Sydney Evidence

Aid to Papua's Rubber Industry: Pool Gives Only Sydney Evidence

AUSTRALIAN rubber manufac turers were co-operative in that

they would always take delivery of

Papuan rubber even when it arrived earlier than expected. There was no written agreement between them and the Rubber Pool or the producers in respect of Australian primage which continued to be paid by manufac turers, although technically it is not payable on Papuan rubber. (The primage, in effect, goes back to the

producers, as a “bounty”).

This evidence was given by Mr. C.

S. Healy, secretary of the Rubber Pool, in Sydney, on October 18, when the Australian Tariff Board re sumed its hearing.

The Tariff Board’s terms of refer ence are: Whether, having regard to the Com monwealth’s responsibility for the develop ment of its Territories, the production of crude rubber and rubber latex in the Territory of Papua-New Guinea and the importation of those products of the Territory into the Commonwealth of Aus tralia, should be accorded assistance and if so found, the extent of such assistance.

The Rubber Pool consists of Burns Philp and Co. Ltd., Colyer Watson Pty. Ltd.. F. C. Tracy & Co. pty. Ltd., and Harrisons Ramsay Pty. Ltd. The Pool was formed and took over the selling of all Papuan rubber at the end of 1949, when selling difficulties were experienced in Australia. The Pool members get agency commission and Mr. Healy’s salary and other costs come out of this. .

Mr. Healy said that baling of Papuan rubber had once been “terrible” but that since the Mann Report, two years ago, it had im proved tremendously.

The Sydney session of the inquiry lasted less than one hour and was then adjourned to Brisbane, on November 9. It is expected that Australian rubber manufacturers will give evidence there.

On the night of November 9, three members of the Board and the Secretary, will fly to Port

Moresby, where further evidence will be given by planting interests.

Regulations For Rubber

Producers

Regulations under the Rubber Ordinance, 1953, have been pub lished in Papua, and set out in considerable detail descriptions of each of the 34 classes of rubber which may be exported from the Territory.

The classifications range from the usual RSS grades IX to No. 5, plus various grades of Thick and Thin Pale Crepe and Estate Brown Crepe In spite of the copious details it appears that each estate manager or owner will be required to be a rubber expert in order to .classify his rubber accurately, However, he may be helped in this by the Director of Agriculture whom the Regulations instruct to supply sample sheets to interested parties.

These regulations should please the Tariff Board which, in Sydney, was anxious to know whether planters had standardised samples with which to compare their pro duct.

Sale Of Us Synthetis

Plants

The Rubber Producing Facilities Disposal Commission, the group set up in the United States to sell the Government-owned synthetic rubber plants, has until November 27 to complete negotiations.

It is believed that a number of companies are interested and are prepared to pay more now than they were a few months ago.

Disposal of plants, and the terms at which they change hands, are of interest to all natural rubber producing countries because the price at which American synthetic rubber is sold puts a virtual ceiling on the price of natural rubber.