March i. 1907. 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



171 



fined? During each year of late the world has produced 

 more rubber. The total for any one year cannot be stated 

 with exactness, but it is believed that the deliveries to 

 manufacturers in the United States alone have doubled 

 within ten years, and the rate of increase probably has 

 been as great abroad. In other words, while prices have 

 been at the highest point, more rubber has been coming 

 forward than ever before. 



There has been no "scarcity" except in the sense that 

 rubber has been in increasing demand to such a degree 

 that consumers have bid for it eagerly at higher than 

 former prices. The question is not alone whether there 

 will be more rubber available, in view of all the plant- 

 ing, that has been done, but whether the demand will 

 continue to grow. We take it that Dr. Willis has seen 

 no indication of decreased demand, so that his comments 

 need not. after all, cause any great alarm. 



The rubber footwear trade was referred lo in our last issue 

 as if it had experienced a shortage of snow. But before the paper 

 could reach its readers an oxcoptidnally lic-r'.vy snowfall visited 

 New York and many other parts of the country, which shows that 

 it is not yet safe to prophesy about the weather. But now that 

 the snow has come, it may be recorded that it appeared to drive 

 everybody into "rubbers." It used to be a maxim in the rubber 

 shoe trade that to be of real service a snowfall should happen be- 

 fore New Year. But of late it seems that people will buy rubber 

 footwear when it is needed, regardless of the month. It is safe 

 to sav at least that the trade has not been ruined this winter. 



The cotton situation continues so acute as to be of more 

 concern to the rubber manufacturers than the cost of raw rubber. 

 Thus far no suggestion has come forward as to how the situation 

 might be relieved. There is not even in the minds of the trade 

 certainty as to the cause of the cotton stringency. From one 

 source comes the assertion that there is cotton in plenty, but 

 a shortage in spindles and looms. This explanation is good as 

 anv until a better one is advanced. 



Indications continue to appe.\r of the great extent of the 

 friendly interest with which the late visit of Mr. Root, the secre- 

 tary of state at Washington, was regarded in each of the So ith 

 American countries embraced in his tour. We believe thai 

 conditions of mutual friendly regard between countries — which 

 are possible only through mutual understanding — are most help- 

 ful to closer and more profitable commercial relations. The 

 other extreme is war, which cuts off trade completely. Mr. Root 

 and his government cannot feel otherwise than gratified at tin- 

 welcome which was everywhere accorded to him, and if his public 

 utterances be accepted in good faith the effect must be the weaken- 

 ing of doubts which have been expressed in Latin .America as 

 to the specific intentions of the United States. It may be that 

 increased commerce between North and South will not be an im- 

 mediate result of Mr. Root's journey, but it undoubtedly has 

 paved the' way for the more favorable reception of overtures from 

 this end of the line for a larger irade. After all, it is the mer- 

 chant who must make trade, and not government officials. 



Deresinated Guayuu: Rubber. — The various extractors of 

 guayule rubber have done some really remarkable work in ex- 

 tracting the resin, and producing rubber that comes about as 

 near to being resin-free as any on the market. For example, one 

 company has produced guayule containing only 1.06 percentage of 



resin, which is less really than upriver fine Para, which contains 

 normally 1.3. This guayule rubber is said also to be very trans- 

 parent, and free from stickiness. At first blush it might be 

 [bought, because of the freedom from resin, that the rubber 

 would be equal in quality with fine Para. That, however, does 

 not by any means follow, as the absence of resin does not neces- 

 sarily presuppose the toughened fiber, the lasting quality, or even 

 the compounding possibilities that Para rubber possesses. It is, 

 therefore, quite possible that an additional toughening process is 

 needed to bring deresinated guayule up to the standard aimed at. 

 That this can be done is not unlikely, but it must be along the 

 lines, in coagulation, that give to Para rubber its extraordinary 

 toughened fiber. 



Who can say that the government ofhcials do not try to 

 earn their salaries, in view of the vigorous efforts which have been 

 made of late to impose an import duty upon balata coming into the 

 United States? The sole basis for their activity is the fact that 

 "balata" is not enumerated in the Tariff act. But neither is 

 pontianak gum, of which vastly more is imported ; nor is guayule 

 rubber — but we don't care to cut out too much work for the col- 

 lectors of customs. 



There are indic.'^tions on every hand of the prosperity of 

 the india-rubber industry, not the least convincing of which is the 

 fact that it is nowhere disputed. But we wonder if it has occurred 

 to any one before that a very decided indication is the lack of 

 activity of the rubber manufacturers' associations? Somehow or 

 another these organizations never seem to get busy except when 

 the trade is thought by at least some of its members to be in a 

 bad way. 



It is no wonder the rubber tire industry is so active on this 

 side of the .A.tlantic, when it is considered that there are more 

 automobiles registered in New York alone than in any European 

 country, and there are forty-four other states in which the number 

 of automobiles is increasing constantlv. 



MORE RUBBER CENSUS FIGURES. 



1 N the last two issues of The India Rubber World have ap- 

 * peared details of the india-rubber industry in the United 

 States, derived from the 1905 census of manufactures, the figures 

 relating to the calendar year 1905. From additional census 

 bulletins now on hand it is possible to supply like details for 

 three additional states, practically completing the list of states 

 in which the rubber industry is carried on: 



Penxsyl- 

 New York. Ohio. vania. 



N'umber of factories 55 27 13 



Capital $4,752,250 $11,654,287 $2,579,606 



Salaries paid 462,953 622,715 102,568 



.Average number of wage 



earners 2,692 4.815 751 



Wages paid 1,113,381 2,318,259 365.661 



Miscellaneous expenses. . . . 681.700 1,740.245 306.772 



Cost of materials 4,999.714 10,225.800 1.313.245 



Value of products 8,265,690 15.963,603 2.220.355 



New York state will be seen to be a rubber manufacturing 

 state of considerable importance, though the figures given here do 

 not cover the whole rubber industry in the state. For example, 

 the bulletin for New York says : "The value of products for the 

 rubber belting and hose industry increased greatly, but statistics 

 cannot be shown, as only one establishment reported." The total 

 value of products of "Rubber and elastic goods" reported for 

 the state is $8,265,690. of which $5,520,865 is credited to New 

 York city. 



The growth of the industry has been particularly rapid in 

 Ohio, where the value of products increased from $7..i.io.i04 in 

 1900 to $15,963,603 in 1905. Of the latter figure, the share of 

 .Akron is $13,396,974. 



