Evening star., 1920-11-21
GAS ENGINE AND RUBBER
INDUSTRIES GREW TOGETHER
Two Separate Activities Had Their Start
Simultaneously " in the Early
Seventies.

OF Initiation. and the whole burden
OF finance from first to last, was borne
by the India Office
The seedlings were sent to Ceylon
because It was decided that the eli
mate of the island was better suited
than that of India for the rearing of
the precious trees. The gardens at
Heneratgoda, sixteen miles from Co
lombo. were opened as their perma
nent resting place.
eratgoda in 1881. and in that year the
hrst experiments in tapping began.
The plantation was thinned out in
1889. and in 1893 ESQ Seeding plants
were raised, most of which were dis
tributed in Ceylon. In 1884 there
were over a thousand trees at Hen
eratgoda. but it was found necessary
TO thin the plantation again in 1885,
and we read of 457 fine trees existing
IN 1887. In 1893 about 10000 seeds
were distributed to planters in Ceylon.
and similar numbers were disposed OF
In the years Immediately succeeding,
the seeds being eagerly taken up at
price of ten rupees, about $500. a
thousand.
1ndustry Has Sprung TIP.
From the few plants thus cared for
in their youth, many of which have
now grown to be monster trees, has
oPi dis tHe WnOIS OIL lHe 'tyloH
dustry. as we'll as great part of
that existing farther east
IN 1877 twenty-five trees reared IN
Ceylon were sent to Singapore, IN
Malaya. Some were planted In the
Singapore Gardens. and the rest, taken
to Perak. Some of these original trees
are still standing. and one of them
is believed to be the biggest tree
in girth yet recorded among the plan
tations. The trees fruited in Singa-
pore first in 1881, and the seed was
sent to Borneo and elsewhere. In 1891
samples of Malay rubber were sent to
London and pronounced good. and in
The planters in Ceylon did not take
hold of rubber planting with the same
eagerness as did the planters Of
Malaga. In Ceylon they were making
good profits in tea growing, and had
no need to make a change. But IN
Malaya the planters ana the financial
interests in Europe who had sent
them out were sick to death of the
struggle to make a living out Of
coffee and, though in fear and trem-
bling. began to plant this new thing,
rubber. hoping. IL possible, to save
their estates from abandonment.
Lucky was it for Malaga that she
fostefed this new enterprise, for now
within her territory lie the greater
part Of the rubber plantations Of the
world.
1t was very difficult at first to in
duce planters in Malaga to look with
favor on cultivation. Trees were
planted wherever possible. AT length.
the sudden rise In the price of rub
Der, mainly due to the development of
the automobile industry, forced the
idea of cultivation on the attention of
the planters and the investing public,
especially that of Great Britain. A
a nj nnSsks I'd ~ I'll ftzuf
trees; and in a. few years there arose
q boom In cultivation, such as has
never occurred in any other industry.
First Noticed In 1898
The plantation product first at
ufacturing world about 1898, but it
was not until 1905 and the two fol-
lowing years that the rush into rub
striking episode of this story.
To show how lightly the plantation
product was regarded by European
and American rubber manufacturers,
it is only necessary to state that it
took from 1900 to 1904 for the annual
production OF plantation rubber to
grow from four tons to forty-three
tons. In 1907 the output reached 1000
tons; in 1911. 1880 tons; in 1915, 107.-
500 tons, and In 1919. 2s5.225 tons. In
comparison, the Brasilian output
grew from 27,136 tons In 1900. until it
reached its maximum of 42,410 tons in
1912, since which time the annual out
put has averaged about $4,000 tons.
fhe romance of plantation rubber, is
the old, old story, a few fesolute men
working in eastern jungles. having
faith In the ultimate success, of the
work thew had undertaken, and that
of those daring to put their capital
into faraway lands. 1t was but few
years ago that practically all the
planters were feeling acutely the
pinch for funds to tide them over the
early stages of the enterprise. Many
cases could be cited where fifteen
years ago $4,000 to $4,000 could not
be found to carry on estates being
planted in rubber which are valued
today at four or five millions.
When a market for plantation rub
Der began to develop the needy plant
ers were astounded at the fabulous
estimates of profits which they fig
ured out OF their estates, and dared
not present them to fnanciers until
they had divided the probable profits
by four. Even then, these estimates
appeared in the light of a fairy tale.
and London financial men shrugged
SuOuiucIS, UutlOHCu AP IAS'i
pockets, and thought they had done a
good days work when they had got
rid of the importunate planter and
his castles in the air.
British Sought Interest.
When the estimated profits began to
be fulfilled, the British public rushed
madly to secure an interest in every
venture placed before them. They
wre as anxious to risk their money to
get a share of the wonderful profits as
are Americans today to part with
their liberty bonds in order to partake
of visionary dividends in alluring oil
ventures. Conditions became such
that respectable newspapers refused
to carry any advertisements of rub
Der projects.
The excitement eliminated in the
historical and regrettable boom" OF