218 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[April I, 1907. 



Mason, and indeed, a prominent official in the Scottish Rite 

 bodies. He is also an Odd Fellow, these two bodies summing up 

 about the only relaxation he takes. Perhaps an exception should 

 be taken to this, however, by the statement that insurance is to 

 him, not a daily grind, but a relaxation. No one can come into 

 contact with him without appreciating how he not only knows, 

 but loves every detail of insurance, and what an enjoyable pro- 

 fession he makes of it. 



The rubber trade owe a great deal to the Rubber Manufac- 

 turers' Mutual Insurance Co. in the work that they have done in 

 reducing risks in rubber manufacture and in minimizing premiums, 

 and in saying that one really says what the rubber trade owes to 

 the Tafts — father and son. 



AMERICANS START FOR THE CONGO. 



'T'HE first expedition to be sent to Africa for the development 

 ■*■ of the Congo concession granted recently to a group of 

 American capitalists, left New York on March 5 on the steamer 

 Kaiser IVilhchn dcr Grossc. The party numbered 18, including 

 mining and other experts, and was to be joined at Cherbourg by 

 representatives of the Belgian group who are financially interested. 

 At the head of the expedition was Dr. Samuel Pliillips Verner, 

 general manager of the American Congo Co. (No. 35 Nassau 

 street. New York), who has spent many years in African explora- 

 tion. The headquarters of the American party will be, at least 

 for some months, at Leopoldville, on Stanley Pool, and the party 

 expect to be absent 18 months. Three of the party are men-bers 

 of the United States Geological Survey, who have been granted 

 leave of absence. As reported already in The Indi.a Rubrer 

 World (January i, 1907, page 106') the American concessionaires 

 are to be concerned largely in mining as well as in rubber, but it 

 is probable that the rubber interest will be the first to be de- 

 veloped. 



It is Mr. Verner's idea that the first steps to be taken in the 

 Congo should be in the direction of gaining the confidence of the 

 natives and providing for the comfort of those to be employed. 

 He regards the native population as too small to develop the 

 Congo resources fully, and thinks that good opportunities will 

 exist there for Americans, both white and colored. 



According to the Mouvemcnt Gcograf>hiqiic (Brussels) the 

 council of administration of the American Congo Co. is composed 

 of Nelson W. Aldrich, Bernard M. Baruch. .\. Chester Beatty. 

 P. F. E. Christaens. Henri De Keyser, Daniel Guggenheim. .Solo- 

 mon R. Guggenheim, L. Hottolct. E. Hinck. E. Hiiysiiiaiis. A. 

 Rouffart and Thomas F. Ryan. [The names of the Belgian group 

 are printed in italics.] Mr. .-Xlfirich is a United States senator 

 for Rhode Island ; the Messrs. Guggenheim are members of M. 

 Guggenheim's Sons, smelters, and of the Guggenheim Explora- 

 tion Co. Simon Guggenheim, a brother of two members of the 

 council, has been elected recently a United States senator for 

 Colorado. Mr. Baruch is a New York broker with interests in 

 common with the Guggenheims, and Mr. Beatty is a mining 

 expert in their employ. Mr. Ryan is a banker. 



A PIONEER CONGO RUBBER TRADE. 



The .\nicrican Congo Co. are not the first American enterprise 

 in the Congo rubber trade. General Henry Shelton Sanford, 

 J. r. D., LL. D.. an American supporter of King Leopold's African 

 project from its inception, may be regarded as the pioneer in the 

 direct trade with the natives of the Congo interior in ivory and 

 rubber. His company, formed for this purpose, the Sanford Ex- 

 ploring E.xpedition. was merged in 188S with the Socie^e .Anonyme 

 Beige pour le Commerce du Haut Congo, formed in that year 

 and still existing. General Sanford was born in Connecticut in 

 1823 and entered the United States diplomatic service in 1849, 

 serving as minister to Belgium in 1861-69. He was one of the 

 founders, in 1877, of the International .\frican Association, 

 planned by King Leopold. The flag of the association was un- 



recognized by any power until 1884, when General Sanford se- 

 cured its recognition by the United States government in a 

 declaration on the strength of which the association assumed the 

 dignity of a state and assumed the name "Etat Independant du 

 Congo." The document referred to was signed, on behalf of the 

 association, by General Sanford. At the Berlin conference of 

 1884-85, of the powers which by that time had recognized the 

 Congo Free State, General Sanford was one of the two delegates 

 from the United States. Before his death Sanford founded the 

 town of Sanford, Florida. 



THE SENATE WANTS TO KNOW. 



In the United States senate, on March i, a resolution was of- 

 fered requesting the President to state whether the government 

 had information as to the granting of a concession by the Congo 

 Free State to citizens of the United States for gathering rubber 

 in that state. The resolution asks for the names 01 such citizens, 

 the boundaries of the concession, and the powers given to the 

 concessionaires — particularly "what powers are given by such 

 concession to such company or syndicate to exercise government 

 or control over the native people of such area, either separately 

 or in cooperation with the government exercised by King Leopold 

 over the Free State of the Congo." .\lso, whether such com- 

 pany "has submitted its concession to the government of the 

 United States for approval or disapproval, and whether the same 

 has been approved." The senate adjourned until December with- 

 out action on the resolution. 



A RUBBER SUBSTITUTE FROM IOWA. 



■XV/ RII ING from Fort Dodge, Iowa, to The I.vdt.\ Rubber 

 *' World, Aliss Mabelle Newland says: "I have, after several 

 years of study and work, perfected a substitute for rubber." 

 From newspapers published in the same locality it is learned 

 that the lady mentioned has been granted a patent in the United 

 States and several other countries "on a chemical composition 

 which cannot be told from genuine Para rubber." Another re- 

 port is that this composition "will do anything that can be ac- 

 complished with the best Para rubber, and can be manufactured 

 at one-fourth the cost of genuine rubber." Miss Newland is 

 mentioned as being employed in a telephone exchange. 



'•ZACKINGtmMI." 



Z.\KINGUMMI is the name given to a new substitute for rubber 

 invented by Zacharias Olsson, 3 chemist of Upsala, Sweden. It 

 is claimed to contain no rubber, and to be produced at a cost of 

 about one-third the cost of rubber. It has been used in making 

 a number of articles, including rubber stamps and gas tubing; 

 also for a tire filler, to be used instead of air tubes. It is stated 

 that a company has been formed to erect a factory for making 

 the new material. 



BRAZILIAN RUBBER TRUST. 



' I "HE reports presented at the fifth annual meeting of The Bra- 

 •'• zilian Rubber Trust, Limited (London, December 7), showed 

 a continued absence of profits. It was pointed out, however, by 

 the chairman, Mr. Ashmore Russau, that the company's property 

 had grown more valuable during the five years, ending April 30 

 next, that it had been under lease to a Brazilian group. The 

 company had been obliged to accept a very low rental, at the 

 beginning. Upon the expiration of the lease the\- would be cer- 

 tain to be able to do much better. The company had decided 

 upon a reorganization, with increased capital, and it was believed 

 that the shareholders would begin to get a return upon their in- 

 vestment. Mr. Russau was reelected chairman. The company 

 was formed to succeed the unsuccessful Rubber Estates of Para, 

 Limited, organized in 1898, with £350,000 capital, to purchase the 

 rubber property of the Visconde de Sao Domingos, on the island 

 of Marajo, near Para. 



