The relative share of natural rubber in the world's total rubber consumption had been decreasing from 75 percent in 1948- 1949 to 44.4 percent in 1965. Since the production of natural rubber has been rising over the same period , some predictions have been made indicating that there will be a surplus of production over consumption of natural rubber in the near future. In the world output of natural rubber industry, Thailand ranks third, being surpassed only by Malaysia and Indonesia. Of all the exports of Thailand, rubber ranks second in value and is exceeded only by rice. Almost all of the rubber plantations are less than 8 acres in size and the prewar stock will give a low yield. The purpose of this study is to evaluate such predictions. An attempt is also made to show that the rising relative share of synthetic rubber in the world's total rubber consumption has been primarily due to the inability of the producers of natural rubber to increase supply in pace with the increasing demand for rubber and with the technological advances in the synthetic rubber industry. The study revealed that the United States and Western Europe can be expected to continue to exercise a great influence in the future rubber market as the industrial consumers absorb nearly 50 percent of the world's total rubber consumption. In addition, the United States is expected to play a vital role as the major producer of synthetic rubber, which appears to be a critically important fact or in determining the future prospects regarding the demand for natural rubber. It is concluded that the techniques of replanting and new planting or both, using the best available high yielding clones would enable natural rubber producers to reduce the cost of production enough to meet the keen price competition from synthetic rubber. In the face of the threatening competition from synthetic rubber, the success of the natural rubber industry may be measured by the extent of realization of effective and unremitting efforts by the natural rubber industry. The future of the natural rubber industry in Thailand, then, depends first on how fast production could be stepped up; secondly how fast the cost of production could be reduced by replanting with high yielding clone; and thirdly on the world price of natural rubber. The projection of natural rubber production during the year 1970 indicates that all rubber produced will be sold. Synthetic rubber will be used to meet excess demand for new rubber during this period. But some surplus of the natural rubber will occur during the year 1975. The future of the natural rubber industry depends to a large degree on lowered costs of production with replanting and planting with high yielding trees, and improving the quality and marketing. In conclusion, the planting scheme now being undertaken in the natural rubber producing countries, will be of advantage not only at the present but also in the future.

Quickening the rate of economic growth and the conquest of poverty are the primary expressed objects of public policy in the underdeveloped countries of the world . In the new countries, particularly in Africa and Asia which have recently become independent, it was necessary to start almost from scratch in the construction of an advanced economy. Such countries have usually had (a) a high proportion of population in agriculture, with low productivity; (b) little capital per person and crude technology; (c) major expenditures for food; (d) high birth and death rates; (e) poor health and sanitation; and (f) a low level of education. These and other characteristics not only indicate the situation they are in politically, economically, and socially, but also what needs to be done to improve their status.

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The objective of this study is to assess the effects of several variables, identified by research on Western, industrialized countries, on the occurrence of wife abuse in a developing Asian society, Thailand. The following variables are organized in two path analysis models: social isolation of the wife, socio-economic status, duration of the marriage, number of children, wife's employment status, husband's level of stress, severity of his drinking problem, and marital conflict. Two separate measures of socioeconomic status are tested, one using traditional items--income, occupational prestige, and education, and another measure incorporating several possessions, such as automobiles, appliances, and entertainment items. While the bivariate analysis showed little correlation among the independent variables and wife abuse, the intervening variables--stress, drinking, and marital conflict--were highly related. The results of the multiple regression and path analyses revealed that marital conflict had the strongest effect and was the best predictor of wife abuse. Stress and drinking also had a significant effect on wife abuse. While number of children, years married, social isolation of the wife, and her employment status appeared to have little impact on wife abuse, socio-economic status (both measures) is consistently related with wife abuse, and with all the intervening variables. The combination of the variables in the models explain approximately 15% to 20% of the variance in wife abuse in Thailand. / Master of Science

This research asks whether the patterns of women's economic contribution and marginalization that previously have been identified apply to the emerging metropolitan fringe areas. I argue that women in metropolitan fringe communities are more marginalized than men in terms of type of employment, location of employment, hours of employment, and remuneration. Women contribute different amounts and proportions of time and income to the family than men and their contributions, productive and reproductive, significantly add to the household resources and are necessary for household survival. The research identifies women's economic contributions to the household and how they vary by household type and composition. This study uses data collected by Browder et al (1992) from a sample of families in Bangkok's metropolitan fringe to explore employment patterns and gender roles. Results show that women and men have different employment patterns~ with women much more likely to be involved with informal, self-employed work. Women make significant contributions to household incomes, but they do so while being economically marginalized. Even in a lower-middle to middle class area, residents--particularly women--rely on informal sector employment. An important conclusion, which was overlooked in a previous analysis, is that self employment is crucial to women's work patterns. Finally, all women significantly contribute to household income; unlike non-head males, non-head and non-spouse females contribute as much as female heads and spouses. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning