210 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[April i. 1907. 



Hunting the Guayule Plant. 



Another manufacturer, however, in his zeal to avoid civic con- 

 flict, did it on a large scale, and drove half the native population 

 to the hills as a result. Speaking of this refuse, it makes a good 

 fuel even wet, and all of the manufacturers burn it to an extent. 

 Indeed, if it did not decrease the cost of fuel, a large plant would 

 be forced to burn it to get it out of the way. 



One of the pioneers in this new rubber industry is Oton Kat- 

 terfeldt, whose factory lies on the other side of the town. I will 

 not weary the reader with the description of the circuitous route 

 over which my ten-year-old driver took me in the attempt to 



reach the "Otro fabrica." Suffice it to say we went miles out ot 

 the way. and I knew, but couldn't prove it. Mr. Kattcrfcldt. a 

 young erect German, for a number of years explored for the 

 shrub and shipped it in large quantities to Germany, where it 

 was treated and used long before the rest of the world was 

 aware of its value. When at last Mexico awoke and put an 

 export duty of $15 per ton upon it he built his present plant, 

 which for some time he operated as a heat and chemical ex- 

 traction factory. The cost of the process, however, has decided 

 him to turn it into a purely mechanical factory. The plant is 

 small to be sure, but it is the neatest and best built of them all, 

 with the exception of the Continental. All of his product goes 

 to Germany. 



This is briefly the story of my trip. Of course. I saw the shrub 

 growing, always on the calcareous foothilLs, and not in the 

 open plain. I also saw the near relative of the guayule, the mar- 

 iola, said by some to contain a small percentage of rubber, and 

 by others none. If it does contain enough to pay to work I know 

 where there are some million or more tons of it — and so do all 

 the rest, for that matter. Tlicn I hastened home — too quickly I 

 fear to properly express my thanks to all of the guayule manu- 

 facturers who received me so cordially and made my task of 

 getting facts so light. 



ROCKEFELLER NOT IN RUBBER 



A LOXDON despatch to the New York Sun says: "The Rev. 

 ■'^ Charles F. Aked, of Liverpool, who has under considera- 

 tion a call to the pastorate of the Fifth .Avenue Baptist Church, 

 New York, said to-day that when he was in New York recently 

 Mr. Rockefeller had assured him that neither he nor any mem- 

 ber of his family had as much as a penny piece in the recent 

 concession of Congo Free State territory made to an American 

 rubber syndicate." Tlie pertinence of this report lies in the fact 

 that Dr. Aked in coming to .America will be Mr. John D. Rocke- 

 feller's pastor. 



The entire product of guayule rubber of the Mexican Crude 

 Rubber Co. (Detroit, Michigan) will be marketed by the New 

 York Commercial Co. This company was organized last summer 

 by a group of Detroit capitalists, with $300,000 capital, and is 

 producing the "Viesca Standard" brand of guayule. The general 

 manager is Walter E. Parker, who sustains the same relation to 

 the Coahuila Mining and Smeltin.g Co., Limited, of Viesca. 





d 



Piles uf Baled Guayule Rubber at .-^ Me.xican F.-ictury. 



