314 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[July i, 1907. 



The India-Rubber Trade In Great Britain. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



THIS was the title of a paper recently read by Mr. W. F. 

 Reid before the Liverpool section of the Society of Chem- 

 ical Industry. Comparatively little was said about the 

 utilization of waste rubber ; in fact, the references to side issues 

 were of greater length. Guayule rubber was mentioned as not 

 likely to be of great importance, because the 

 UTILIZATION OF exhaustion of its available source would 



WASTE RUBBER. . , , , „ , /■ ut, 



not yield more than 18,000 tons of rubber. 

 There was no doubt, the author said, that plantation Para would 

 displace the South American product, as regards quality, in 

 time. This prediction is a somewhat confident one in view of 

 the absence of any definite knowledge respecting the differences 

 noticeable at present between the supply from the two sources. 

 Those who grow the rubber in the plantations are not, according 

 to Mr. Reid, sufficiently informed as to the requirements of the 

 user. Possibly they are not, but how about the South American 

 natives? I think we may take it that while the manufacturers 

 know the best quality rubber when they see it, they have no 

 special knowledge of the details affecting its production, and it is 

 difficult to see how they can help the planter in his part of the 

 business. Later on, in the discussion, Mr. Max Muspratt, in re- 

 ferring to Ceylon rubber, said that it had undoubtedly been 

 most disappointing and that rather fictitious values had been 

 given to it at first because only small quantities were available 

 and every manufacturer wished to try it. The descriptions 

 which Mr. Reid gave of the reclaimed rubber business will be 

 generally familiar to those in the trade, and they do not call for 

 mention. Special reference was made, however, to the Lexier 

 process, which has been "boomed" a good deal of late. I have 

 not so far seen any of the rubber and am not competent to 

 criticise the process, which consists shortly of digesting the 

 powdered rubber with twice its weight of terpined in a closed 

 vessel at 100 to 150 degrees C. The mineral matter subsides 

 after admixture with benzine, and the latter, having been dis- 

 tilled off the rubber, is then precipitated by alcohol or acetone. 

 According to Mr. Reid this rubber is decidedly superior to other 

 reclaimed rubber. Of course other processes have been patented 

 having the solution of the vulcanized rubber and its reprecipita- 

 tion the main features, but the rubber obtained has always been 

 of a poor quality. 



When figures given by various authors for loss in washing 



are compared considerable discrepancies are to be noted. That 



this should be so in the case of low qualities 



RAW RUBBER j ^^j .^.j^.^^ „^\g]-^i be expected, but with 



NOTES. : , '^ .^ ^ ,! c 



regard to such a unitrom quahty as rme 



Para the matter seems to call for some explanation. With re- 

 gard to this it should be noted that fine rubber to-day loses more 

 on washing that it did a few years back, and the cause of this 

 may undoubtedly be attributed to the acceleration in transit. The 

 tendency of late years has been to expedite the arrival of the 

 rubber in England, and slow boats have largely given way to fast 

 steamers. The rubber therefore has less time than formerly to 

 lose moisture during transit, thus causing the factory figures for 

 loss in washing to come out higher. 



With regard to plantation rubber, which had such a strong 

 indictment in Thk India Rubber World from a Canadian manu- 

 facturer a month or two ago, there is a very prevalent idea that 

 it cannot be depended upon if bought in bulk. The variations 

 that have been so noticeable between diflFerent small parcels, 

 have made some manufacturers chary of using it for really im- 

 portant work. In the card clothing industry, for instance, its use 

 has not yet gone beyond the experimental stage. As a prominent 

 manufacturer in this branch said to me the other day : "We have 

 not sufficient confidence in it to buy it and stock it. With fine 



Para from South America, however, we know that, whatever 

 bulk we may buy, we shall have uniform quality throughout." 



A point with regard to some of the new Ceylon rubber com- 

 panies has been impressed upon me by a late planter, and that is 

 the expense attendant upon the weeding. A prospectus states 

 that so much ground will be opened up and planted, but ac- 

 cording to my informant the rapidity with which the weeds grow 

 is frequently overlooked and if they are to be kept duly under 

 control a considerable expense will be entailed. 



A TENDENCY is uoticcable in the trade for small concerns to 

 be acquired by those in a larger and more diversified way of 

 CHANGES IN business, or who at any rate have larger 

 OWNERSHIP capital resources. We have seen the taking 

 OF WORKS. over of the Anchor Cable Co., at Leigh, by 



the Calender company, and the acquisition of the St. Helens 

 Cable and Rubber Co., by the same firm, in conjunction with 

 other large cable companies. The Hyde Imperial Rubber Co., 

 after a somewhat checkered career, now belongs to Mandleberg 

 & Co., the well known waterproofing firm. A rumor now reaches 

 me that the old established mechanical rubber firm of Broad- 

 hurst & Co., of Bradford, Manchester, is to be taken over by 

 another local company. Broadhursts have been in the hands of a 

 receiver for some time, and if the deal just referred to does not 

 go through it may be taken that the business will be disposed of 

 in another way. A recent advertisement in a contemporary is to 

 the effect that a Scotch rubber works is for sale as a going con- 

 cern. There may, of course, be family reasons for relinquishing 

 the business in this case, but speaking generally it may be taken 

 that the smaller concerns find themselves handicapped Owing to 

 their inability to pay for first class management. 



This company, with a capital of £50,000, has been formed to 

 take over the undertaking of the works of B. Cohen, Limited, at 

 PREMIER WATER- Bromley street, Manchester. The last 

 PROOF AND named firm got into difficulties some time 



RUBBER CO. ago owing entirely, it is understood, to 

 losses in connection with their Canadian business, and the works 

 have been since carried on by a receiver appointed by the de- 

 benture holders. Mr. B. Cohen, who has had a serious illness 

 brought on by mental worry, has now quite recovered, but will 

 have no connection with the new company. Mr. Joseph Cohen 

 being the only member of the family retaining a position in the 

 business. Of the directors H. W. Hassbergcr has long been 

 connected with the management and the bulk of the old hands 

 will be kept on. T. Lilley and T. Lilley, Jr., other directors, are 

 new to the rubber industry in Manchester, being prominently con- 

 nected with the boot trade in London. In former times the trade 

 carried on at these works was limited to waterproofing, but in the 

 last few years considerable extensions have been made to enable 

 the manufacture of mechanical goods to be carried on. 



The fact that British made rubber machinery has recently 

 been sent out to the Straits Settlements marks a new and at 

 RtTBBER MANU- '<^'''5t interesting departure. Up to now the 

 FACTURE IN districts producing raw rubber have not con- 

 THE EAST. cerned themselves with the manufacture of 



finished goods, and now the European and American firms will 

 have new competition to meet. For some time it may be ex- 

 pected that the manufacture will be only on a modest scale 

 and limited to certain articles, and it must not be overlooked 

 that although the raw material may be cheap and at hand the 

 hundred and one other requirements of a factory will not be 

 correspondingly cheap or easy of obtainment. 



New Pegamoid, Limited (London), on May 30 registered a 

 trust deed covering all their assets, to secure £10.000 [=$48,665] 

 in debentures. 



