§ LORD OGMOREMy Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their attention has been called to the proposal by Imperial Chemical Industries, Limited, and other big British chemical or commercial organisations to embark on the large-scale production of artificial rubber; and what steps they are taking to safeguard the welfare of the people of Malaya who rely so greatly upon the production of natural rubber.]
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (THE EARL OF MUNSTER)My Lords, I understand that the projects are for the manufacture of certain types of synthetic rubber with highly specialised industrial application. These new products will not compete with natural rubber in its normal uses. The tonnage produced would be insignificant in comparison with Malaya's output. As regards the second part of the Question, the Government of the Federation of Malaya are endeavouring to improve the efficiency of the natural rubber industry by encouraging replanting with high-yielding trees. They have instituted control over grading and packing to improve the quality of rubber exported; and extensive research and development work is being carried out in this country and in Malaya to improve the technical qualities of natural rubber and to develop new uses for it. A comprehensive inquiry into the Malayan rubber industry covering 882 costs of production and taxation has begun.
§ LORD OGMOREMy Lords, I am grateful to the noble Earl for his Answer, and I sincerely trust that his forecast of the effect of these schemes on the Malayan industry is correct. In this connection, has the noble Earl's attention been drawn to a statement made by the Secretary of State for the Colonies at a public dinner in London only a few nights ago when the Secretary of State described this product as a "bastard synthetic rubber" and compared it to the hydrogen bomb?
§ THE EARL OF MUNSTERI have read the report of the speech made by my right honourable friend, but I found nothing about the hydrogen bomb in The Times report.
§ LORD OGMOREI have here the cutting of The Times report in which the Secretary of State deplores the penetration of the wide fields of the use of natural rubber by this new product. He considers it an evil and likens it to the internal combustion engine, the radio and the hydrogen bomb—a somewhat comprehensive group, f agree, but the hydrogen bomb was mentioned.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, in view of the noble Earl's statement: that he thinks this highly specialised product will not compete with Malayan rubber, may I say that I have never heard before that synthetic rubber was being produced for a non-competitive purpose with natural rubber. Can he enlarge on that?
§ THE EARL OF MUNSTERYes, I think I can. The projects which we're announced last week are for the production of special types of synthetic rubber, including heat and oil-resisting rubbers and resins for shoe soling, which would not compete with natural rubber. In point of fact, the production anticipated at the moment is something like 16,000 tons, which is less than 3 per cent. of the total Malayan output.