350 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[August i, 1906. 



to the shape of the leather heel and fitting so that it is im- 

 possible at sight to distinguish the rubber from the leather. 

 It can hardly be contended that those who paj- 3 guineas 

 for a pair of boots are actuated mainly by motives of econ- 

 omy when they ask for rubber heels, so it must be con- 

 cluded that considerations of comfort have acted largely in 

 bringing the business to its present imposing dimensions. 



My recent remarks on this topic have brought comment 

 from the India- Rubber Journal and from Mr. HeylDia. Ex- 

 cept in one particular the former agrees 



MR. HEYL DiA's .^^,jj.jj ^,j,at I said, and indeed goes further 



SYNTHETIC BUBBEB. . ^ . . . 



in the way of criticism. May I, however, 

 point out to the Journal that it is an exceedingly difticuU 

 thing to prove a universal negative in cases such as these, 

 and that therefore it is quite possible that I found an inter- 

 est evinced in one quarter while they found it absent in 

 others. This of course is an academic matter of no import- 

 ance ; it is more to the point that Mr. Heyl-Dia, in his letter 

 to this paper, defends the use of the term "synthetic " with 

 respect to his rubber. Until I have some personal acquaint- 

 ance with the rubber in question it would be out of place for 

 me to say anything more with regard to it. Mr. IIej'1-Dia 

 saj'S he is ready to buy untold tons of Para rubber at i shil- 

 ling per pound. But I never said anything about such rub- 

 ber being sold at this price ; I merely parsed on the state- 

 ment made to me by a planter that the cost of production 

 was or would shortly be a shilling. A good man\- bodies, 

 diamonds for instance, are sold at a price showing far more 

 than a 10 per cent, profit on their production costs. No 

 doubt at the present selling price of Para rubber a good 

 qualitj- substitute, or synthetic rubber, might be sold at a 

 good profit. The point, however, which I wished to make 

 was that such products might not prove profitable if the 

 price of raw rubber fell 25. bd. per pound, at which figure 

 the planters say they could still make a good profit. 



From figures obtained from one of our largest manufact- 

 urers it would seem that there is no falling off in the demand 

 for cycle tires. Although, of course, the motor 

 THE CYCLE jjjg business shows continued expansion, vet 



TIRE TRADE. , , , , ,- , 



the purchasers belong for the most part to a 

 different class from that with which the bulk of the cjcle 

 business is done. The main difference of to-day compared 

 with what was formerly the case, is, it need hardly be men- 

 tioned, in the profit department. The reduction in price 

 from £2 to 15 shillings per pair of tires complete reduces the 

 profit earning capacity of the business to about the level of 

 mechanical sheet and it is only in a large turnover that sal- 

 vation lies. 



I UNDERST.'VND that Mr. Thomas Rowley has severed his 



connection with the Recovered Rubber Works, Limited, of 



Clayton, Manchester, with which he has 



THOMAS ROWLEY )jggn SO loug Connected as managing di- 



4 CO., LIMITED. ^^. . , .,, 



rector. IIis own firm, however, will con- 

 tinue to carry on business at their new works and offices, 

 15, Green lane. Brook street, Manchester, in the lines with 

 which the name of Rowley has been so long associated in 

 the rubber trade. 



The announcements referring to the sale of rubber ma- 

 chinery at the well known proofing works of Messrs. 



Abbott, Anderson & Abbott, Dod street, 



MESSRS. ABBOTTS, t • l. t J t l J . i » 



Limehouse, London, has led to somewhat 

 erroneous conclusions in certain quarters as to the state of 



the firm's business. The sale was by an order in Chancery 

 arising entirely out of a private farailj- matter connected 

 with the will of the late Mr. Abbott, the senior partner. 

 l"or some time past part of the manufacturing has been car- 

 ried on at llarpenden, and the decision come to by the exist- 

 ing partners to conduct the bulk of the business there in 

 future is only on the lines of what several other London 

 firms have done of late in the way of removing their prem- 

 ises to more salubrious and less heavily rated localities. I 

 don't profess any detailed knowledge of Messrs. Abbotts' 

 business, but believe I am not far wrong in saying that the 

 depression in the waterproofing trade of late years has not 

 affected them to any great extent, because they have been 

 associated more with the manufacture of high priced cloth- 

 ing for sportsmen and yachtsmen than with supplying the 

 needs of the million, and the demand for the heavy ex- 

 pensive coats has not fallen off in anything like the propor- 

 tion seen in cheaper goods. 



I H.\D an opportunity recently of accompanying an officer 



on barrack inspection and among the stores and equipment 



coming under my notice were a number of ground 



QROUNO sheets. The rubber on these was in the last stage 

 SHEETS- _ , , ^ ,, • , , , 



of decay and I was not at all surprised at the bar- 

 rack warden's remark that though the waste rubber dealers 

 were keen enough to get hold of other old rubber goods, 

 they did not care for ground sheets. It was reassuring to 

 be told that such sheets as these, in which most of the rub- 

 ber had cracked oft" or was in the condition of putty, were 

 only used for recruits to lie upon during firing practice. 

 From data given me as to age and conditions of service, it 

 was clear that the ground sheets had lasted quite as long as 

 could have been expected. It was stated that sea air had a 

 destructive effect upon them ; I don't know how far this 

 statement finds corroboration, but the seaside is generally 

 associated with ozone, which is well known to have an oxi- 

 dizing influence upon vulcanized rubber. A point which 

 stiuck me in the course of my observations and enquiries 

 was that very little appears to be known about the proper- 

 ties of rubber goods, either by those who use them or by 

 those in higher positions who are responsible for their use. 

 Official vigilance seems to be directed more keenlj' on such 

 unimportant points as a uniform distance between the eye- 

 let holes in a sheet than upon such matters as conditions of 

 storage. 



NEWFOUNDLAND TARIFF ON RUBBER. 



UNDER the new tariff' schedule of Newfoundland an im- 

 port duty of 40 per cent, ad X'alorem is levied upon the 

 items described in the following paragraph : 



Indian-rubber boots and shoes, and all manufactures in part or 

 in whole of Indian-rubber or guttapercha ; Indian rubber cloth- 

 ing and clothing made water proof with Indian-rubber or like 

 substances ; rubber or guttapercha hose, and cottou or linen hose, 

 lined with guttapercha or Indian rubber. 



Rubber tires for carriages are dutiable at 20 per cent., and 

 machinery belting of whatever material at lo per cent. 



A WRiTHR in our London contemporary strongly urges 

 the British rubber trade to go in more for the golf ball 

 manufacture. He figures out a yearly demand for 6,000,000 

 balls from British golfers, and he mentions several manu- 

 facturers who have made handsome profits from this trade — 

 one of over /25,ooo [=about $125,000] last year. 



