24 



THE IlSkDIA RUBBER V/ORLD 



[October i, 1906. 



UNITED STATES RUBBER CO. IN EUROPE. 



'T^HE organization is announced, in London, of a coni- 

 ^ pan3', styled William .Symington & Co., Limited, 

 with _^.'50o,ooo capital paid in, the shares of which are all 

 held by the United States Rubber Co. The managing 

 director is William Symington, who has long been engaged 

 in the crude rubber trade in London and Liverpool. The 

 other director.^ are his brother, Harry Symington, William 

 H. Blackwell, and three ofTicers of the United States Rublier 

 Co. : Samuel V. Colt, president ; Lester Leland, .second vice 

 president; and John J, Watson, Jr., treasurer. The new 

 company's permanent ofticcs will beat 22, Fenchurch street, 

 London, and 20, Castle street, Liverpool. 



The new company will handle the European business of 

 the General Rubber Co., controlling the purcha.se of crude 

 rubber for the United vStates Rubber Co. and the afliliated 

 manufacturing concerns. In addition to the oflices above 

 mentioned, William Symington & Co. will have charge of 

 the crude rubber buying agencies established by the General 

 Rubber Co. last year at Hamburg, Antwerp, Havre, ami 

 Bordeaux. The new company will handle all the African 

 rubbers recjiiired by the United States Rubber Co., and, it is 

 understood, will finance the purcha.ses of Para rubber for the 

 United States company, which, tnough imported direct at 

 New York, have alwaj^s been paid for through London. 

 The Symington company will ahso engage in supplying 

 crude rubber to the British and Continental trade. The new 

 corporation dates from September 1, 1906. 



For some time past the Jvuropean selling depot of the 

 United States companj' has been conducted under the style 

 United States Rubber Co., Limited, at 47, F'arrington street, 

 London. This has control of the sale abroad of the parent 

 company's rubber footwear products. During the past sum- 

 mer an additional selling branch has been organized — the 

 Anglo-.'\merican Rubber Co., on Holborne viaduct, Loudon, 

 for the mechanical and miscellaneous products of the United 

 States company, and particular!}- of its important branch, 

 the Rubber Goods Manufacturing Co. 



The Messrs. Symington named above have been members 

 for some years of Alden, Symington cS: Co., of London and 

 Liverpool, which firm has been succeeded lately by A. H. 

 Alden & Co., Limited, as reported on another page. 



VOl.TAX, AN INSULATING COMPOUND. 



IT is apparent that an important demand has been devel- 

 oped for the insulating compound now marketed as 

 "Volta.x." .Vltliongh the name is new, it is understood 

 that the material has been the subject of experimentation 

 for several years, and it probabl}' has been sold at some time 

 under a different name. The preparation is novv controlled 

 by the Klectric Cable Co. (New York), organized in the early 

 part of this j'ear. Some of the most important railway 

 companies are buyers of the product, including the New 

 York Central and Hudson River, the latter in connection 

 with the electrification of the approaches on their lines to 

 New York city. Street railway lines are also finding use 

 for Voltax, and it is being adopted for house wiring and 

 like purposes ; it is also used as a waterproof paint. 



The formula for the Voltax compound is not mentioned. 

 Among the advantages claimed are that it retains its elas- 



ticity and insulating properties for a long time ; is imper- 

 vious to weather conditions ; is not subject to chemical 

 change ; is proof against water, acids, and alkalies ; is ex- 

 ceedingly flexible ; can withstand a higher voltage test than 

 any rubber insulation ; has withstood higher potential, in- 

 sulation, resistance, and melting point tests than any other 

 compound ; does not affect copper, and hence the tinning of 

 the copper is unnecessary ; and it is cheaper than the ordi- 

 nary rubber insulation. If these claims can he substan- 

 tiated, the new compound would appear to have a wide field 

 before it. 



The company above named, in addition to Volta.x, manu- 

 facture wires insulated with the solid compound, or by 

 means of ta])ing. 



BREAKEA.ST FOOD RUBBER. 



TI^OLLOWING the prediction of Professor Dunstan before 

 ■*- the British .Association that synthetic ruljber will yet 

 become a reality, not a little interest is attached to an in- 

 vention lately patented by a British inventor who hopes to 

 " revolutionize " the rubber industry in another direction. 

 His idea is to make " artificial rubber " from grain. Where- 

 upon the Montreal Standard, in view of the importance of 

 gtain production in Canada, points out the new source of 

 wealth in the Dominion which would result from the suc- 

 cess of the British invention. The .S7a«(/rt;v/ sa3's : "Vis- 

 ions of automobiles and bicycles with tires made of wheat, 

 golf balls that once were kernels of maize, pavements of bar- 

 ley-, and linoleum that might have been rye bread, give a 

 touch of Alice in Wonderland to the invention that is decid- 

 edly humorous. But nevertheless the invention is thought 

 so well of that a syndicate of capitalists interested in tire 

 manufacturing in the Old Country have offered the fortunate 

 inventor _;/;25o,ooo for his patent rights." 



The proposed new substitute for rubber is obtained by 

 treating any cereal with phyalin to turn the starchy matter 

 into dextrose, another chemical being used to check fermen- 

 tation at any desired stage. Thus artificial rubber may be 

 made in various grades suitable for tires, golf balls, lin- 

 oleum, liquid waterproofing solution, and so on. The 

 Standard hears that the inventor will shortlj' visit Canada 

 for the purpose of arranging for supplies of grain in large 

 quantities for the new demand. 



".Although the inventor believes that he may be the 

 means of increasing the price of food in England, he has 

 been thoughtful enough to provide against any danger of 

 famine, for he states that the new rubber can be made into a 

 reserve food supply. In the event of any shortage in edibles 

 the substance can be boiled and reconverted into food. A 

 satirical person might suggest that not only has the in- 

 ventor found a substitute for rubber, but also a means 

 wherebj- England's bugbear of famine, in the time of war, 

 mav be set at rest. " 



W. H. Ellis, of New York, who not long ago went to 

 Ab3\ssinia to promote a commercial treaty between that 

 country and the United States, and was created Duke of 

 Hawash by King Menelik, has been visiting Mexico with a 

 view, it is reported, to exploiting another guayule rubber 

 proposition. Ellis claims concessions in Abyssinia for 

 lands on which there is rubber. 



