Jim i . 1903.] 



THE INDIA RUEBF.R WOHLD 



299 



THE INDIA-RUBBER TRADE IN GREAT BRITAIN. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



T 



""•HIS headline may seem somewhat incongruous under 

 the general title of this correspondence, but all the 

 same I imagine that my readers will not press fen 

 apology on the few occasions when 1 draw their atten- 

 tion to rubber works situated outside the confines of Greal 

 Britain. Probably, though I speak with some re- 

 notes serve, Clermont Ferrand is the most important cen- 

 france ter, Paris excluded, of the rubber trade in France 

 It is here that the well known Michelin tires are 

 made, the firm of Michelin et Cie. having from small beginnings 

 evolved in a few years to a concern of great size and impor- 

 tance, mainly through the expansion of their motor tire busi- 

 ness. The important general rubber manufacturing firm of 

 Torrilhon et Cie. is also situated in the town, or, more accurate- 

 ly speaking, in the adjoining township of Royat, still, as in 

 Roman times, much frequented as a watering place. A third 

 firm making general rubber goods and employing a large num- 

 ber of hands is Bergougnan et Cie., makers of the" Gaulois " 

 tire. Clermont-Ferrand, I may say for the benefit of those who 

 are not deeply learned in the geography of France, is a strug- 

 gling town of somewhat uninviting aspect, but beautifully sit- 

 uated at the base of the Puy de Dome in the mountainous 

 region of the Auvergne, eight hours distant from Paris and 

 twelve from Marseilles. Coming to it, as I did, from the sun- 

 shine of the Riviera, I found the winds from the snowcapped 

 Puy de Dome rather trying, the region being one subject to ex- 

 tremes of temperature. Probably what would most forcibly 

 impress those who are familiar with the usual environment of 

 rubber works in London, Glasgow, or Manchester, is the fact 

 that at Clermont-Ferrand art has not been altogether trampled 

 under foot by the imperious demands of trade. The works of 

 Messrs. Torrilhon, with gardens, fountains, and flowering trees, 

 would form an agreeable picture postcard, and one which 

 would go a long way to remove the prejudices of the most ar- 

 dent Ruskinite against the spread of manufactures into erst- 

 while country districts. The reason why Ciermont-Ferrand is 

 such an important rubber manufacturing center appears to de- 

 pend upon the ample supply of cheap labor. The town has 

 few industries of any importance, and the inhabitants of the 

 Auvergne have long had the reputation of being industrious, 

 steady folk. The chief drawback of the place, I was told, is the 

 limited water supply, this sometimes proving a serious hand i 

 cap. All the works mentioned report themselves as being very 

 busy, and as having extensions of their premises in view so thai 

 whatever may be the case in Great Britain it does not seem 

 that the rubber trade in France has any cause for grumbling. 

 As far as I could make out the decline in favor of the rubber 

 proofed coat in England has not been reflected in France, one 

 manufacturer affecting considerable surprise when being shown 

 a rainproof coat made by a British rubber manufacturer, and 

 which contained no rubber. In another column of this Journal 

 mention was recently made of the Swinehart tire, of American 

 origin. This tire, which is of the solid type for carriages, is 

 now the sole property [in France] of Messrs. Torrilhon, and 

 arrangements are approaching completion for making it on the 

 large scale. The name of Torrilhon has come somewhat prom- 

 inently before English readers of late in connection with the 

 translation of the French book on the India-rubber manufac- 

 ture written by Messrs. Seeligman, Lamy-Torrilhon, and Fal- 



connet. Mr. Lamy-Torrilhon, however, I may mention, is not 

 engaged at the Royat works, but manages the large warehouse 

 of the firm in the Rue Faubourg des Poissoniere in Paris. 

 Another of his literary efforts has been the translation into 

 French of Mr. Pearson's well known book, " Crude Rubber and 

 Compounding Ingredients." Under the able management of 

 Mr. Murphy, an Irishman, who has gained experience in several 

 British and Continental factories, Messrs. Torrilhon seem des- 

 tined to become in the future an even greater factor in the rub- 

 ber trade of France than they have been in the past. A feature 

 of these works, by the way, is that one of the two mills owned 

 by the firm is situated on the river, and the rubber washing ma- 

 chinery is driven by a water wheel. In summer time the wash- 

 ed rubber is to a great extent dried by exposure to the sun's 

 rays, a procedure which is followed at some other Continental 

 works. 



This branch still remains in a very moribund condition as 

 far as the home trade is concerned, though shippers report im- 

 proved business during the last few weeks to 



the proofing Souln America> j ava> elc . Tne hoped for revi- 



TRADE. r 



val of the macintosh trade in Great Britain 

 seems as far off as ever, the predicted popular disgust with the 

 rainproof being anything but in evidence so far. The referen- 

 ces made by Dr. Weber in a contemporary with respect to the 

 smell of macintosh garments, and as to the means of obviating 

 this defect, have been read with mixed feelings by those inter- 

 ested in one way or another. The substitute manufacturers 

 express themselves forcibly, as is only natural, against the fol- 

 lowing paragraph : " It is important to reduce to a minimum 

 the odoriferous ingredients, each of which naturally contributes 

 its quota to the final effect. For this reason I consider it abso- 

 lutely essentia! to exclude absolutely from mixings intended to 

 yield odorless proofings either the white or the brown descrip- 

 tion of substitutes." Into the merits of the case as argued on 

 both sides I am not disposed to enter on this occasion. Trade 

 interests may of course easily prove a stumbling block to those 

 who at heart have no wish to prevaricate ; all the same it may 

 turn out that the defenders of the maligned substitute have a 

 stronger case than readers of the article in question would 

 imagine. 



This article may now be considered fairly on its trial. The 



reports on it made to me by purchasers are not by any means 



unanimous in its favor, but naturally the erst- 



THE while supremacy of the product of the sponce 



RUBBER SPONGE - , . .,,. . 



up-to-date. fisheries— to use a singularly inappropriate 

 expression — will not be overturned in a mo- 

 ment. With regard to the manufacture, I am not aware that 

 the struggles of certain British firms in this direction have yet 

 been crowned with success. A foreign firm to whom I men- 

 tioned the matter did not appear to be familiar with the article 

 but had no doubt they could manufacture it if they wanted to 

 do so. 



Editorial reference was made in the April issue of this 

 Journal to the position taken up by the Dunlop Pneumatic 

 Tyre Co. with regard to other motor tire manufac- 

 turers. The circular issued by the Dunlop com- 

 pany to explain their position requires no com- 

 ment from me, but I may say that something of the sort was 

 wanted, as undoubtedly the company have been maligned by 



AMENITIES. 



