San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-26
RUBBERP[ANT
OF NE X|CQ IS
MONEY MAKER
Business Men Of Beth Ma
tons Prepare for
Recognition.
ROMANCE OF INDUSTRY
Thousands Of Acres Gov
cred With Bushes That
Grow Wild.
ROMANCE OF INDUSTRY
BY j. G.. ROYLE.

New York, Aug. 25.-Business men
on both sides of the Rio Grande are
making preparations for an active Ill
crease in commerce in anticipation Of
formal recognition of the Obregon
government by the United States.
This is not confined to private in
dividuals or firms alone.
The state of Zacatecas has 1ust
signed contract with +. j. Parkin-
son, representing the Continental Rub
Der Company, providing for the cree
ton of number of large rubber Iac-
tories in that state.
The Continental company aso is ex-
pected to build plants throughout the
states producing the guayule or rub
Der shrub.
The company now is operating its
guayu!e plant at TOrreon built before
the Madero revolution and large shii.-
ments OF, the shrub are being received.
Rubber producers say that the in
creased cost of plantation rubber re-
sulting from the British restriction Of
production in Malaga will result in
strong demand for guayule rubber IN
the United States and Europe and
that there will be large investments
OF foreign capital in this industry
after recognition.
In 1910. before revolution disrupted
business, Mexico produced 21.00U.G0O
pounds of rubber and it is believed
even with the present inadequate
equipment a regular production OF TO-
0OO.O00 pounds can be maintained.
The development of the guayule rub
Der industry is one of the romanccs
pF fho hpcinncc would aud tta ,p.,l
story of the discovery of its com
mercial possibilities is known 10 not
dozen Americans.
In the late nineties. a British en-
gineer, connected with an oil company
who had once had experience in the
rubber plantations of Borneo, STARTED
the two weeks journey on mule back.
across the passes of the Sierra Madrs~
in Durango to the Pacific Coast.
He stopped at village far from
the beaten path and was surprised 10
see the boys of the community play
ing the favorite game Of pelota or
handball with a rubber ball.
He knew that they seldom If ever
had the opportunity to finger n single
centavo of real money and could have
had 10 opportunity TO buy Il rubber
ball if they had accumulated the cash.
lie asked them, therefore. where
they had obtained the ball and was
told that they had made it from the
guayule plant.
I'VE sit down in a ring" the boys
told him. land each of us chews a twig
of guayule.
"Pretty soon each has little piece
Of gonna or gum.
Then we stick those together AMI
make a balsa' or ball that will bound.'
The engineer took samples Of -
shrub with him and within year
factories We're turning out n fairly
good quality of rubber from this shrub
which grows wild over hundreds of
thousands of acres of arid lands in
north Mexico.
The method of extracting the rub
Der has differed little from that or
iginatcd by the Mexican boys except
that machinery. and tanks take the
place Of teeth and saliva.
Now, however, improved methods
have been invented which give prod
uct improved both in quality aud
quantity.
For Il time no effort was made 10
cultivate the Shrub which grew wild
over the arid plateaus.
1t will not grow in an altitude less
than 1000 feet but it made millionaires
out of hundreds of Mexican land own
ers who were tax poor until this un-
suspected source of riches was dis
covered.
The Continental Mexican Rubber
Company has established experimental
farms in the producing district. which
includes over 100000 acres. in the
hope Of increasing yield by cultiva-
ton,
1t requires about four years for the
plant TO mature.
81 find the present transportation
conditions the most satisfactory in my
experience" Clyde NJ. Reed. chairman
of the Kansas Public Utilities Com
mission, declared today.
The. railroads are moving the lars-
est volume of traffic in their history
with less congestion than ever before
The reason seems TO be that cars
are being returned promptly from the
cast to points of origin and that with
the receipt of new equipment improv;
ed efficiency has been effected.
"1n April of last year freight WIS
moved on the average of PIG r;iies