Evening star., 1925-09-20

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have brought Americas mil
lions OF automobile users face 70 race
with a serious, growing problem.
Where will it all end?
As matters stand today, virtual
British monopoly, safeguarded by ex-
port restrictions designed ITO protect
the life of the rubber industry" Is. In
effect fixing the price of every tire
worn by the 10 .oO0. 900 automobiles in
the United States. A multitude OF
other common necessities of modern
American life. billion dollar output
of America n.made rubber products, liz
involved
At the moment the United States
Is wholly at the mercy OF foreign
rubber interests Rubber Ia one of
the few natural necessities that is
not raised in this country. The wild
rubber of South America having al
most disappeared from tie market.
the United States. in common with
the rest Of the world, is, now depend
ent upon Ceylon. British Malaga. In
1ia and Burma for nearly all of its
supply.
Scientists maintain that some day
synthetic rubber will he produced. per
haps from petroleum or Kansas corn.
the American Chemical Society was
recently told. and dependence on the
rubber tree and foreign monopoly
will he brought to an end. Whether
rubber can he obtained from pla Mt
life other than the hevea tree and
on United States soil or nearby Ia
being investigated. But 1t ia conced-
ed that apprecia bic relief from the
burden of high prices Is not of the
immediate future.
To an extent undreamed of few
short years ago. rubber touches the
lives and money pockets of virtually
every man. woman and child in the
United States. From theS nursing
bottle of cradle days to the silent
tires of the funeral car that carries
him off to his eternal reward. the
American of today never escapes
some degree of dependence upon the
rubber trees product. 1t follows,
therefore. that when the same crude
rubber that was ahunda antly available
four years ago ut as low as IL II
cents pound runs up to about $1.2o.
as was the case not so long age,
every one is hit where 1t hurts most.
The United States IL consuming
crude rubber at the rate Of about
3S5.o0 tons annually. More than
two-thirds of the whole world pro-
duction is taken by this country.
whose output of finished rubber goods
nations combined. The increase Of a
single cent in the price Of rubber adds
over $500. 900 to Americas rubber
hill.
OF this country'S huge consumption
of rubber. more than so per cent goes
into the manufacture of tires. castings
and tubes. Gohhling mp what is left
are a vast range of commodities of
vital daily importance in the lives of
the people.
The history of rubber might be call
ed a serial story Of greed. The valley
OF the Amazon was the original home
Of hevea brasiliensis, the para rubber
tree. With untold millions Of rubber
trees growing wild within it's domains
Brazil many years ago realized it wa g
in possession of world important nat
ura! monopoly. which II proceeded to
make the most of. Industrial nations
needed the product and the BraZilia n
gatherers of rubber eSacted all the
traffic would bear. These exorbitant
prices were to bring about the un-
doing of the Brazilian rubber industry,
but. however. place similar monop.
oily in other hands
How this monopoly passed to Great
Britain is striking example of the
British farsightedness that has created
and maintained that country's com.
mercial might.
over half century ago the
Brazilians perceived menace to
their monopoly in the possibility that
rubber should he cultivated elsewhere.
Before they could take steps to pre-.
vent the expectation of para trees.
however. British scientist. Sir Henry
A. Wickham, collected and transport.
ed to London rs hevea seedlings. At
Kew Gardens they were germinet ted.
Transplanted in Ceylon and Malaga
they became the foundation of the
great British-owned rubber plantations
Of today.
A rubber tree under cultivation does
not reach it's maximum yield until 1t is
from 10 to IL years old. and 1t was
1900 before production in the British
colonies reached as much as four tons
a year. 1t was apparent that the Mid
die East plantations were to succeed.
however. and with an expanding mar.
ket due principally to the development
of the automobile, more than 5000. 900
acres, 100 trees to the acre, had been
pla nted by the British by 1921. and 80
per cent of the world supply of crude
rubber was flowing from the descend
ants Of Wickhams rs seedlings.
With the passing Of the years. in
spite of the phenomenal growth Of the
automobile industry, the production of
rubber outstripped consumption. and