Grow More Rubber
p. 28 · Read in the full issue
What Australia is Doing [?] Encourage the P-NG Indust[?]
THE Australian Government, sa Mr. Hasluck, Minister for Te ritories, in November, examining the rubber industry Papua-New Guinea with a view expanding it.
Rubber, he said, is a strata material and every facility is to given to persons seeking suital land for rubber planting.
The Government is examining t use of mechanical equipment a: is arranging for a visit by an e pert from Malaya to advise methods of improving the quali of the rubber and the genei efficiency of the industry, and recommend the best methods of e pansion. The establishment of rubber research scheme for P-NG also being considered.
Exports of rubber from Pap have reached an all-time high tl year with 2,179 tons. Exports frc the New Guinea part of the ter tory are negligible.
In Papua there are 23,000 acres u der Para rubber but there are pro ably less than 1,000 acres unc para rubber in New Guinea. Duri the German days there was a co siderable planting of “natun rubber —Ficus Elastica —and an of cial estimate is that about 80,C remained in the entire Territc after the war. There is little coi mercial tapping carried out, ho ever.
In the early war years wh rubber became more valuable, the trees were tapped and in 1940rubber from the Mandated Ter: tory to the value of £19,000 w exported. The Japanese invasi put an end to that, and product! was not resumed until 1944-45 wh 14 tons were exported.
No exports were made in 1947when there was a world-wide slur in rubber prices. During ti period, some of the establish Papuan rubber producers also we out of business but in the last r years rubber nrices have ns steeply (current price is 57|d I pound in Sydney).
So long as threat of war remai and so long as the Terrorists c moralise the rubber industry Malaya, the price should rerra high and rubber business in Papr New Guinea should be of immer importance to Australia. Even more normal times Australi growing secondary industries shoi be able to take all the rubber P-£ can produce.
A bazaar of native handicra was held in the Paton Memor Church at Vila, New Hebrides November 21. Organised by t Presbyterian Mission, proceeds w< in aid of the Presbyterian Wome: Association.