A RUBBER BOOM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 346, 23 March 1910, Page 4

A RUBBER BOOM.

The world is suffering at present from a rubber boom. This remarkable vegetable product is one of the scientific necessities of modern civilisation, and the uncivilised man reaps it for his master, or his slave-driver. For many years' the state of tile rubber-hunting native in the Belgian Congo has callec the attention of every civilised nation to the enormities that have been perpetrated by the authority of Leopold, the aged Belgian autocrat, who is happily dead. However, before he died he was responsible for so many commercial iniquities that it will possibly need force of arms to stay torture and murder of rubber hunters. The new King of the Belgians has been warned that the atrocities perpetrated under the direction of his predecessor must cease, but British statesmen pretend that it is only fair to allow the novice a little time to diminish his enormous resources by making reforms and a necessarily smaller output. The Primate of land. who may wield a much la»>g?T world influence than the King of t le Belgians, is "dissatisfied," and with the help of (his his'hops and the Ohuivh generally he may yet achieve his desire to put a stop to the atrocities. To g : ve the reader a faint idea of the atrocities perpetrated by the milttary friends who control the Congo rubb.rhnnters, it is only necessary to meßtio-i that women who have not brought in sufficient rubber 'have been tied to * triangle and carved" piece by piece with swords. Rubber-hunters h*re been burnt alive, shot to death, have been crucified, placed on the rack, torn limb from limb, had their eyes burnt out their noses and ears carred off, ana other nameless indignities and tortures

! thrust on them. It «eems to the casual observer from afar that Britain's hesitapcy in attacking this atrocious evil is a. weakness. It is to be hoped that the Bishops may srtir up Britisi; anger to such a pitch that the Congo native may be protected from the Belgian vampires who lose all sense of manliness in their dealing* with the unfortunate rubber-hunters.