Become Valuable
p. 10 · Read in the full issue
Ficus Rubber
N. Guinea "Scrap" Has Become Valuable
SOME remarkable stories have been in circulation in Sydney recently about the production of “something called rubber” in New Guinea. We sent to Rabaul for information, and a special correspondent there has kindly supplied the following.
In the past few months Messrs. Rowe Bros., planters, have sold in Australia about £1,500 worth of ficus rubber, and they are continuing to ship about 1400 to 1600 lbs. per month, for which they are receiving in Australia about lOd. per lb. This is a profitable business—espe cially in these days when the staple pro duct of the plantation (copra) is not easily saleable.
Credit for this is given to Mr. George Murray. Director of Agriculture, who in spite of opposition and criticism, per sisted with his theory that under present world conditions the product of the rub ber tree known as Ficus Indica, while not nearly as good as Para rubber, is nevertheless a valuable commodity. It appears that Mr. Murray urged Messrs.
Rowe to tap their ficus trees, and send the raw rubber to Australia, but the Sydney manufacturers refused it and said it was not rubber. Mr. Murray, on his mettle, actively co-operated with Messrs. Rowe in finding a market, which eventually they did. Ficus is sold as scrap rubber, as distinct from Para rub ber. At lOd. per lb. it is quite payable Mr. Murray says that when last in Australia, he went specially to Mel bourne with a sample of ficus rubber, to get a physical and chemical analysis from the Commonwealth Bureau of Science and Industry, so that it might be reliably compared with Para rubber. To his dis gust, he was informed that there was no one in the Bureau qualified to carry out such an investigation—that all he could do was to refer the matter to the Imperial Institute in London.
However, economic conditions have set tled it without reference to science.
Manufacturers find that they can use the ficus rubber and there seems to be a market in Australia for all that New Guinea can produce.
Mr. F. W. Turnbull resigned recently from his position as clerk and account ant in the British Service of the New Hebrides Condominium.