Samoan Rubber

Demand For New Production

THE latest official word on the subject of rubber nroduction in the Man dated Territory of Samoa, is that nothing much can be expected there, as the erea under cultivation is about worked out. But. in view of present cir cumstances. when every ounce of rubber is precious to the Allied war-effort, there has been a demand that the authorities should be more specific and state pre cisely what the ferm “worked out” means.

The output in the German era is unknown: and. apparently, there has been no planting during the period of the Mandate. In 1928, Samoa produced 167 tons of sheet-smoked rubber of good quality, and in 1929, 110 tons. Then, dur ing the depression years, immediately after that date, and because of the low price of rubber during that period—and also, perhaps, because of certain political disturbances in the Territory—there was no production at all.

Rubber again appeared on the export list in 1935: but only 25 tons of it. It rose to 51 tons the next year, and to 61 tons in 1937. Since then, the average output has been about 50 tons.

There seems no doubt that Samoan rubber plantations have been badly neglected and, although the area under cultivation is not extensive, it is felt in this time of emergency that it is of vital importance to bring back, to some sort of productiveness, every available tree.