April i, 1906.] 



THE INDIA RUfJBER WORLD 



215 



is exciting solicitude among the rubber manufacturers 

 of the country and therefore should be fully and care- 

 fully explained to demonstrate that they cannot be in- 

 jured by its passage." Still later the bill passed the 

 Senate, and it now awaits the signature of the Tresident. 



Thkre have bekn many eoMi'i.AiNTS against the Tscw 

 York subway, some just and some unjust, and some that have 

 gone wide of the mark. Many complain of the draughts, 

 while others complain of the lack of air. Now these two 

 complaints seem to conflict, since there can hardly he too 

 much and too little air at the same time and place. Some 

 tiniL- ago a citizen who evidently objected to air, suggested 

 that the subway company make their trains solid vestibuled 

 by using the rubber device employed on railroad trains, which 

 would have the effect, as he said, of " completely excluding 

 tliL- air from the platform." Such a scheuie would undoul>t- 

 edly increase the trade in rubber, but an increased tiade in 

 fresh air would doubtless be of more immediate utility to the 

 majority of " ground hogs " who use the subway regularly. 



The rubber exhibition to be held in the Far Kast in 

 Scptendjer, to consist of products of rubber plantations, and 

 demonstrate the various methods, processes, and mechanical 

 appliances involved, doubtless will attract more widespread 

 attention than any other agricultural show ever organized. 

 Will our friends who are planting in Mexico, when they have 

 been so long " in rubber," be able to make as good a show- 

 ing as their British cousins ? 



Rubber is waterproop in more senses than one. There 

 was a million pounds of the stuff on a steamer which nar- 

 rowly escaped being wrecked just outside New York harbor 

 in a recent storm. But if the vessel had been lost, doubtless 

 much of the rubber would have been recovered, none the 

 worse for a sea bath. At the same time Kngland's most 

 largely capitalized rubber company was wringing several 

 millions of dollars of " water " from its assets sheet, its di- 

 rectors congratulating themselves upon the excellent condi- 

 tion of the company in spite of the inflated issue of shares 

 oustanding for so long. Evidently rubber is iu'pervious to 

 water however applied. 



\Ve have followed with interest the records of the 

 London auctions in relation to the rubber coming from a 

 certain plantation in the Malay States. It appears tliat at 

 the last half dozen sales, 156 cases of rubber from tliis 

 estate have been offered, of which 129 brought 6 shillings 

 [=$1.46] per pound, and some lots as high as 6s. T,'id. 

 [51.52^]. Even the "scrap" brought 5^. [=$1.21 >s] 

 and upward, except part of one lot of 8 cases, which went 

 under the hammer at 4 shillings and a farthing. Tliese facts 

 are of such interest, for legitimate purposes, that it is U, 

 be regretted that their publication helps certain promoters 

 to sell even good rubber properties for more than their value. 



The Germans have refused to believe, with some 

 Americans, that submarine cables could be made only in 

 England. Hence they have gone ahead and put themselves 

 in a position to make their own ocean cables. Sonie inter- 



esting comments on their success are reproduced on another 

 page from a high English source. Meanwhile we are obliged 

 to clironicle the news of two cable laying operations in the 

 Pacific, l)ackcd by American capital but employing the prod- 

 ucts of ICnglisli factories. If America continues to buy cables 

 abroad, doubtless we shall soon see German factories seeking 

 contracts here. 



Thi-: liKGINNINCS OF THE RUBBER INDUSTRY continue to be 

 recalled by the anniversaries of the survivors, now few in 

 number, of the era before vulcanization was known. Some 

 I'.istorical matter of this sort we print this month, not the 

 least interesting feature of which is the pointing out of the 

 great changes that have taken place in ruljber trade meth- 

 ods within the lifetime of persons still active in the trade. 

 Capacity for such change is the best evidence of vitality, and 

 let us hope that it will long continue. 



At a recent bankers' banquet in r'liiladelphia Mr. 

 vSimeon Eord, of New York, made a witty speech, in which 

 he favored elastic currency. Playing on the name, he said 

 that he would like a currency so elastic that a S.^ note could 

 be stretched over his hotel bill, and then snap back into his 

 pocket. This amusing turn to the word "elastic "recalls 

 the common complaint of economists, that the United States 

 currency always stretches the wrong way. When business 

 is dull, for want of currency, it is to the interest of bankeis 

 to so manipulate their bond holdings, that the volume of 

 currency is further restricted. The reverse happens during 

 brisk trade, so that the ups and downs of business are always 

 exaggerated, much to the distress of straightforward dealing, 

 which wishes neither booms nor panics. 



If the demand for rubhuk tires continues to increase, 

 the rubber planters can feel encouraged, even if every other 

 use of this commoditv should cease. 



BRAZILIAN IMPORTS OF RUBBER GCODS. 



OFFICI.M, statement of values (in milreis), during two 

 calendar years. [These figures doubtless fail to in 

 elude many articles embracing more or less rubber, 1 ut 

 classified under other headings than " manufactures of rub- 

 ber."] : 



ORIGIN. DESTINATION.- 



CouNTRiKS. 1903 19^4. Ports 1903. 1904. 



Gerinaiiv 8/3,259 797,664 Manaos 77.64" 84,950 



United Stales .150,776 156,639 Para 155.725 145.9'° 



France 2,S9,37i 275,602 Pernambuco. . .135,703 92>757 



Great Britain ... 767,308 714,016 Bahia 5*9,728 90,329 



Italv 189,872 218,164 RiodeJaneirol,244,26l 1,025,847 



.•\.ll()ther io4.2.>7 118,677 Santos 377. 203 585,292 



Porto Alegre. ..104,168 97 537 



Total 2,374,8232,280,762 Other Ports 190,395 158,10. 



Total 2,374,823 2,^80,762 



Enuiv.\LENT with exchange at 12 pence to : 



1903 1904 



Fiiited .States gold $577, 853-81 8554,966.41 



Slerlin;,' /'nS,74l 3s. i"l 14,03^ 2S. 



Mkriden Rubber Corporation, of which Herbert J. Foster 

 is manager, in Vera Cruz, reports to its shareholders that 

 two men have been at work tapping, producing from 6 to 9 

 pounds of dry creamed rubber per day. 



