RUBBER INDUSTRY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 June 1938, Page 10

RUBBER INDUSTRY

IMPORTANCE TO CANADA. INCREASE IN PRODUCTION. OTTAWA, Canada. ' The rubber industry of Canada is of considerable importance to the industrial life of the Dominion. / Increased use of rubber manufactures in Canada and the resulting greater output of the rubber industry is. accountable for the fqct that imports of raw rubber into Canada mostly from the British Straits Settlements in the first eleven months of the current fiscal year to the end of February amounted to 74,024,000 pounds valued at 14,045,000 dollars. This compares with 56,690,695 pounds valued at 9,122,961 dollars in the corresponding eleven months of the preceding fiscal year. Imports in January alone amounted to 4,007,973 pounds, an increase of 351,550 pounds over January 1937. Imports in February were slightly lower than in the corresponding month last year. In the first two months of this year, imports of 4,270,917 pounds were shipped in direct from the British Straits Settlements, 345,969 pounds from Ceylon, and 11,186 pounds from the Netherlands Indies. In addition, 734,801 pounds entered Canada through the United States and 22,502 pounds through the United Kingdom, thus loosing the identity of the country of origin.

Canada now ranks among the leading countries of the world as a manufacturer of rubber goods. In 1936, the Dominion was the seventh largest importer of raw rubber in the world, ranking after the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, France and Russia.

In 1936 there was a total capital investment of 64,600,479 dollars in Canada in establishments manufacturing rubber tires, rubber footwear and other rubber goods. The value of production in 1936 was considerably higher than that of 1935, the total being dollars compared with 55,949,570 dollars.

Rubber exports in the first two months of 1938 were valued at more than 2,000,000 dollars and were shipped to 69 different countries of the world. The principal markets were: New Zealand, Brazil, Venezuela, British South Africa, Jamaica, Colombia, Peru and the Straits Settlements. It is interesting to note that Canada shipped manufactured rubber to several of the sources of supply of the raw rubbei imports into the Dominion.