RUBBER PLANTING.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3222, 9 January 1917, Page 3

RUBBER PLANTING.

A mild rubber boom is taking place in Fiji at the present time, says the Suva correspondent of the "New Zealand Herald." Itubber appears as a very small, though largely increasing, item in the list pf products.exported from Fiji, but, judging by the area, which, lias been planted out in the Rewa district within a miles of Suva, it will figure very eoitspiauoiksiy 5.11 liive or six years' time. A number of Fiji's prominent men of commerce are planting rubber amongst their bananas, the idea being that as soon as the rubber trees reach a certain size the bananas wul be dug out. The land' has been planted with young trees .supplied from of the plantations controlled by Mr E. F. Powell, of Suva, and ail the plantations referred to are making splendid progress. it- is estimated that planting out rubber now with these young trees gives an advantage of quite two years over the original pioneers, who had to import their seed .from Ceylon, and, they suffered heavily by the large proportion of seeds that failed to germftiate. It should be understood tfiat rubber planting is a rich man's venture. The land is obtainable after the surmounting of considerable difficulties in the way of the reddest of* red tape, and arrangements, which take time, have to be made for the importation of Indian labourers. The cost of bringing tnese men into the country is increasing and will continue to increase. The latest figures snow that for the ten months ended October 31st the value of Uie rubber exported from Suva was £6684, as compared with £2026 for the corresponding period of 1915.