THE ROMANCE OF RUBBER

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21464, 4 May 1935, Page 17 (Supplement)

THE ROMANCE OF RUBBER

: :"■.:.i-.:nd's Part In < li';-n jKsVKLopment WAS .'.(•JUKVKI) '■' • :■' " ! " i abber is a romance; 1' ' '■ :'i ■:•> tlv adventures of f ■ ''-ea! "i pioneer:-;, the labour f .!'■'! <'s--snn of inventors'. : '.I :.■•"!"•:i business, and t' . . ! .-■!i:,t of one of the '■ .■ ■ i industries, states a v ■ ■ .:'.■■ "Cla iluiv He-raid." ': ■ ■ : .■■: '."■■■! beaau when about 440 • ■ ■ ■ • ''■• l ssbu; found the natives < '■•■ ■■ i.-j !.'/.:■.:: a game with balls Of ■••■ . i ■;" ;■' ■sihtney made from the ; •;. ■■ ■' f :" " it i: reported that in : : i ■.. ■ :.,o.m : .sh troops in Mexico : ; ::i: a:.: v.alorproofed l)y treati : • .- 'ii rubber latex. ■'•;"•:■•■ ::;".'.' nothing of it then, ;■ i ~' Fi ; ■::.'!111 it way unknown until J:--. J". 'J "•'. the discoverer of oxy- ■•: Y'.'l') popularised its use for . : ■•■,; i.-•:;'.:!! marks and called it ,• ii. '. L will be a .surprise to ,-■ . -..-I ; , r-.u- back as 1790 a . . 'i. as.a discovered that coagulai '■■■[ b ■ prevented by the addi- • ■ ..•' ,iii a!':;:!i, and suggested that ■:■'.'n lat••:.: should be imported p. ■■';;.::'.'(• for manufacturing purposes. Wurhi-wide Use a ; • ■•■.••■rat--,', ide u:;e of rubber, a;; !.;:'..•: !i to-day. is attributed to '■ . ■■..•••at <h xoverios made during i . • j ',!■,' I'alf of last century. The tirst r...,n by Charles Macintosh, of (~:. ;.-.-.. .ui 1-ji.'!. when he found, aln.i... b/ accident, that rubber was , ~ ,;..;■■ n! !aapk,h:i. spread the solut -,-. -.a ;■ I<j:Vi a:-.d so made it water- !-■■>■:'. His sabssqucnt partner. Hans' ..;.. <;\ .-ovcrcd "mastication." which ; » d . lS'bbe' - plastic and enables, t.*.a - ;.■■['• 'sen's, to be mixed with It. a: a i: mod: in England and Goodsi. Aev.aaca, working independ- ," ';■.•. <:, r<;vt:.v<:<i "vulcanisation,," '..':.:'.■'■>. <'••■ ijle-; rubber to retain its i ■;•■■ ]., • , ro.oived periods. i'lu-miv.itic Tyre a; ; . ■■,:;:r..:Jion o,' the pneumatic t ." * -,. : issue a., early as lota, when I: ~ . 'i !; ::. Vn [>")1: cut his famous j Sis !.;■ ws : , ho'.vcvcr, before hi; X ... ■ a - i.a-.uosa'inco of his invention , ' '.. ■•.!■■' s'S's"!ni!ion. and it lay ■■: :: ~.r nearly GO years. Solid ~ .-....'aied t'> be employed till .j.'i ;.s".' ! ;matie lyres were u ;cd on '■•■•'■ And Vi-day there are i,. . ■;' ■•:.•:[••'■• . ii!..-rally a world ■..-■ ~-:■■. .-sapporied by rubber and • ■■, . •, ■•'!:■; Central and South :.■ ■, svhui most of the raw "e.'.'r.-h Ai'i-i'.s.i also sent small ■ -...,., a; n ,. : .uoplies from these. : i, i. .v.' are as nothint', compared • , ■:'■•■ 'sssAsks nredueed by the great ■ ci,, < i' the Ea.st, whose origin 5. .>■ :..,.• a d to date from 1876. From Amazon Valley !n ii'ial vi ar Sir Clements Markham, r i •:.,.. i;..',s.i U,,:ee. commissioned Mr V b r* ere-; to proceerl to the Amazon, •..-..■. re- he eiiieca.d 1000 plants of the ■1 •. isi ! Ira/sii'insis, which were estab- .. ,:.d .e. Mew. and then sent to Cey- :■ ::. '..'ia.re thev urcw well. Later, !: e::v V.'ickhain obtained a large number o'f ::>.:>>(l.i from the same .source, syid b. .a- v. ere a!a> sent to Kew. Some of t!.-- <e .; ;erminated, and nearly 2000 :,..al, were dispatc'atd to Ceylon. i'u .., las •ss'.hted acTion of the India <;:.;<•,■ <., said to have cost only £ISOO. A v. ar or two later some plants were ::■ n> Singapore and other parts of Maiava. From this small beginning f ~■; ri'-en one of the s world's most irn- ! ■ rran; mciusiries. which has brought v.','.. en!/ wealth and prosperity to the irs ' but h.is enabled the manufacto me-et the phenomenal expans a m tin.- use of rubber for motor : -,; i ;,i./t and the hundreds of uses to '., i;;■ • -st it is applied. InlltH-nce of Scotsmen :'.. ...a., at this point that one might '., v .->'<,tnieii comincnced to take an ;:/'.-.;■,...i. j,! the rubber-Krowiny indus- *:-. VY" mav safely claim that Scot- ).':■'{ ■■.:< . done !ar more than any other p : ri ~i the United Kingdom, in proPortion to it.; population, towards de\i. :w[)iii;i the Emoire's resources. Ci-vlun, tlie premier Crown Colony, had I', one time i's Jtreat coffee inclus11 j .i-i veloped almost entirely by .Si'.ismr.u. and that pushing, fruaal. csaals- class were ever leaders in p'aii'.ii: : and commerce in all parts of tiir Kmtiiro. . A : regards rubber, no Scot seems t-- bas-'e had to do with the i..i';'i!i;il introduction of the Para r.!••::*.; to tiie fl.'i.'t, but they fully :■•;..■;•. d in the development of that col-•i-.,'s;ii hi C'-vlon and were con- . p cuou ;;v prominent in the develop- ].: i,' r.i Vubber-ptantini! in Malaya. '' i.-.ja- was a coterie of Scots tea and <,.':■" plaet. rs in Ceylon who former! 'A s, 't bind ()(' men to.take up land is ..la! .;,■:.>. and. i-'tartltV'J with COflfCC, '!• . ,: s'-d 'the ',i'.i'nal rubber estates Outst.sndinx Names s! . Pate, son, H. K. Rutherford. A :.. V.vis'.ii Wood. Melville White, .'. s Crieve, Thomas North t •.; a,si l.eybourne Davidson . i smsnast those early Seots .. - , "; and. readout in Malaya, ■:.,.• Mcdile brothers (three), the ', ~| brothers (two), and the v brothers (two), all ol :■ i, worthy of mention that *: ' Cevh.-ti planter who explored • '■<■■■■ .'a Perak in U5711. with a ' ii'sMJn'.: up land llx-re, wa;i ■b'.i-.h Seoi. Scotland to-day •: j,, t ~nf"d amene; those who ■■■' ;,<ji: able for the management • ' '..■■[■ pates iri all the important <■ ' .t r'l.iltivdion. Capital irotn Olasf-fow \ ! ibso-t every investor Is iri- ' ■■ ' ■• ; rubber, but whtin i'ae 1 a ' ' ••■ :-a la-ne.■; were formed the «'• p. . , .'lb.-'eribcd privately oy a '■ .... a; each- whose abundant 'sa. • , b-. en amply rewarded. When !; ■• .■■■■ ■■:■ IJiiiish Rubber Company '■i sa ,'■ la.a. cash capital of £IO,OOO '■■'>■■ • ■;rai vs.- put up by 24 persons f- ■ ', , ■. . C,'t,'!.-';u7/ :.:nd tlistrici. '•v;-a- 'Ki'iic..' to two of the oldest '•'•.-■pa'--" formed for the purpose or "as. -. in-; umber must be made. The o !: as-. Jp.bbor Company, Ltd., was f " :-'•.'•! m I'!9!> and took over from Mr- c. >; |> ; .t!-rson of Glasgow (who ' A 'i-: a. - i,- ; v."'e-ehairm;m), and Mr w W. ii-,.!'y i who came from Ireland. <if--'l ..a the urst manager of the *-itu;-i. t!H),i acres of land—2oo of ■ , 'Which had been planted In 1098—at » punhn— price of £6OOO in fullypaid ',,;,. \'s iiri ci- ,p. amounting to 29,7501b, • m' ■'( ,t t'i ions, was harvested in I*W*> at 'i ualsed a net average price sma 1., •* 3, jj.j Jirr j O . For that year the

