DOMINION RUBBER CO. LTD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26229, 13 August 1946, Page 8

DOMINION RUBBER CO. LTD.

HIGH COSTS OF RESTORATION The directors of the Dominion Rubber Company have issued an interim report regarding the company’s estate and its current working. This states that Mr L. E. White, manager of the company's estate, arrived in Malaya on June 18 and has now forwarded a report. Conditions on the estate are very difficult, and a great amount of work requires to be done. Materials for this work are practically unobtainable, and those which can be obtained are available principally on the " black ” market, with its attendant exorbitant prices. As a result, considerable improvisation has been resorted to. All factory work has to be done by manual labour, including the carrying of water from the river. . Food and . clothing for the coolies are in short supply, while wages have been increased considerably to offset the increased cost of living. Mr White says that, even with the present price of rubber, there is practically no margin of profit owing to increased costs. Prior to the commencement of tapping in July the sum of approximately £3OOO, obtained from realisation of some of the company’s investments, was rc-mittted to Malaya for general estate purposes. It is anticipated that a further sum of £2500 will require to be submitted before the proceeds of the sale of rubber are avail-, able in Singapore. Production of rubber for the month of July was 90001 b. and Mr White's estimate for August is 28,0001 b. Production for the month of October, 1941, was 45,0001 b. In view of the amount expended during the seven months prior to the commencement of production, it is unlikely that any profit will be shown for the year ending on November 30 next.