Evening star., 1926-01-17
LAYS RUBBER PRICE SITUATION
TO LACK OF FORESIGHT IN II. s.
Redfeld, Former Secretary of Commerce, Says Op
portunity to Prevent Conditions Knocked
in Vain Years Ago.

development Of an adequate rubber
supply from the Philippines by limit
ing the areas that may be bought or
leased to such as are too small for
rubber plantations.
At any time within the past 10 wears
the government Of the Dutch East
Indies has been ready to welcome
Americans who wished to develop rub
ber plantations, as some, indeed. have
already done. With these two doors
standing open before US 1t Is the mer-
est futility to complain Of others for
courses. which, while uncomfortable,
are, nevertheless, such as we might
have avoided by ordinary foresight.
Americans Get Share.
Again. why Is the fact omitted from
the discussions that some far-siRhted
Americans took advantage years ago
OF the friendly attitude Of the Dutch
authorities and 30 acted thereon that
vast areas Of rubber trees are and
long have been under direct Ameri-
can control wholly free from British
jurisdiction? Why is the fact ignored
that in British Malaga itself Ameri.
cans are In control Of plantations
through which they are beneficiaries
In their proportion of the alleged Brit
ish monopoly? Why is 1t not made
clear that the Dutch insular authori-
ties on being asked to Join III the
price restrictions which are found so
Objectionable refused to do SO and
have always maintained that inde-
pendent attitude. One of the quiet
humors OF the whole situation Is the
speaking silence OF those American
concerns who were wise in time, and
1t Is no excessive stretch Of the
imagination to presume that much. If
not most, Of the outcry arises from
those others Of whom 1t NAV have
been written:
Ss, hey that hat viii III, not ct. wasn ne they
Every one interested knew a few
years ago that the rubber growers Of
Malaga were at the point Of ruin.
There was then no howl from Aneri-
cans when they were purchasing at
prices that were so fnordinately low
that 1t required but the merest com
mon sense to know that such a condi.
ton could not continue. It was long
evident that prices must advance
sharply or that disaster faced the In.
dustry-add which OF these would
nave been better for the American
buyers? Americans were, indeed,
asked why, with the Stevenson plan
staring them in the face, they did not
NNASOiJ "kiCll uDpSI WAS C0edD.
and the answer was given by the head
or a large American company that
such purchases could not then be
financed here.
Thinks Protests Boyish.
Under such circumstances It is boy.
ish to speak OF conditions creating
great. malignant currents of intar-
national ili-will." when It Is patent
to every one that American interests
took over large areas In Sumatra and
Malaga and have been enlarging and
developing them ever since, and are
now drawing supplies of rubber from
them. Every one knows also that it is
purely our own fault that the Philip
pines are not now furnishing us rub
ber in abundance. BY all means let us
save rubber where we can and let
us use all the reclaimed material DOS
sible. but before we cry out against
others let us examine ourselves to
see how far wo may have been neSIi-
gent
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