company paid a dividend of 20 per cc.it. In the boom year of 1910 it paid its shareholders 37,' i per cent, in divi't cfencls, which must surely be a record for any public limited company. In spite of occasional depressions- the averse of the dividends for the last 29 years i.s 107 per cenl. From Coffee to Rubber ; The Vallambrosa Rubber Company Ltd., owes its origin to Mr A. R. Wilt son Wood. He was lea-planting in 1 Ceylon when, in 1897, after seeing an advertisement offering 1000 acres m Selangor for sale, he bought it and had it planted from seeds obtained from Ceylon. ' Up to that time most of the estates had rubber and coffee interplante'd and this is said to be the first estate | which was opened entirely in rubber. Ihe opening was done by the Ceylon ■ Plainer? - Rubber Syndicate, and : present company, which was registered : in 1904, acquired the estate. The amazing advance in the uses of rubber is well illustrated by the following figures, showing exports ■ from producing countries:— i ; 1910. 1923. 1933. ,„ ... Tons. Tons. Tons. Plantation rubber .. 11,000 370,000 839.000 Wild rubber ~ 63,000 20,000 12,000 94,000 407,000 831,000 Much could be said about the ups and downs of the industry, its booms and depressions, and who shall deny ; that rubber is a substance with elastic properties when it is remembered that it has bounced a good deal between its extreme prices of 12s lOd per lb in 1910 and ljjd in 1932. Let us hope that, under the regulations scheme formulated recently it will proceed on : an even keel and repay its guardians : in good measure.