Japan’s Drive For Substitutes

Northern Advocate, 26 March 1941, Page 10

Japan’s Drive For Substitutes

Clive Turnbull, special representative of the Australian Associated Press, now stationed at Singapore, writes: The whaling industry that once filled the port of Hobart with ships has been allowed by Australia to languish and die. But Japan is reaping the harvest of the Antarctic waters and, lacking animal hides, the Japanese are using leather made from the hides of Antarctic whales. British, Norwegian and German whaling in the Antarctic has virtually ceased because of the war, leaving the seas free to the Japanese whalers. In 1938-39 three Japanese companies— Nippon Fishery, Kyokuyo Whaling and Taiyo Whaling—sent six mother-ships, with 49 catchers, to the Antarctic, and secured 80,000 metric tons of whale oil.

Last year’s figures have been kept secret, but it is known that they greatly exceed these.

A General Drive

The drive for more whale products is part of the general drive for substitutes, which began, in Japan in a mild way following the Great Vvar, was intensified after the outbreak of the vvar with China, and is now in full swing.

Japan is poor or lacking in cotton, wool, rubber, leather and metals.

Of the substitutes so far produced, the most important is staple fibre In 1938 production rose to the record of 376,000,000 lbs.

Properly employed, this substitute can make quite presentable textiles. Several acquaintances of mine have suits of the ersatz variety, which look weli and seem to wear reasonably. On the other hand, the towels now used in Japan are about as poor as they could be, almost non-absorbo.* . and ■'o fragile that you are likely to rip them in two while drying yourself. The wool position, admittedly bad, will be worsened if imports from Australia cease completely. It is hoped to import wool from South America and South Africa, but only small quantities are available.

The latest of the wool substitutes is albuminous fibre, extracted from the soya bean.

Metal Substitution.

The substitution of aluminium for copper has already taken place in the coinage, and the small bronze coins are gradually being withdrawn and replaced by aluminium 10, 5 and 1 sen pieces.

This has had unsuspected consequences. There was consternation recently in a Japanese hospital when an aluminium coin which had been swallowed by a child failed to show up under routine X-ray examination, and careful examination of a special photographic plate was necessary to locate it.

The petrol problem is now so acute that the only cars on the streets are those belonging to Government or semi-Government officials and foreign diplomats, and taxis. Experiments have been proceeding for some time in the production of synthetic oil, and quantity production is hoped for shortly. Faced by successive United States bans on aviation spirit, petroleum for its production, lubricating oils, tetraethyl lead, and cracking plants and patents, Japan is trying to obtain more oil from the East Indies, prospecting in Saghalien (where chances of a find are thought to be poor), and pushing ahead with synthetic production.

By and large, however, it cannot be said" that the Japanese people are suffering any hardship—inconvenience, yes.