Lost Rubber

Captain Fitch's Plea to the Australian Government

THE strong representations being made to the Commonwealth authorities by the Pacific Territories Associa tion and other interests, urging that Australia’s approach to the Pacific Ter ritories’ wartime problems be more clear cut, businesslike and humane, were effec tively supported early in January by Captain A. S. Fitch, managing director of Steamships Trading Company, of Papua, who has large rubber plantations in the Territory, In an article prominently published in January in the “Sydney Morning Herald’’ and other journals, Captain Fitch pointed out that the United Nations are in great need of rubber; that in normal times Papua could produce 1,600 tons annually; that, with organisation and effort in the next three years, this production could be doubled; but that, owing to the failure of the present military administration to take proper care of the plantations, the plantations were rapidly reverting to the jungle.

Captain Fitch said that the military authorities had created the administra tive unit called ANGAU, one of whose duties was to care for the rubber planta tions; but all owners, and managers over 45 years had been compulsorily evacuated, and inexperienced young officers had been put in charge, in the majority of cases; and the effect of this disinterested control, plus the inadequate supply of native labour was that undergrowth and cover crops had taken complete control of many plantations. Unless this second ary growth was weeded out, the rubber trees would be strangled. Thousands of new trees should now be coming into production; instead of that, the produc tion potential was rapidly decreasing.

Hundreds of thousands of young rubber trees, which should have been planted out, were being destroyed. Disinterest and inexperience had allowed most of the labour lines in the various planta tions to disappear, or be transferred. Out of 300 natives, previously employed on one large rubber plantation, only eight remained.

Captain Fitch’s urgent plea that a new policy be introduced, so that experienced men and sufficient native labour be made available to protect and stimulate Papuan rubber production, was vigorously sup ported by “Sydney Morning Herald” on January 6.

“Most of the men of over 45 who were withdrawn from the plantations last April, when civilian evacuation of Papua was ordered, are doubtless available to return and resume their work, and they are most eager to do so,” said the “Her ald.” “It is obviously not a task for the Army, which since April 25 has appar ently taken over responsibility for the plantations.”

Rev. F. J. Searle, of LMS, since he retired as Principal of Lawes Training College, Fife Bay, Papua, early in 1942, has been recuperating his health. He has now accepted the interim pastorate of Canberra Congregational Church.

Rev. Wesley S. Pigeon was ordained on October 20 to the work of the Methodist Dudley Memorial Church, Suva, Fiji.