adulterate
the gutta by mixing all sorts of foreign
substances into it, to add to the weight,
this practice tending to increase the dispo-
sition in Singapore to put low estimate
on Philippine gutta, just Philippine in
digo was by Chinese adulteration, made
an article of contempt and drug on the
market. Philippine gutta brings $50 or $40
Mexican the picul in Singapore.