Content note: A clawed, hairy hand standing for Japan reaches out of the dark (Australian wartime poster). This object is shown as it was published. Why
'90% of the world's rubber is in Japanese hands: Save rubber' (Australian Army poster)
A long-nailed, hairy hand reaches out of the dark clutching a car tyre, under the figure '90% of the world's rubber is in Japanese hands'. Six bullet points tie tyre care to the lives of soldiers; the clawed hand lends the enemy's menace to everyday tyre waste.
- Date
- 1944
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Australian Army (D.M.E. Army Cine Section)
- Region
- Oceania
- Country
- Australia
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Military
- Regime
- Curtin Government
- Leader
- John Curtin
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Event
- World War II
- Techniques
- Fear appealTransfer
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- Australian War Memorial, retrieved October 2, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (AWM: 'Copyright expired - public domain'; Public Domain Mark)
Australian Army (D.M.E. Army Cine Section), c. 1944. Australian War Memorial, ARTV02157.
Text on the object
90% OF THE WORLD'S RUBBER IS IN JAPANESE HANDS Save RUBBER Because ★ YOUR OWN LIFE MAY DEPEND UPON THE PART YOU PLAY IN SAVING RUBBER! ★ AMMUNITION AND VITAL SUPPLIES CANNOT REACH THE FRONT LINES SPEEDILY—WITHOUT RUBBER! ★ A MODERN MECHANISED ARMY MOVES FORWARD ON RUBBER! ★ YOU MUST TAKE CARE TO REDUCE TYRE WEAR! ★ SYNTHETIC RUBBER IS ONLY SATISFACTORY IN TYRES WHEN CRUDE RUBBER IS ADDED! ★ THE RUBBER CRISIS IS STILL WITH US—IT HAS NOT PASSED! DON'T BE A RUBBER WASTER!
A tiny printer's line at the lower right ('D.M.E. ARMY CINE SECTION') is only partly legible. The caption bar 'AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL' and the accession number at the foot are the museum's.
