Waste And Loss

How Industry Is Penalised

In P-Ng

Letter to the Editor THERE is a world shortage of rubber and copra; yet the Government of the Territories seems quite uncon

cei'ned, and fails to realise that the future of the Territories must depend on agricul ture. APC and Works and Housing can not go on for ever, as their mainstay at present.

There has been very little increase in planted areas since the days of Sir Hubert Murray, and many areas of rubber and coconuts planted in 1910-1912 have gone out of production.

With agricultural conditions so pre carious, the Government gives Europeans and natives a five-day spell at Easter— that is, work on estates ceased from Thursday afternoon to Wednesday morn ing.

As an instance: Just before Easter the rubber estates in the Sogeri District lost four days owing to heavy rain, and there was no tapping, and the natives sat around in their houses and smoked. Then, on top of this, came the Easter spell of four working days.

In normal times, with a plentiful labour supply, the Sogeri District should pro duce about 3,000,000 pounds of rubber p.a.

At present, it is approximately 2,400,000 lb. p.a.—or 200,000 lb. per month. There were 27 working days in March, so that nearly 60,000 lb. of rubber was lost.

There were similar conditions in various coconut areas, and I suppose the conse quent loss of copra would keep Australia going for a few days in margarine, etc.

Everyone is talking about inflation and high costs. The above is an example of how they start.

I am, etc.

Old Rubber Planter.

Sydney.

A survey of Naval Defeces in Nether lands New Guinea will be made by Rear- Admiral A, De Booy, Deputy Commander in Chief of the Royal Netherlands Navy, who reached Sydney from Holland in mid-March.