412 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[September i, 1903. 



for purely personal interests, and not by any means as an illus- 

 tration of Benthamite ideals. In saying that collaboration on 

 this side will only be obtained with difficulty. I do not say that 

 it would not be attended with advantage. It was suggested to 

 me recently that as there are now recognized standards of 

 purity for copper and other materials, there might be a regular 

 series of rubber mixings of which the electrical constants were 

 known and which could always be relied upon to give similar 

 results. At present the various cable companies have their 

 own formulas which they make up themselves or get made up 

 by rubber works to their specification. Perhaps a general 

 comparing of notes might result in the recognition of certain 

 rubber mixings as best suited to the purpose for which they are 

 intended, and no doubt the results of the American enquiry 

 will be studied with interest by those who are not disposed 

 themselves to contribute their quota of information. 



At the moment the predicted improvement in the macintosh 



trade has not made itself evident, and reports from firms who 



are specially laid out for this branch con- 



the waterproof trade. tjnue tQ be of agloomy character. The 



macintosh of course is not extinct ; in fact it is almost as much 

 in evid3nce as ever among those classes for whom it was prima- 

 rily introduced— that is, among sportsmen and agriculturists 

 and others whose occupations take them out in all weathers. 

 It is the town dweller, whose custom led to so great an expan- 

 sion of the trade, who is the defaulter responsible for the pres- 

 ent stagnation. The tar distillers have been hit pretty severely, 

 solvent naphtha having recently been bought as low as 5 pence 

 per gallon instead of three or four times that figure as in former 

 times. Despite the present unfavorable position of the trade, 

 there are no actual failures to record because the firms concern- 

 ed have either gone into the rainproof business, or else where 

 the business is a general one they have devoted their energies 

 to other goods with the idea of minimizing the loss and of tid- 

 ing over until better times, though opinions differ a good deaj 

 as to the probability of the macintosh ever again becoming an 

 article of large popular demand. 



The annual report of the Leyland and Birmingham Rubber 

 Co., Limited, is satisfactory reading, the dividend being 8^ per 

 cent, against 7J2 and 6J4 per cent, 

 respectively for the two preceding 

 years. Being situated in a country district and with ample 

 land of their own for extensions, the company are in a more fav- 

 orable position for extensions than are a good many of its com- 

 petitors whose premises are in confined town areas. When re- 

 ferring to advantages which the company enjoy, an important 

 factor in the person of Mr. J. E. Baxter must not be overlooked, 

 his long association with the trade having been marked by uni- 

 formity in success. 



I understand that the flexible wheel— that is, a wheel of 

 which the rigid spokes are replaced by steel springs— is again 

 receiving attention in France. The idea is not a 

 new one. at least as far as cycles are concerned, but 

 it never attained any attention except that accorded 

 to a freak. The object of course is to save the expense of pneu- 

 matic tires, though looking at the weight of metal necessitated 

 in such a complex structure it is clear that the saving is not in 

 first cost but in renewals always supposing that the flexible 

 wheel comparts itself properly and does not need constant at- 

 tention. ==Mr. E. H. Seddon, who I regret to say has recently 

 had a serious motor accident, has brought out a new tire which 

 is being a good deal talked about, but as it is as yet only in the 

 trial stage I shall reserve details for a future occasion.- = It is 

 somewhat doubtful whether much good will be effected by the 

 circular issued by the Dunlop company explanatory of the so- 



LEYLAND RUBBER REPORT. 



MOTOR 

 TIRE NOTES- 



THE ANCHOR 

 CABLE CO. 



called defects shown by their tire in the Gordon Bennett cup 

 race. At the same time it is important that it should be known 

 that the failure was due to the use of a wrong make of tire — 

 that is, a too shallow one— and not to any inherent defect in the 

 tire itself. It is now generally recognized that the increased 

 speeds demand a deeper tire, and these are now being fitted by 

 motorists who have previously used the narrower ones. In 

 advertisements the Collyer Tyre Co. insinuate that the failure 

 of the British to pull off the race might be attributed wholly or 

 in part to the fact that the Collyer tire was not used, a state- 

 ment that certainly cannot be refuted, though at the same time 

 one of not much intrinsic value. I do not gather that those 

 of our rubber manufacturers who have hitherto held aloof 

 from the motor tire business are particularly eager to enter into 

 the arena and this chiefly owing to the risks that have to be 

 faced. If a tire turns out unsatisfactory the fact seems to get 

 plenty of gratuitous advertisement with consequence of an ex- 

 ceedingly discouraging nature. As this is not the case with 

 other classes of rubber goods, they prefer to limit their efforts 

 to goods where occasional failure is not so disastrous. 



With regard to this company I was from the outset of its 

 formation, about three years ago, rather sceptical of its success 

 and from a variety of reasons. Before going 

 into a business nowadays it is advisable to pay 

 due regard to what reasonable prospects of suc- 

 cess exist in face of existing competition ; and all the more if 

 the business is one that requires the highest technical skill. 

 The sale of the works at Leigh, Lancashire, to the Callender 

 company, though at a loss to the shareholders, is as good a 

 thing as could be done under the circumstances I should think. 

 I understand that the purchasers intend to carry on the works 

 as a Northern branch of their Thames works. The great river 

 has been considered in the past as an almost indispensable ad- 

 junct to the cable business, but opinions seem to be changing 

 somewhat. I hear that one of the large cable companies on 

 the river is contemplating an entire move into the midlands 

 owing to vexatious restrictions imposed by the London County 

 Council, though it may turn out that this is only a threat. 



The interesting travels in Mexico recently described in this 



Journal bring to my mind the subject of a substance called 



" Mexican Gum." I obtained a sample of it some 



Mexican vears ago ( r om a rubber works but I am not aware 



GUM. \ . , . ..... 



that it has ever been put to any practical application. 

 It seems to consist chiefly of a resin with possibly a little low 

 class rubber, woody fiber, sand, etc. I cannot imagine myself 

 that the stuff can have any value, but as it has been at one time 

 at any rate put before the rubber trade it would be interesting 

 to hear if anything is known of its use in America. 



As the facts of the case seem to be imperfectly understood I 

 may explain that the arrangement made by Mr. E. J. Byrne 

 with the Dunlop Rubber Co. when the latter ab- 

 sorbed the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Co., has 

 been terminated. The agreement was that Mr. 

 Byrne should act as expert adviser for twenty years at the 

 handsome salary of ,£2,500 per annum, he not to be interested 

 otherwise in the rubber trade. The arrangement was termi- 

 nated some time ago for a lump sum agreed upon between the 

 parties. 



The St. Petersburg (Russia) Official Messenger reports the 

 discovery of a rich deposit of asbestos in the Irkutsk district — 

 on the line of the Trans-Siberian railway, in the Balkan moun- 

 tain region— and the formation of a company to exploit it. 

 Preliminary tests are said to show that at a depth of one foot 

 the asbestos is equal in quality to the Canadian product. 



AN 



EXPLANATION. 



