Industry’S Danger

Papua Rubber

Plain Issue for Australia

OTRONG representations concerning the future of the rubber in dustry in Papua were made by Planters’ Association delegates, Mr.

B. Fairfax Ross and Mr. Colin Sefton, when, in Sydney on October 31, they met representatives of the Australian Cover —ent and the rubber manu facturers. Mr. Lambert (Secretary of Territories Department) presided.

Because there has been a marked fall in demand in Australia for goods manufactured from rubber, the manu facturers have ceased to buy raw rubber, and have indicated that they are not particularly interested in the future of the Papuan industry.

Further, they do not wish to pay first-grade prices for first-grade Papuan rubber; they want to retain freedom to buy rubber wherever they like; and they do not wish to in dicate any particular time when they will resume buying rubber.

The planters retort that the re sponsibility is on the Government which in turn should compel the manufacturers to conform to national needs. They have left the Australian Government to accept one or two courses—either to accept financial responsibility for the rubber being produced in Papua, or to impose on the importation of raw rubber such controls that the Australian manu facturers will be compelled to use rubber from Papua before rubber from elsewhere. They made it plain that if Australia will not take either course the Papuan rubber industry— the second most important agricul tural industry in Papua-New Guinea —will collapse.

Many details were threshed out be tween the interests concerned—but the foregoing is the overall picture.

The matter is now under considera tion by the Australian Government and an answer to the planters’ case is likely jo be made very soon.