Evening star., 1943-11-22
Conditions In AmazOnia
Discussed by Former Resident.

To the Editor of The Star:
Apropos the article in The Sunday
Star of November IA, headed Costly
Amazon Rubber Project Is Falling Far
Short Of Goal" we have here again an
example of the complete lack of under
standing of those experts" who dream
up such projects in the various Govern
ment bureaus. Perhaps it is not lack Of
understanding but rather real under
standing OF how the public may be sold"
on anything which fits in with whatever
currently is being publicized.
The writer long has been familiar
with the rubber situation in the Amazon
basin, which territory embraces an area
Of over 100000 square miles, 100000
of which are in Brazil proper. Over
years residence in that section with
headquarters at Manaos for years
during the zenith OF rubber connection
with the construction of the Port of
Manaos, many thousands of miles of
voyaging on the rubber" rivers and
constant association with people engaged
in extracting and shipping rubber
tdUSIlI Il1lll HULL dUOuI bIlC AIIldZOIl
situation.
After production fell the writer moved
to other parts of Brazil and lived there
up to about Z years ago. He never
has lost touch with friends in ANA
zonia. Therefore he should know some
thing about the matter
The only commercial plantation is
that Of the Ford Co., situated near the
mouth of the Tapajos River. It was
started in 1926 and today, after an ex-
penditure of some $80O0,000, is capable
OF producing perhaps 300 metric tons
month. The expectations are that. by
1850, it will produce 500 tons month.
Outside of this the Japanese had
plantation somewhere near Obidos or
Monte Allegro, about $50 miles from the
Ford plantation. The report is that they
have destroyed this plantation.
All other rubber is obtained from wild
trees, which do not grow in stands but
are scattered over an immense area.
These trees have to be found by pros
pecting, by means of cutting 'picadas" or
foot paths through the forests. The
men who really tap and gather the
latex and then spend half the night in
coagulating it over smoky fire of spe-
cial wood which grows in proximity to
the rubber tree, have to live in camps
to be within reasonable walking distance
of their particular trees.
The daily output is in grams, per tree,
and it requires about 100 mature trees to
produce ton of rubber annually under
most favorable circumstances.
All this procedure has been carefully
worked out by trial and error over a
period of more than 40 years. 1t is done
the way 1t is not because of ignorance
but because the cost of the various fac
tors that enter into the delivery of the
rubber at Manaos and Belem has been
kept track OF for good many years and
the pros and cons Of various ways Of
going at the business are we'll known to
the "seringueiros' and the CONNER
ciantes," who are just as intelligent and
keen and energetic businessmen as are
to be found anywhere in the world.
The fact is that, in Amazonia, rubber
cannot be gotten out for As cents a
pound; it is doubtful that it can be pro-
duced for so cents. At 81 pound the
"seringueiros" can make small profit on
it and will get out as much as they ever
did, which never exceeded 10000 tons
year, even when it brought 50 and more
a pound at the docks in Manaos and
Belem.
AS far as expert" assistance from us
Is concerned, they have no need of it.
If we had merely subsidized the rubber
producers by placing funds in the hands
Of the Rockefeller Foundation doctors,
who have had many years experience In