The Wilmington morning star., 1940-06-30
BY FRYE

the world, are more important IN
the life of the average American
than many a territory closer home
and better known.
When the peril Of the Neither
lands in Europe was becoming evil
dent, Secretary Hull notified the
world that any change in the sta
tus Of the Dutch East Indies would
jeopardize the peace Of 1.-THE entire
Pacific area"
Why?
One reason may be found in the
army-navy list of strategic wal
materials. One of its most impor-
tant items is rubber-rubber for
adhesive tape and hot water bot
ties, battery cases, %raincoats and
machine betting, engine mountings
and insulators; rubber, above all,
for automobile tires n d inner
tubes.
This country is by far the largest
consumer of rubber in the world.
but 81 per cent of world production
is concentrated in the East Indies
Dutch, British and Independent.
The tree which supplies the bulk
of the world supply, hevea brasil
iensis, is a native of tropical Amer
lea. But two events changed the
history Of the rubber trade: far
sighted British took seedlings to
the Asian islands by way of Lon
don's Kew gardens, and a disease
unknown in the East attacked He
yea in tropical America.
President Roosevelt asked con-
sress recently for a three-year ST.
600, 900 program of intensive re-
search and experiment looking to
reestablishment of Latin American
rubber production. But it takes
rubber trees five years to begin
producing, so new plantations in
tropical America cannot be de-
pended on in an emergency.
What would happen if this coun-
try were deprived Of it's East In
dian supply?
E. G.. Holt, expert of the bureau
OF foreign and domestic commerce,
says that by rationing, by reclaim
ing from bitches and junk heaps
our old tires and other used rubber
articles so that crude rubber con-
sumption could be cut down, 1--WE
could save a lot of rubber for a
year"
The United States, said Holt,
uses an average of approximately
500, 900 tons of rubber a year. Last
year the figure was 592, 900 tons.
Reclaimed rubber in 1889 amount
ed to ITO, 900 tons; synthetic rub
Der production was 1,700 tons las
far as we're able to judge"
Production in Latin America last
year amounted to about $4,000 of
the worlds 1,104, 900 tons. Holt said
the best production which could be
expected from Latin America I'M
der present conditions is about 3d.
900 tons a year, even then. it takes
a year or two of sustained high
prices-with the news slowly seep-
ing back to natives in the interior
who will go out and tap wild trees
to achieve this level. So Latin
America is out. of the question for
an emergency"
The process of reclamation. how
ever, could be stepped up consid-
erably if necessary, Holt said. Last
year the reclaimed product repre-
scented about % per cent Of the
United States consumption. But in
past crises-"scarcity of r u b b e r
and resulting high prices" this
country's use Of reclaimed rubber
was over so per cent. This was
true, he said. in 1928-29.
Presumably, also, the output OF
synthetic rubber could be stepped
up enormously if necessary. I'm
der normal conditions, Holt said it
cannot compete in price with the
natural product. Unless costs were
reduced sharply through mass pro-
duction of synthetics, the price
might force people to give up using
rubber for some things.
The production cost of plantation
rubber from East India is approx
mately five cents a pound. Nor
mally, the planter makes a profit
when the New York price is II to
IA cents a pound. Against this, the
government estimates a cost OF
about 80 cents a pound for SYM
thetic. or for production from such
plants as guayule and goldenrod
which grow in the United States.
Even with such added costs as
increased ocean freight rates re-
sulting from the war, the highest
price this year was "a cents on
May 10.
The agriculture department
which has been experimenting with
western hemisphere rubber pro-
duction for many years, has no in
tention now of trying to develop an
American supply that would sup
plant East Indian rubber. l
THAT" says Loren G.. POLKA
mus, lis neither necessary nor de.
sirab1e."
But as a matter of common
sense, he adds, the world and par
ticularly the United States, should
not depend on a single compact