Papuan Industries.

Rubber Improves; Copra in Difficult Position.

From Our Own Correspondent.

Pt. Moresby, March 24.

OWING to the repeated communica tions between the Papuan and Australian Governments in relation to the immediate clearance from bond of Papuan rubber by the manufac turers in Australia, and the extreme urgency of the demand, advice was re ceived from Canberra by His Excel lency the Lieut.-Governor on May 9 that 275,940 lbs. of Papuan rubber had been cleared from bond and that the amount of £4,599 had already been paid in duty to the Commonwealth by the manufacturers.

On Wednesday, May 10, the money was received by the Papuan Govern ment and was immediately paid over to the rubber planters. This sum represents approximately 63 per cent, of the total exportation of rubber since March 9. The total amount of Papuan rubber received into Australia and bonded from March 9 to April 30 was 440,209 lbs.

Since the payment of this money, there has been a slight rise in the market value in rubber and a further advance on the market is anticipated; so the planters of rubber have every reason to congratulate themselves.

It would appear that everything possible has now been done to help the rubber industry by both the Papuan Administration and the Com monwealth Government, and it is not inopportune at this stage to consider the position of the coconut planters, who are in very real need of help.

Copra has never been a pampered industry, and planters have struggled along the last three years without complaint against an ever-falling market, prohibitive coastal freights and inordinate marketing charges, un til now, there is no life left in them.

Copra worth £10/5/- sterling in London brings in some cases only £4/10/- per ton in Port Moresby, in spite of the favourable exchange. Out of the £4/10/-, the producer has to pay from £1 to £3 per ton in coastal freight, and bags cost about another £1 per ton so that the producer has from 5/to 45/- per ton to meet production and living costs.

Coconuts, the planters agree, are of far greater economic importance in Papua than rubber, yet the copra in dustry has never received assistance in any form, neither has it cried loudly for help. The time has come when, without assistance, it will be quite im possible to carry on unless the market price improves.