November i, 1906.] 



THE rNDiA RUBBER WORLD 



45 



INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN RUBBER GOODS. 



I — THE UNITED STATES. 



THI'^ e.xport.s of iiianufactMres of Imlia-nibbcr from Uic 

 I'nited States, after having loiijj remained at an un 

 important figure, liave been increasing .steadily in 

 value for the past five years. The figures are ofl'i 

 cially reported as follows, for fiscal years endiflg June 30 : 



Going back twenty years, the ofiicial figures make this 

 showing of values of rubber goods exported : 



Goods. i8Si-8j. 1SS2-83. 188^-84. 1884-85. 1885-S6. 



Boots and .shoes. $ 27,622 $ 36,874 $ 57,047 $ 89,216 $ 74,947 

 All other 483,094 532,422 577,999 596,94o 589,357 



Total $510,716 $569,295 $635,046 1686,156 $664,304 



It may be noted here that in the early days of the indus- 

 try the exports from the United States, especially of rubber 

 footwear, developed to what was then an important extent — 

 to the value of $1,409,007 in a single year (in ICS54-55). The 

 ready sale which these goods met abroad led American capi- 

 talists to establish such factories as Hutchinson's, in France, 

 and the North British Rubber Co., in Scotland, with the 

 effect of at once checking the .Vmerican export trade. Tlien 

 the civil war came on, followed by a period of great internal 

 development during which there was no surplus of manufac- 

 tures for export. The foreign trade in rubber goods, there- 

 fore, may be said to be of recent growth. 



The manufacture of rubber footwear having first been de- 

 veloped successfully in America, and on a larger scale than 

 elsewhere, such goods have always figured prominenth- 

 in rubber exports from here. Before their manufacture was 

 begun in Europe more than 1,000,000 pairs were exported 

 from the United States in a single year. The number de- 

 clined later to a few thousand pairs annually. During the 

 past six years the figures have been : 



190001 i9:,c-02. 1902 03. 1903-04. 190405. 1905-06. 



1,469,103 2,594688 2,307401 2,310,808 2,390,539 2,693,570 



Nearly' 70 per cent, of the footwear goes to Europe. The 

 largest amount is taken by Great Britain, but of this a good 

 share is distributed over the Continent. Germany, France, 

 Belgium, and Turkey are large buyers, but every European 

 country is represented. Outside of Canada, North America 

 is almost a negligible factor. South .\nierica takes i per 

 cent, of the whole export. Japan and Australia complete 

 the list of important buyers. 



The marked increase in recent years of the exports of rub- 

 ber footwear has been due to concentrated and systematic 

 efforts on the part of the manufacturing interests. Similar 

 efforts are now being inaugurated with regard to other lines 

 o*" American rubber products, with the probability that 

 equally marked results will be shown. The fact that the 

 individual consumer of rubber goods, as a rule, is a small 

 purchaser, and that such goods are made in such great va- 

 riety, has always interfered with the development of a for- 



eign market by the method pursued in respect of goods 

 delivered in large lots, or the sale of a single article for 

 which a large demand was possible to be created. 



For belting, packing, and hose, Great Britain and Ger- 

 many are the best European customers ; in North'.Vmerica, 

 Mexico, Canada, and Cuba ; in Asia, Japan ; Australia and 

 British Africa also take important amounts. The exports of 

 these goods for two years have been as follows : 



To- 1899-1900 



Europe, $163,101 



North America 216,053 



South America 32,058 



Asia 37,880 



Oceanica 76,148 



Africa 16,590 



1904-05. 

 $164,311 



441,079 

 72,892 

 57,483 



114,146 



144.189 



Total $541,830 $994,100 



The customs records give no indication of what is em- 

 braced under the heading " All Other Goods " in rubber. 

 Such exports have increased in value more rapidly than the 

 other classes referred to, and they reach a wider distribution. 

 Thej' go to every country on the globe, but most largely to 

 rubber manufacturing countries, doubtless for the reason 

 that in those countries the use of rubber is more general, 

 and there the best market for rubber goods exists. 



Tlie total e.xport of rubber goods is not embraced in the 

 official figures, however. Clothes wringers, carpet sweep- 

 ers, and an immense number of other things, all including 

 more or less rubber, are shipped abroad without being in- 

 cluded as rubber goods. Tires that go out on motor cars or 

 other vehicles do not go as rubber goods exports. And this 

 condition is likely to exist as long as customs records are kept. 

 The exports of rubber goods from the United States do not 

 embrace shipments to our non-contiguous territories, which 

 were, until recently, foreign territory. Such shipments dur- 

 ing the past fiscal year were as follows : 



The imports of rubber goods into the United States ot 

 late have increased in value more rapidlj- than the exports. 

 The official returns for the last five fiscal years are as fol- 

 lows : 



Years. India-Rubber. 



1901-02 $ 449,756 



1902-03 665,972 



1903-04 S21 562 



1904-05 1,389,064 



1905-06 1,992,413 



The first recorded imports of such goods was in 1854-55, 

 when their value amounted to $43,720. During the civil 

 war the figures in one \-ear reached a trifle over $1,000,000, 

 after which there was a stead j* decline to the " low water 

 mark, " $170,814, in 1879. Since then, until recently, the 

 yearly average has been about $350,000, until recently. 

 What goods figure in the increased imports the customs re- 

 turns also fail to specify. 



