Evening star., 1925-06-26
BRITISH GRIP FIRM
ON RUBBER TRADE
U. S. Consul Tells Import
Body Cheap Labor Is Secret.
Palmer Outlines Ship Plan.
BY the kssoci ated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
SEATTLE. Wash. June 26.- Ernest
L. Harris. American consul general
Straits Settlements, at the southern
tip ot Asia. declared in an: address
today that Great Britain has a firm
grip on the rubber industry in the
Far East
Mr. Harris. speaking before the Ma
tional Foreign Trade Council. de-
scribed the British policy as applied to
rubber in the. Malay Peninsula.
Before estate rubber can be grown
in any other part of the world-even
in Sumatra, where Americans own
about 900, 900 acres of rubber lands
similar conditions must be produced
es obtain in Malay" he declared.
The heart of the British policy.
Harris said. was cheap labor wage
scales of 10 to 80 cents a day prevail
ing. Mr.. Harris reported general
trade by Americans with the Straits
Settlements and with the Dutch East
Indies on the decline.
Next in Importance to raw materials
the possession of merchant marine
is the factor that makes or unmakes
nations +. A. Walsh :. J.. Ph. D..
regent of the School OF Foreign Serv-
ice at Georgetown University. de-
clared
nited States Ships Vital.
Let any nation resign itself to the
slethful and easy eXpedient of hiring
the services Of foreign carriers for
its exports and imports and its SUI
has sci as 1rst-class power" he said.
~ 81,
ment-owned merchant marine was
that it was suffering from too much
easy money. Leigh c. Palmer. presi-
dent of the United States Fleet Cor
pora ton, told the convention TODAY.
Instead of trying to come some.
where near living within its income.
he said. lit was depending unduly
upon the national Treasury. There
fore. ii seemed best to reduce the ap-
preparation covering operating losses
from $4,000 900 TO $50 900 900 for the
present fiscal year. while doing the
same amount of business as last year.
and to cut it again to $4,000. 900 for
the fiscal year beginning next month.
We are planning a further cut to s1S.-
100000 for the following fiscal year,
and will continue this policy of reduc-
ing. operating losses with improve
ment of services while the country al
large Is endeaVOrlng To arrive at some
constructive policy in the matter of
the merchant marine as a whole.
Cargo Costs Gut.
"A little more than a year ago we
were opera ting about $40 cargo vessels
at>a loss Of more than S25 900 per vov-
age. During the first 10 months of the
present fiscal year. beginning July
1924. the average loss was reduced to
about 10000. and at the end of this
period it had fallen below $1,000.
This improvement is attributa BILE
almost entirely to improved admins
tration and increa sed efficiency of op-
GRAFTON. We regard the Improvement
already made as merely a beginning
After a careful analysis of all the fac
tors in the case we feel that the loss
per voyage OF the Government. owned
cargo fleet can he reduced to about
$500, even if the present unSatisfac-
tory trade conditions continue. but a
rise in freight rates or any other favor
ing condition would of coruse change
that figure for the better. If and
when this result is reached the total
operating loss of the cargo feet may,
be expected 10 be only about so 000.-
600 year. This, however. does not
Include interest and depreciation
charges.