§ Mr. Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Rubber Study Group, in elucidating the basic facts about the natural and synthetic rubber industries, obtained any information with regard to the salaries paid to managers, technologists and workers in the U.S. synthetic rubber industry and to managers, assistants and native workers in the Malayan rubber industry; and whether he will make all such in formation available in order to ensure that due regard shall be had for raising to an adequate level the wages paid to employees in the Malayan rubber industry.
§ Mr. George HallNo, Sir. The in formation before the recent meeting of the Rubber Study Group related to the over all production costs of synthetic and natural rubber. Labour costs were included in this review in so far as they affected individual items of production costs, but it would have been outside the functions of the Study Group to consider wage and salary levels as such. One relevant factor which cannot be over looked is that the synthetic industry produces 45 to 50 tons a year for each man 573W it employs, while the plantation industry produces barely a ton a year for each man.