184 



THE INDIA RUBBER W^ORLD 



[March i, 1906. 



In a recent action in the chancery court between Messrs. 

 David Moseley & Sons, Limited, and Messrs. A. J. Nathan & 

 Co. an injunction was sought against the 

 A CASE defendants for selling tobacco pouches of 

 AT LAW. MQseley's make at prices which represent- 

 ed a loss. The injunction was refused, by which we 

 may take it that if a firm choose to lose on the sale of a cer- 

 tain article in order to increase their turnover and probably 

 make up the loss in other directions they are at liberty to do 

 so. Of course there is nothing new in this class of trading ; 

 it is frequently done and if kept within well defined limits 

 often has a salutary effect on the business in general. It 

 necessarily requires a suflSciency of capital if disaster is to be 

 averted and if carried on at all recklessly will soon show it- 

 self to be against tl'.e a.xionis of sound business procedure. 

 Not to pursue this topic further, however, I pass on to a 

 specific statement made by Messrs. Moseley 's counsel and 

 which seems to call for a challenge. This statement was that 

 his clients vverealmost the exclusive manufacturers of tobac- 

 co pouches and linings for them. With respect to linings 

 this may be correct, but with regard to pouches the term 

 exclusive even though qualified by the adverb also seems to 

 me quite inappropriate and to prove misleading to those out- 

 side trade circles. From sundry indications which have 

 reached me I gather that other large manufacturers have 

 read this statement with pained surprise at the depths of ig- 

 norance in which Messrs. Moseleys legal advisers are steeped 

 on this important topic. Of course the number of pouch 

 makers is not at all commensurate with the number of rub- 

 ber manufacturers generally, but Messrs. Macintosh & Co., 

 and Warne & Co., to say nothing of J. L. Hancock and the 

 Leyland and Birmingham have long been prominent makers 

 and the goods ; particularly the two first named have a wide 

 reputation. The black sheet rubber Horsey pouch of Messrs. 

 Macintosh is as largely in favor with some smokers as is the 

 red crocodile pouch of Warne's with others. As regards these 

 red rubber steam cured pouches they have long held a mo- 

 nopoly which has never been seriously threatened in spite of 

 the nuiuerous attempts of conipetilors. At one time the black 

 sheet rubber pouch was verj^ generally cured with chloride of 

 sulphur in a hot chamber. Then the advantages of the steam 

 cure with sulphur were recognized and this process is now 

 largely adopted. These latter certainly have a longer life than 

 the surface cure and they show no tendency to split at the 

 joints, indeed their life is such that renewals are only want- 

 ed after a number of years, a fact which would seem to put an 

 enforced limit upon the production compared with earlier 

 years. Judging by the number of peoples in Europe who use 

 pocket tins for carrying their tobacco it would seem that the 

 Continental demand for British made pouches was not a large 

 one. 



In the last issue of this Journal I notice a letter from the 

 Pitcher Lead Co., having reference, I believe, to what I said 



a few months ago with regard to the prohibi- 

 suBLiMFD tion of the use of white lead in France. I may 



say that I quite understand that the new- 

 French regulations refer to the carbonate of lead, this being 

 what is known all the world over under the name of white 

 lead. I should think that France now offers a ver5' good 

 field for the makers of sublimed white lead to increase their 

 sales, provided they can prove its efficiency as a substitute 

 for the old carbonate. As far as Great Britain is concerned 



the history of undertakings concerned with the manufacture 

 of non-poisonous white lead forms most dismal reading. The 

 most prominent of these was the White Lead Co. of Possil- 

 park. Glasgow, for which Sir Henrj' Tyler supplied so much 

 money. It has always proved an extremely difficult task to 

 get the large paint concerns to take to anything but the old 

 so-called carbonate made from the metal. The Glasgow 

 white lead was the sulphate obtained by sublimation from 

 roasting the sulphide ore in air and I presume the Pitcher 

 company's product is of the same chemical composition. As 

 far as the rubber trade is concerned there seems to be prac- 

 tically no difference between the carbonate and the sublimed, 

 a point which I satisfied myself upon by using the sublimed 

 upon a large scale in rubber mixings in place of the carbon- 

 ate. 



At the opening ceremony of the Manchester and District 

 Cycle and Motor Show held at the Botanical Gardens, Man- 

 chester, on February 9, to the mayor of Salford, 



OPEN TO Alderman Frankenburg, the well known rubber 



QUESTION. . ' ... , 



manufacturer, suggested that if the motor cars in 

 use in this country could all be made at home instead of be- 

 ing imported the problem of the unemployed would be 

 solved. I am only quoting from a newspaper report which 

 is probably imperfect, but I think it is pretty well recog- 

 nized that the bulk of the out of works, excluding the un- 

 employable, are merely laborers, not skilled workmen and 

 certainly not the skilled mechanics who alone can find em- 

 ployment in the motor car manufactories. 



A RECENT number of the London illustrated journal Black 



atid While, had a picture of the ruins of an India-rubber 



factor}' at Moscow. I suppose this will be Minder's 



AFFAIRS j^jj next factory of any importance in the afflicted 



IN RUSSIA. -' J f 



countr\' after the big St. Petersburg and Riga 

 works. But whether my surmise is correct or not the pict- 

 ure brings forcibly to mind the difficulties which capitalists 

 in Russia are experiencing in these days of unrest. With 

 the exception of Messrs Reddaway & Co., of Manches- 

 ter, who have large belting works near Moscow, British 

 rubber firms are not closely concerned with Russia, the fac- 

 tory for making rubber faced card clothing started some 20 

 years ago by Messrs. Horsfall and Bickam having been 

 stopped after a short run. As an instance of present diffi- 

 culties it may be noted that the English workmen engaged 

 last autumn by Mr. W. Coulter, manager of the new thread 

 department of the Russian French works at Riga, did not get 

 any further than Copenhagen, whence they returned home, 

 though exactly under what circumstances I am unable to 

 say. 



I REGRET to see it stated that the debenture holders in this 



firm have put in a receiver. The business carried on at the 



Hackney Wick works, London, was lim- 



B. BiRNBAUM ijgjj to tjjg waterproof branch, which, of 



& SON, LIMITED. , • J r -J U1 



course, has seen a period 01 considerable 

 depression in late years. The concern was made into a lim- 

 ited company some six or seven years ago and has had fluc- 

 tuating fortunes. In all probability the decision will be 

 come to to wind up voluntarily, in which event the trade 

 creditors will be paid in full by Mr. B. Birnbaum, who with 

 other members of the family hold the bulk of the shares. 



Mozambique of late has been showing a considerable in- 

 crease in the export of crude rubber, which is of good quality. 



