Sekiemeer I, 1907.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



367 



The India-Rubber Trade in Great Brita 



in. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



IS 3 glance at the most recent statistics of the exports of Brit- 

 ish rubber goods, one or two features stand out in promi- 

 nence and a few comments may not he out nf place. Con- 

 tinued growth in the exports of rubber boots and shoes is shown, 

 and this must be largely attributable to the Xorth British Rubber 

 Co.. Limited, as bv far the largest of the 



of'hubbIr^G(^^S. ^^^^ British firms producing these goods. 

 It is worthy of note that Germany took 

 ten times the quantity of boots and shoes from England in 1906 

 that was taken in the previous year, while the demand from 

 China showed a large falling off. In general rubber goods, 

 France continues to be by far our best customer, a fact which 

 is considered very surprising by the India-Rubbcr Journal. I 

 cannot .say that 1 share this surprise; of course no details are 

 available, but I don't think I am far from the mark in attributing 

 an important share of the French imports, in value at any rate, 

 to fine cut sheet. This is largely used in Paris for the manu- 

 facture of rubber goods of one sort or another and the bulk of 

 the sheet comes from England. The English houses have got 

 so well established in France with this article that the German 

 competition has not come to much. In the case of cut 

 sheet there is now French, German and Belgian competition, but 

 I was told not long ago in Paris by one who has many years' 

 connection in this branch that where the best quality is wanted 

 the English sheet is always considered. Compared with many 

 other classes of goods the prices for sheet are high, and the total 

 values serve to make the exports of manufactured cheaper goods 

 to other countries small in comparison. This of course does not 

 explain aw.iy the great falling off in recent years in our exports 

 to Colonial markets — a disquieting feature of the statistics. 



Under the title of "The Industrial Police," the Saturday Rc- 

 I'lVti' in a recent issue commented on the parliamentary proceed- 

 ings in connection with the bringing of certain 

 FACTORY dangerous trades under the Factorv acts. 



INSPECTION. . , ^ , . , ,. ■ , . 



.\fter refcrrmg to the necessity of havmg 

 more inspectors, and to the desirability of these being men of 

 education and attainments, the writer goes on to say: "It is the 

 commonest of cases for the ignorant to suffer from their own 

 perversity, but the consequences are too serious for them to be let 

 to bear the brunt of their own wrongdoing." It is then argued 

 that the inspectors should have more power than they possess at 

 present to insist on work people taking proper precautions. It 

 certainly is the case that precautionary measures are habitually 

 disregarded by work people, with the consequence of stigma at- 

 taching to employes who may have done all in their power in the 

 way of providing hygienic appliances to mitigate acknowledged 

 evils. The writer goes on to say that there is a dispute whether 

 naphtha poisoning in dry cleaning and rubber factories is a form 

 of industrial disease and he expresses the opinion that the home 

 secretary's statement that carbon bisulphide and not naphtha is 

 the delinquent is a distinction not of much importance to india- 

 rubber workers who are poisoned in their trade. Here, I think, 

 the writer is showing his ignorance of the trade; he seems to 

 imagine that the naphtha and bisulphide vapors are breathed at 

 one and the same time, and that one cannot discriminate between 

 them. I am not in the secrets of the dry cleaning trade, but 

 believe that light petroleum is used and not the solvent naphtha 

 of the rubber works. .\s far as rubber works are concerned, I 

 think the departmental committee on whose findings the home 

 secretary is acting were quite right in refusing to recognize 

 naphtha vapors as poisonous, and I don't know of any evidence 

 to the effect that naphtha poisoning is an industrial disease. 

 Under certain constitutions the concentrated vapors if breathed 

 in a confined space may certainly have an into.xicating effect, but 

 this is merely temporary, recovery taking place after a short time 



SOLVENT 



PBICE6. 



in the open air. However, the discussion on the subject will 

 have done some good if it leads to the recognition of the fact 

 that work rooms should be efficiently ventilated and that it is 

 desirable to put workers who are particularly affected by the 

 vapors in some other department. I have not a word to say 

 against the carbon bisulphide regulation, but factory inspection 

 may be carried to too great lengths with the result of prejudi- 

 cially affecting both the employers and the employed. 



Sh.\le spirit, a product of the shale distillation industry of 

 Scotland, has of late years been more largely used in English 

 rubber works than was formerly the case. 

 Xot only has the lower price proved an attrac- 

 tion over coal tar naphtha, but the product is 

 uf decidedly better quality than used to be the case twenty years 

 ago, a less penetrating smell and freedom from hea\-y oils being 

 distinguishing features of the product of to-day. Quite recently, 

 however, the price has risen to l shilling per gallon, bringing it 

 nearly on a level with coal tar naphtha, and if a further slight 

 rise should take place there can be little doubt that the latter will 

 be bought by those who are now using the shale spirit. The rise 

 in the price of the latter appears to be due to its use in motor 

 cars in place of petrol (gasolene), and if its suitability is gener- 

 ally recognized the manufacturers will find the new market 

 profitable enough to enable them to bear the secession of the 

 rubber manufacturers with equanimity. 



There was nothing about the annual meeting held this year in 



Birmingham which calls for particular notice here. The visits 



to factories in the district did not in- 



I^SJal^industey. '^'"''^ ^"y °^ ^^^ '■"''''^'' "'"■•'^ """^ '"■■« 

 any of the rubber manufacturers who 



are members of the society present. Visits were paid to the 

 Daimler motor car works at Coventry and to the Rudge-Whit- 

 worth cycle works. The Daimler company had tires of various 

 makes in their shops, but they merely fit them to the new cars at 

 the order of the customer, and do not take any responsibility for 

 them. I did not go to the Rudge-Whitworth works, but from 

 what was told me I gather that the chemical laboratory and the 

 arrangements for mechanically testing the tires proved of great 

 interest. Evidently the company has now no need of such expert 

 assistance as was at one time rendered by the late Dr. Weber. 

 Besides chemical tests, the tenacity of the rubber and canvas and 

 the cap.icity for resisting abrasion are regularly determined by 

 special mechanical tests. 



So far the weather this summer has been all in favor of the 



macintosh instead of the parasol. But quite apart from such 



transcient influences there is an undoubted 



WATERPROOF reaction in favor of the macintosh to the 



BRANCH. , . , , , , , ■ 



detriment of the showerproof garment. It is 

 said that this reaction occurs in cycles of about fifteen years, 

 though I don't know how far this statement will find corrobora- 

 tion in the trade. With a further statement that at these re- 

 curring periods the goods are at first of good qualitj-, and be- 

 cause of lower and lower grade owing to internecine competi- 

 tion, there will probably be agreement. It will be unfortunate, 

 then, if the lessons of the past are discarded and if history re- 

 peats itself with the result of distrust as to quality filling the 

 minds of purchasers previously inspired with confidence. In 

 one way the present "boom" has come at an awkward time. 

 Owing to the almost unexampled activity in the textile industries 

 of Lancashire and Yorkshire the waterproofers are finding it ex- 

 ceedingly difficult to get prompt dehveries : indeed they consider 

 themselves fortunate if orders are executed within three months. 

 Mention has been made in this journal more than once of 

 the new use which has arisen for rubber hose in connection with 



