Evening star., 1942-02-20

Writer Tells Of Effort
To Provide Aeoinst Shortage
Of Needed Rubber Supply
To the Editor Of The Star:
"Too little, and too late!" That Is the
dirge which millions of owners Of auto
mobiles, trucks and tractors will be sing
ing, regarding governmental efforts to
remedy the rubber shortage, year or
two years hence when their present
tires are worn out and new ones cannot
be purchased.
1t is impossible to overestimate the
Importance Of rubber to our defense
organizations and to our agricultural,
Industrial and transportation activities.
1t would seem that the problem of pro-
viding for adequate supplies of rubber
should have had prompt and careful
attention from the very moment of the
first indication Of the possibility of in
reference with the Far East supply of
this indispensable commodity. But the
history Of our national dealings with this
problem is a succession of lesser Pearl
Harbors."
This writer over the past fifteen years
has endeavored to arouse interest in the
establishment Of source Of rubber sup
ply within the United States. 1t re-
peatedly was urged as a precaution
against the very thing that now has
overtaken us, as well as to keep many
millions Of dollars at home which here
tofore went to the growers of rubber on
the opposite side of the globe
The Nation was mot alert" during
the past decade, when a guayule grow
ing industry should have been estab-
ushed within the United States.
Back In 1910 plans and contracts were
made ready for the building of syn
thetic rubber factories which, had they
been built then, nov would be supply
ing 100000 tons of rubber annually. The
Federal loan administrators was mot
alert" and refused the financing needed
for the factories. A year later the r. F..
C. did lend a pitiful 81 ,250,00O to each
Of four rubber companies to help them
build small pilot plants, capable of
producing total of four or five thou
sand tons of synthetic rubber per year.
Too little, and too late. More recently,
financing has been provided for build
ing factories which will begin In a year
or two to supply synthetic rubber in
important quantities, all of which will
be required by our military establish
ment
The rubber plantations OF the Far
East, as they existed before Japan went
on the rampage, never again will pro-
duce rubber for the world. Many rub
Der plantations, and stocks OF rubber
have been or are being destroyed by
forces retreating in the face of the
japanese advance. Such plantations as
are not totally destroyed, through lack
Of time to accomplish it, without a sha-
dow OF doubt will be destroyed by the
japanese before they are driven out of
the lands they now are overrunning.
The number of rubber trees which es-
cape destruction will be small indeed.
and 1t will be only after the war is
ended. populations are rehabilitated.
new plantations are established and six
years Of growth attained by the new
trees, that we again will see rubber
from the Far East in any considerable
quantity. The plantations of Malaga and
the Netherlands East Indies heretofore
have supplied the world with 90 per cent
of the crude rubber it used.
This month Congress passed bill pro-
viding for the cultivation of guayule
within the United States, thus beginning
an industry which should have been es-
tablshed ten years ago. The President
vetoed this bill, giving as his reason that
1t was desirable not to limit the growing
activities to the United States, saying
that studies are being carried on relative
to the culture of guayule in Brazil, among
other places. The President was either
unadvised or very poorly advised relative
to the situation as to guayule growing
Growing guayule in Brazil is about as
feasible as growing bananas in Alaska
Furthermore, there is but very small
amount of guayule seed in existence, and
this seed must be Sown in nurseries and
the young plants carefully tended for the
first year, until they are strong enough
to be transplanted into the field. Seed
planting can be done only in March. 1t
can hardly be hoped that rewritten bill
can be passed through Congress now and
be signed by the President in time to
authorize any planting of seed this year
In nurseries established after the bill be-
comes law. So there will be no guayule
growing started this year. Too little, and
too late again.
If the bill which Congress passed had
become law, all of the existing seed could
have been planted this March, and dur
ing the year the plants were growing in
the nurseries there would have been
ample time in which to amend the law
so as to provide for good neighbor" CO.
operation with any country where quay
ule might be grown successfully, If any
there be, which is extremely doubtful
excepting only Mexico, the original home
of the guayule plant.
Brazil has wild rubber trees, which
once supplied most of the worlds rubber
when one-tenth as much was used as is
needed now. In coune of years, and
at great expense for clearing jungles,