All precautions taken in preparation and curing can be nullified, as already indicated, by unsuitable storage conditions.
TOOL-SHEDS AND STORE-ROOMS.--In some factories it is the rule to see lime, cement, spare rolls, sieves, and a general heterogeneous assortment occupying part of the rubber-drying rooms. The inconvenience is often great; and it certainly seems that these stores and tools are of sufficient value to be accommodated in suitable buildings.
SITUATION OF FACTORY BUILDINGS.--There can be no doubt that a great deal of the "spot" disease trouble, and the general slowness of drying, can be attributed in many factories to the unsuitability of the site chosen. Probably the idea which actuated those responsible for the choice of site generally was proximity to a water supply. This would account for the fact that a number of factories are situated in valleys or near swamps. More often than not, also, the actual clear space is very limited, and rubber trees grow close up to the walls of the buildings. Under such circumstances, it is difficult to see how these buildings can be anything but dark and damp, and it is not difficult to understand the slow rate of drying. In a few cases the sites chosen proved to be so unsuitable that the estates were confronted with a very serious problem, the solution to which was, either the erection of another complete set of buildings in a more suitable spot or the installation of artificial driers.
It must be laid down as an axiom that the first essential in a suitable site is that water may be brought to it easily, but, as already indicated, this does not mean that the buildings need be placed in actual proximity to the water-supply. The mistakes made by pioneers in this work are not likely to be repeated, and it is common now to note well-designed and comprehensive schemes in which the water is pumped to a reservoir placed at a suitable elevation, whence the supply is gravitated to bungalows, coolie lines, and the factory. The importance of securing a plentiful supply of good water for factory purposes cannot be exaggerated, and it is a point which is only thoroughly appreciated on estates where smoke-sheet rubber has to be prepared.