THE CHINA MAIL, NOVEMBER 15, 1940
UNCLE SAM
U. S. Search PLANE DEFIES
For New Rubber Plant
THROUGH THE tropics and highlands of Cen- trai and South American countries to-day a band of plant pioneers is searching, searching intent on one of the most extraordinary biological research expeditions on record, backed by a Congressional appropriation of $500,000 which, if successful, will open up a whole vast new rubber industry in new. world countries, with economic, defence and scien- tific consequences of the most far-reaching import- ance.
For more than two hours men at the North Island naval air station (San Diego, Calif.) watch- ed a plane circle overhead in defiance of Uncle Sam's de- fence law. Then it landed.
The craft proved to be a toy powered by rubber bands: Air cur- rents had kept it aloft.
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While these bands of United for the wild rubber trees growing | 00 States plant pioneers are engaged sparsely in the lush tropical areas, in bunting for a blight-resistant but the vast bulk of rubber comes plant. What would happen to the plant. upon which a great new in- from a small area in the Far East United States, it is asked, if this ternational industry may be where rubber plantations have in- supply were cut off by war? Even founded, other biologists are work-tensified the yield, year by year, now the Defence
ng overtime in attempting
Commission is to by developing now and better rushing supplies to prepare the (volve a new strain of the rubber strains. ol the originally wild country against any emergency. free-which is half tree and half shrub of the South American herea rubber, that will bring back") to the New World the rubber in- dustry that started here, but that was "kidnapped" years ago and faken far away to the Indies where the rubber supply is now menaced by ominous internation- al relations in the Pacific. Ameri- can biological investigators, in ne of the greatest programmes of biological research ever under-
ADDED POWER FOR THE
-
GESTAPO NEW PERIL
:
EXTENSION OF powers of the Gestapo-Ger- laken, in feld. laboratory amany's Secret Police-to include execution of non- lesting station, are now trying to German subjects without trial gives some indica- bring the kidnapped victim back tion of methods which may be used to maintain or- to its own home again.
Good-Night Policy
der in German occupied territories. Involved
can
This latest decrce, marking an-Hague recently sentenced a young other step farther away from in-nurse to three year's impiison- Almost unique is one feature of ternational standards of justice, ment for writing on a wall the ite enterprise, that the United has so far only been used against words, "Down with Hitler." The States Government is trying to non-Germans within Germany same court fined establish this industry' not in its itself.
an innkeeper £120 and added a six-months' own territory but in Latin-Ameri-
Thus a Polish worker -
not a prison sentence for listening in countries which will be prisoner of war was recently to the Netherlands broadcast from eastly benefited ir the enter-given capital punishment for al-London. prise is successful. They will leged association with a German grow rubber and sell it to the prisoner of war. United States: they will profit and to will their northern neighbour. The United States investigators are getting cooperation from every country through which explora- tory parties are going, or whère plant experimental stations are being set up.. It is a concrete illustration of the practical good- neighbour policy at work, and of the friendly response it evokes.
Back in Washington at a desk in the Bureau of Plant Industry, in the marble-fronted Depart
However, increasing severity of Nazi justice in the occupied terri- tories leads to the belief that the new decree may be soon extended to these areas.
The "People's Courts" or Volksgericht, which are thcore- tically based upon the judg. ments of experts even though generally dominated by Party political considerations Is al. ready in operation in the Ger- max Dom 'nated territorias. One of these courts which sat
An Associated Press report from Berlin stated that three prisoners in the Munster Prison wêre given capital punishment Sept. 28 for mutiny. They were charged with using war conditions-especially confusion during an air alarm- to attempt escape.)
Prison
camps in France, such as one at St. Cloua Alencon, and reported to be full of French men and women who have protested or been "guilty" of listening to the British radio. Similar incidents are happening in other occupied countries in
occupied
ment of Agriculture sits a hard- in the ballroom-of the- Princess increasing numbers, according to working natural scientist, Dr. Juliana's former palace
ה
E. W. Brandes, head of the whole research problem, putting in as many as 16 hours a day and now receiving on almost every Latin- American clipper mail a report of the progress from one of his ex- ploratory parties. ΟΙ from scientific group "on location" as part of the increasing data needed in one of the world's great plant- hunts. He is at the centre of the search although he is thousands of miles away, co-ordinating the problem like a general directing battle, and attempting, now, with big Federal šuni at last
1
available, to crack the biological riddle, that has so far not even ielded to the efforts for the big Ford organisation in the Amazon region.
Defence Phase
Prominent
a
The problem is of importance to every "American who drives a car, and behind that, to the coun- try, at large as a matter of nation- al defence and hemispherical solidarity: At best of times the price of rubber is artificially maintained, it is charged, in. plantation, agreement by lenders in British Malaya, Dutch East Indies, and to a smaller extent, Ceylon” and French Indo-China. The Ford; Firestone, Goodyear: Interests have, all tried to break the hold. Fliestone has had some success in Liberia, Ford, however, has run into obstacles in Brazil. In a minor way Ford and Good- year interests are also now ex- perimenting in Costa Rica,
As for national deferice it Is obvious on the economic side that every big industry that means goods coming to the United States in exchange for hard cash going 1a Latin America, binds the New World closer together. Trade ties are importante Fusele
Americans-to-day -move in- ercasingly on rubber. Last year tho United States imported $131,671,000 of it, of which only 91,830,000 came from Latin America, where the heves rub- ber tree originated.
Latin American "seringeros" till tap white latex-yielding sup
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at The reports reaching here,
THINKS:
7 O'CLOCK AND ANOTHER
BEASTLY DAY AHEAD
AT THE DOCTORS YOUR TROUBLE IS NIGHT STARVATION. YOU SEE WHILE. YOU SLEEP YOUR HEART LUNGS AND OTHER AUTOMATIC PROCESSES CONTINUE USING UP ENERGY, IN YOUR CASE ALSO THIS HAS LED TO AN EXCESS OF ACID WASTE
PRODUCTS IN THE BLOOD.
RECENT TESTS ( HAVE PROVED THAT HORLICKS
AT BEDTIME IS
WHAT YOU NEED