Evening star., 1952-01-06
Rubber
Far East Supply
In Red-Hot Donqer
BY Hugh Humphrey

By Hugh Humphrey
While the Korean war continues
to occupy the world news spotlight,
terrific threat to the security and
economy of the West has been
mounting steadily in Southeast Asia,
5000 miles below the 38th Parallel.
The red-hot danger spots are
Malaga, Indo-China and Indonesia,
where COmmuniSt-inS guerrillaS
are attacking daily in an effort to
shut off the worlds supply of natural
rubber to the Western Allies. Because
of its economic aspects, some observ-
erS view this hit-and-run warfare as
the top Communist menace in the Far
East-even greater than the Korean
campaign.
Almost 80 months before the Reds
invaded South Korea, the planta-
tionS of Malaga, 1ndo-C China and In
donesla, which produce 96 per cent of
all natural rubber, were af1ame with
guerrilla warfare. Four Strife-torn
years have seen a few thousand
planters arrayed against natives.
The plantation owners have no Or
ganized resistance and, until recently,
the Reds operated without a strong
central leadership.
Motives Double Life
An ominous note, however, was
sounded few weeks ago by Sir Eric
Macfayden, prominent British rub
ber expert, who warned that the
Reds were beginning to organize
highly trained shock troops. Sir
Eric pointed out that many natives
led double life; working as plant
erS one day and on the next serving
their Communist masters in destroy
ing the plantations they helped
build.
The planters face many hazards,
according to the Natural Rubber
Bureau here. Last October, Sir
Henry Gurney. British high commits
sioner for Malaga, was murdered
from ambush. One of every Is rub
ber planters has been killed and
hundreds of loyal native workers
have been slain. The guerrillas,
when unable to capture a plantation,
often destroy rubber trees by the
thousands.
Despite this running conflict,
1851 was record year for rubber
Whether that feat can be duplicated
this year is questionable, American
and British experts agree. They en-
phaSize that the planters cannot con-
tinue to fight and produce much
longer without help from the West
ern nations.
Problems for NATO
What happens to the NATO ma
tionS if the source of natural rubber
Is seized and controlled by the Com
munistS? Will the situation be any
worse for the United States than it
was when the japanese captured this
same area in 1912? How about syn
thetic rubber?
First, it must be remembered that
armies roll on rubber, airplanes use
countless parts Of rubber. factory
production depends on industrial
rubber goods and the civilian econ
omy of modern nation looks to rub
ber in almost all of its everyday
J items. In 1850. the nations of West
ern Europe looked toward Southeast
Asia for more than 95 per cent of
their rubber needs. Synthetic con-
sumption was negligible.
The United States, however, has
maintained more or less $3.50 bal
ance in it's natural and synthetic
consumption since World War II. It
has diverted more and more syn
thetic rubber into industrial and mil
itary use until today natural rubber
is a really vital element in only a
few items. With its Stockpiles Of the
natural product and its capacity for
synthetic production, the United
States is relatively self sufficient in
that line II it Is not called on to
Eupply It's Allies.
We Hove More Allies
There are more active Allies now. )
During World War II the United
States supplied only its own needs
and those of the British Common
wealth nations-an other Allies being
OA1NCA kAA4o 0OAhAknOAOA 04A0 III LIZ
position to fight in an organized
fashion. With the signing of the
North Atlantic pact, the burden was
increased tremendously. France, Bel
gium, the Netherlands, Norway and
Denmark all must be supplied with
rubber.
The expansion Of plans for the de-
fense Of Western Europe also involves
more countries and more armies and,
consequently, more equipment. which
will demand use Of more rubber. Italy.
for instance, may claim q share Of
the rubber quota for her part. Aid to
Yugoslavia. Greece and the Balkan
areas Is likely to involve rubber in
some form. Military equipment,
wherever its destination, is sure to
add to the drain on the available
supply.
Even Western Germany, whose
synthetic plants were destroyed dur
ing and after World War II, will need
a constant supply Of rubber II war
comes to Europe.
DiScounting the military considera-
tion II the Asiatic rubber source is
lost, the Natural Rubber Bureau
stresses the effect on the civilian
economy Of Great Britain. The bu-
reau says fatty that the economy of
Britain depends to great extent on
Malayan rubber and that Britain
without natural rubber revenue would
be in an instantly overwhelming dol
lar crisis.
Evanrh Dutch pne;k;aue