80 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[December i, 1905. 



appended stating that entry was forbidden and drawing atten- 

 tion to the dog, which certainly could be heard within. 



It was with deep regret that I heard of the recent death of 



Mr. John Cooper, the managing director of the Dermatine Co., 



Limited, of Camberwell, London, and I am 



sure that this feaJing will be shared by all 



THE LATE 

 MR. JOHN COOPER. 



those who had business or social relations 

 with him. It was not until 1888 that Mr. Cooper, who was born 

 at Kirkintilloch, left the neighborhood of Glasgow, where he 

 was engaged in journalistic and other work, to come south, and 

 his work at the Dermatine Co. is a good instance of what energy 

 and enthusiasm can accomplish where previous training has not 

 been in the technical branch. Mr. Cooper used to say that he 

 was really no loss to the papers for which he wrote musical crit- 

 icisms, and it certainly seems that he found a sphere in which 

 his undoubted capabilities of organization and of attracting 

 custom could be utilized to greater advantage. The present 

 position of the Dermatine Co. compared with what it was when 

 he joined bears convincing testimony to the work accomplished. 

 As a member of the committee of the India-Rabber Manufac- 

 turers' Association, Mr. Cooper was a 

 regular attendant at the Manchester 

 meetings. Although he had paid many 

 business visits to the Continent, Mr. 

 Cooper had not found time to visit 

 America, though he has often told the 

 writer that he looked forward to doing 

 so. Mr. R. F. H. Webb, who has been 

 for some years a director of the Der- 

 matine Co., will now act as managing 

 director, while Mr. C. R. C. Hart, who 

 has had considerable experience of the 

 business, has been appointed general 

 manager. Under these auspices the 

 company should continue to flourish, 

 though it is inevitable that Mr. Cooper's 

 loss will make itself felt. 



From all accounts the motor show at 

 Olympia to be held from November 17 



to 25 promises to be the 



biggest thing of its kind 



that London has seen. As 

 I write I hear that our Editor will be 

 among the visitors and will doubtless 

 take on himself the additional duty of 

 reporter.^—According to a paragraph which has appeared in 

 the daily papers Mr. ClitTord Halle has invented a spring wheel 

 for motor cars to obviate the use of rubber tires. It is stated 

 to have satisfactorily undergone severe tests and to have proved 

 its capacity of withstanding side strain and of allowing the axle 

 always to remain in the center of the wheel while bearing its 

 share of the load. Paragraphs of this sort are occasionally in- 

 spired and so far I do not find much enthusiasm among motorists 

 concerning it. The sort of thing it is said, has been tried before 

 but nothing has come up to rubber for smoothness of running. 

 ■='=VIessrs. Iddon Brothers, rubber machinists of Leyland, are 

 busy making the wheels for the Hartwich Tyre Syndicate. This 

 tire isespecially for motor wagons and consists essentiallyof rub- 

 ber blocksS inches long and 5 inches thick let into the circum- 

 ference of a steel wheel ; these are placed at a slight distance 

 apart on the wheel projecting to a small extent. I understand 

 that in a recent test of 1000 miles with a 10 ton load the face 

 of the rubber was worn down less than jV of an inch. It may 

 be urged against this form of tire that it requires a specially 

 made wheel, but against that it is certainly economical and 



MOTOR 

 TIRES- 



THE LATE MR. JOHN COOPER. 



should have a good chance of competing with the pneumatic 

 tires generally used on motor buses. ==-I see that some ad- 

 venturous gentleman has got a permit from the Porte to drive 

 his motorcar through Turkey. From my slight acquaintance 

 with the roads of the country and from what I have been told 

 I imagine that his tires will have a rough time of it. Of 

 course there may be some good main roads, but the country 

 roads of which I recently had experience were simply stony 

 tracks along which a horse and carriage could only proceed at 

 a walking pace. 



The question of railways in Ceylon has an important bearing 

 upon the distribution of labor, both Cingalese and what is ob- 

 tained from the mainland, and this of course in con- 

 iN CEYLON "^'^''°" ^^''''' ^^^ "s* rubber industry as well as with 

 the older tea planting. Sir Henry Blake, the gov- 

 ernor of the island, who is now in England, is discussing the 

 matter of light railways with various authorities. The matter 

 is not sufficiently close to the interestsof this to warrant further 

 reference. With regard, however, to the labor question gener- 

 ally, I am informed that the difficulties and troubles which have 

 been experienced are largely due to the 

 middlemen who engage the men and 

 then get them in their debt by certain 

 procedure. Another source of trouble 

 is that the labor is intermittent. Where 

 as on the lands of the Consolidated 

 Tea Co. the hands are found work all 

 the year round at road making for in- 

 stance, at times they are not wanted 

 on the plantation, I understand that 

 labor is readily obtainable. What is 

 wanted it appears is the abolition of the 

 middleman and not too close a haggling 

 over rates of payment, and there will be 

 no longer any labor question. Mr. Julius 

 Hoffman presiding at a recent meeting 

 of the Rubber Plantations, Limited, re- 

 ferred to this matter and thought that 

 those companies who were first in the 

 field would be the best off as it was 

 reasonable to suppose that there would 

 be a deficiency. His other remarks 

 were not particularly germane to the 

 subject of this paragraph, but 1 may 

 perhaps be excused for a brief notice of 

 them. Overproduction of rubber he said is a myth, as at the pres- 

 ent rate of demand, especially for motor bus tires in seven or 

 eight years there would be shortage of supply of 40,000 tons 

 per annum. Moreover, the cultivated rubber could be prof- 

 itably sold at 8 or 9 pence per pound. Of course a good deal 

 depends upon the output of wild rubber, but naturally re- 

 marks such as the above are causing excitement amongst specu- 

 lators and have caused the recent promotion in London to go 

 off well. One thing seems certain, the published accounts of 

 the profits derivable from the Ceylon plantations show that 

 there is no need for close economy in the price of labor, 

 though naturally in the years of waiting there will be a ten- 

 dency in all directions to keep down the scale of expendi- 

 tures. 



The accounts of this small Manchester concern allowing for 



the payment of a 5 per cent, dividend with nearly ^1000 



forward must be considered satisfactory, espec- 



THE GORTON j^|| ^^ ^j^g opinion was freely expressed that 



RUBBER CO. ^ -' , *^ , , , ,, XT tT 



the untimely death of Mr. Harry Heaton a 

 year or two ago spelled impending ruin. 



r 



