RUBBER SUPPLIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 December 1942, Page 4

RUBBER SUPPLIES

1943 THE CRITICAL YEAR ENORMOUS DEMANDS. SYNTHETIC AND OTHER PRODUCTION. The critical year in the problem of rubber supplies and production will be 1943, according to the Baruch report on the situation in the United States as presented recently to President Roosevelt. Even if building and establishment plans are not delayed, there will be little actual production of synthetic rubber in America until late in 1943, with no export surplus indicated before the end of that year. Extracts from the report quoted in the latest issue of “Transport News of New Zealand’’ describe rubber as the most critical problem, with collapse of war effort and domestic economy as the result of any failure to secure quickly a large new supply. Demands, the report stated, were enormous. Without allowance for civilian passenger tires estimated requirements for 1943 were 574,000 tons, contrasted with the average United States pre-war consumption of more than 600,000 tons. Her own armed forces and much of the needs for Allied military machines had to be supplied. The United States had to equip her commercial vehicles and provide essential specialty items, and also had to maintain a substantial portion of her 27,000,000 civilian passenger vehicles, or an economy geared to rubber-borne motor transport would .break down.

The four main sources to meet the demand were: (1) The stock of natural rubber with what additions came from Latin America, Africa, and other lands, (these being comparatively small); (2) the stock o* scrap rubber, sufficient with additions to operate the reclaiming industry at present capacity through 1945; (3) production of synthetic rubbers; (4) the tires of automobiles, representing a stock of some 1,000,000 tons applicable to the uses of civilian transport. Chief reliance had to be placed on the synthetic rubber programme, which required that a development normally requiring 12 years, the creation of one of the largest industries in the country, would have to be compressed within two years from the date of the Pearl Harbour attack.

According to the American synthetic rubber production schedule quoted, the number of plants authorised is 72, and the yearly output when completed 745,000 tons. The number of plants scheduled to have begun manufactre by the end of this year is given as 13, by the end of March next year 30, by the end of June 55, by the end of September 69, and by the end of December 72. The rubber crisis could be survived, the report stated, without serious impairment of military programme or domestic economy, if all plans went through on schedule, but the margin of safety was uncomfortably small because

possible unfortunate contingencies. As far as the J 0 iy itarv effort was concerned, the c* lime was the third quarter of 1943 the immediately succeeding quaiteis. The whole question of ouate synthetic rubbers in 1943 hinged on the rate of construction of manufacof recommendations, are ineMea ta the report. Those affecting oassenger vehicles are that the conservation programme be based on supei - vised recapping and replacement of tires to maintain cars in operating condition, combined with universal enforcement of a 35-miles anhour speed, limit- that tire inspections be held and mileage reduced to a national average of not more than 5000 miles a car; that nation-wide oetrol rationing be used as the quickest and most workable method of conserving rubber through control of mileage; and that the recapping programme be expanded substantially (32,000 tons).