By Mr. Gerald Pearlman, editor of Beachcomber news paper and volunteer for FED

A rubber plantation in Thailand, which I am told has better working conditions than the other main rubber exporting countries in Southeast Asia-Burma and Malaysia. I expected a plantation as a place with lots of workers, but found instead a single individual in charge of 900 rubber trees, which he attended every night and day of the week except Sunday.

He work consists of three phases: tapping, collection, and mixing with water and acid which coagulates the mixture so that it can then be rolled through two presses into its final sheet form.

The tapping very much dependent on weather and temperature conditions-the sap won’t flow well in the sun or the rain where can be diluted-takes place in the evening around 10pm. 900 trees are given a small diagonal cut about ¼ inch wide around one side or the other of the tree trunk. The cut because of the small size allows a steady stream of sap to flow into a small cup attached to the tree right below the lower end of the diagonal cut. How anyone can do this to 900 trees in eight hours using only a headlamp for guidance is beyond my imagination.

Then after a break the collection process takes place where the 900 cups offer up their contents of raw rubber sap. This task adds another two hours to the workday.

All of the collected sap is then taken to a work shed where it is mixed with water and acid to get the desired consistency before being sent through large hand operated presses to become the sheets. The finished product after drying in the sun is picked up by the owner of the plantation and taken to market (presumably a wholesaler). On good days the maximum number of sheets produced in this manner will be 17. On the low end it might be 7 or 8.

The split between the plantation worker and the owner of the land, presses, and trees themselves is 60% to owner, 40% to worker who has put in a 12hour day and gets to rest in the afternoon.

Immigrant labor has the same problems of exploitation by some less than honorable owners the world over. But they are also an integral part of the economy of the host countries, because being paid less and lowering the cost of production in other ways (virtually no benefits), they are creating a more attractive product for Thailand’s export market by lower production costs. Not only does the national economy benefit in the classic balance of payments model that characterize the import/ export markets but it has a multiplier effect as well.

Immigrants not only work longer and harder for less money than nationals. They benefit the national economy, not only by the exports they create boosting the overall economy in the world market by the lower priced commodity, but also by infusing local economies with all their own local purchases. Yet because of their vulnerability-lack of work permits, undocumented status, they are often subject to abuse.

Still they are better off than remaining in their country of origin where there was no chance at all of the economic opportunity that would have allowed them to better their own lives there.

Sound familiar! So now you know a little bit more about where all those tires on your cars come from!