72 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[December i, 1905. 



THE QUALITY OF PLANTATION RUBBER. 



ON his return from a visit to Europe to his post as public 

 " rubber expert" in the Federated Malay States, Mr. P. 

 J. Burgess, in an interview reproduced in these pages last 

 month, said that he did not know that Plantation rubber had 

 yet acquired a " reputation." True, it is coming forward in in- 

 creasing quantities, which are quickly taken up by consumers 

 at prices much higher than are paid for the best Paia. But 

 then the Plantation product is so much cleaner as to justify 

 Mr. Burgess, perhaps, in asserting that the prices " are really 

 in favor of the Brazilian rubber pound for pound of real rub- 

 ber." That the new rubber possesses intrinsic value is nowhere 

 doubted ; just how it will compare ultimately with other rub- 

 bers that have longer been in use. however, and for what pur- 

 poses manufacturers will prefer the new rubber, remain to be 

 more fully tested in practice. Thk India Rubber World has 

 at hand several expressions from the trade bearing upon this 

 subject which may possess some interest. 



• • • 



In the first place comes a letter from the managing director 

 of one of the first rubber factories in Great Britain to experi- 

 ment with Ceylon rubber. He writes : 



" We have only as yet used plantation rubber experimentally 

 and sparingly. Until it arrives in greater quantities it is too 

 dear for the general trade, since the solution makers lan afford 

 to pay 2 pence a pound more for it than ordinary mechanical 

 manufacturers. When it arrives in excess of the solution re- 

 quirements, the prices will rectify themselves. 



" We don't make solution for the trade, but merely for our 

 own requirements. The quantity from any one estate is yet 

 too trivial to be worth much attention, and as yet the London 

 auction sales ofler the best choice for the buyer and best 

 price for the seller. 



" The qualities vary even from the same estate, according to 

 the age of the trees, whilst yet so young. We judge that the 

 rubber has not attained its full strength till the tree is at least 8 

 or 9 years old ; younger than that, though good gum, it has 

 not the strength of hard cure Madeira fine Paia, and is uneven 

 in strength. There is no difference noticeable in the rubber 

 from 8 year old trees from diflferent plantations. We have used 

 about 4 to 5 tons in testing it, from about 20 plantations. As 

 yet it is not safe to use for the finest work, such as India-rubber 

 thread and the best bladders, but where a ' weak Paid ' will do 

 it is all right." 



* * * 



A MEMBER of the British rubber trade, though not at present 

 a manufacturer, to whom the preceding lines were shown, of- 

 fers this suggestion : 



" It is true that an absolutely fair test of plantation rubber in 

 comparison with Brazilian Para rubber has not yet been pos- 

 sible, owing to the fact that the Ceylon and Straits products so 

 far have been marketed in such small lots — though the aggregate 

 may have been important — and varying so in quality and con- 

 dition that the manufacturer seeking to use these sorts has been 

 unable to obtain either an important quantity at one time or an 

 assured supply of a given quality for regular consumption. 

 These things will right themselves, however, with the increas- 

 ing production of the plantations and the better care in the 

 preparation of the rubber. But there is something lor the man- 

 ufacturer to do as well as for the planter, in arriving at the best 

 possible results from the new class of rubbers. For instance, 

 the manufacturer here quoted is of the opinion that the Ceylon 

 rubber is not safe to use In making rubber thread. But the na- 

 ture of his tests is not indicated. The fact that this rubber has 



not given good results for thread under the established practice 

 in his factory is by no means conclusive. Possibly with a varia- 

 tion from his practice, for instance in regard to vulcanization, 

 a thread equally as good as any other in market might be 

 produced. The whole industry will recall the variations Irom 

 any former practice which were rendered necessary after the in- 

 troduction of Africans before satisfactory results were obtained, 

 but now the consumption of Africans has become very large, 

 and for many purposes with as good results as from the best 

 Para sorts. In fact, there are uses for which some of the Afri- 

 cans are preferable to Paid rubber." 



» • ♦ 



A FIRM of London rubber brokers write to The India Rub- 

 ber World as follows in regard to plantation rubber from the 

 Far East : 



" At present the quantities have not been sufficiently large 

 to be taken generally by manufacturers, and it has yet to be 

 ascertained for what purposes these new plantation rubbers are 

 most suited, and how results compare with ordinary fine Pard. 

 There is no doubt that for some special purposes the pancake 

 and sheet rubber both from Ceylon and the Malay States have 

 been found very suitable, and the very convenient form of prep- 

 aration, but it will have to come in much larger quantities be- 

 fore it can establish its proper place in competition with fine 

 Para and be generally used by manufacturers who must have 

 regular supplies. Up to now we have found very few consum- 

 ers to look with favor upon the washed and crepe rubber, and 

 they nearly all say they prefer the biscuits or sheets, and will 

 do the washing themselves. The cre/>e and washed is liable to 

 heat en route, which is against it." 



THE ELECTRICAL TRADE IN GERMANY. 



THE report of Deutsche Kabelwerke Actiengesellschaft 

 (Berlin ; works at Rummelsburg ; founded in 1896 and 

 having 2,000,000 marks capital) for the last business year shows 

 larger earnings than in the preceding year, permitting the distri- 

 bution of 5 per cent, in dividends against 3 per cent, in 1904. 

 The report states : " This is caused by the larger cable demand as 

 well as by the changed market conditions. On account of the in- 

 creasing tendency for municipal ownership many of the electri- 

 cal works have passed from the hands of the electrical contract- 

 ing companies to city control, and the market for cable supplies 

 has become more open. This affords better chances of obtain- 

 ing large orders which heretofore fell into the hands of the con- 

 cessionaire without competition. The manufacturers of spe- 

 cialties are also benefitted by the increasing number of electric 

 plants erected by cities and municipalities. The prices were 

 only slightly in advance over those of the former year. Com- 

 petition remained very keen and raw material prices very high. 

 The management hope to even up on this by perfecting the 

 facilities for working up the raw material. The participants in 

 the company are : The Union Cable Co., Limited (London) and 

 the Cyklon Maschinen Fabrik (Berlin). The first one gave sat- 

 isfactory earnings and business is increasing. The Cyklon com- 

 pany, making the well known Cyclonet, has not made its an- 

 nual report as yet, but, judging from the great activity of their 

 business, a good result is expected. The present turnover and 

 orders now in hand are 50 per cent, more than last year." 



A PROMISING plantation of Hevca rubber has been started at 

 Koolau, on the Island of Maui, Sandwich Islands, 236 acres 

 having already been planted. The moving spirits in the matter 

 are Mr. Hugh Howell, county surveyor of the island named, 

 and certain sugar planters. 



