400 



IHE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[SEI'TEMnF.R I, 1906. 



considerable stocks were lield by American factories, wliich 

 for statistical purposes were then regarded as taken into 

 consumption, whereas these quantities were, in reality, only 

 used up bj' degrees Such a position does not now exist, and 

 it is probable that for some time to come deliveries will give 

 a nearer indication of the consumption. 



lleilbut, Symons & Co. regard the outlook for tlu- new 

 crop one of normal development, with an eventual total of 

 not less than for the season lately ended. 



HtCHT's RUBBfcR STATISTICS. 



For reasons which vv-ill be appreciated in the trade, it is 

 impossible to state positively how much rubber is produced 

 or consumed in the world in any year. It is of interest, 

 however, to consider the results of the most careful estim- 

 ates possible to be made by leading houses, and such an 

 estimate appears in the annual statistical chart of Ilecht, 

 Levis & Kahn, of London, for the year ended June 30, igo6. 

 The figures they obtain, relating to every kind of rubber, 

 compared with their returns for the jjrcccding year, are as 



follows : 



1904 05. 1905-06 



Total ;irrivals in ICurope tons i5<'i^(> 37 4^6 



Total arrivals in America 29,893 25,59(1 



Aggregaliiiy 66,27(1 63,o.S2 



Total deliveries for consuiiiptiou in 



Europe 35.712 3*', ''7° 



Total deliveries in America 29,371 25904 



Aggregating 65.083 62,574 



Stocks in Europe, end of year 2,670 3,4S6 



Stocks in America S62 554 



3,532 4 040 



Approxini.ile total production 68,879 67.999 



Approximate total consuniplioii 65,083 62,574 



Approximate total visiljle sup)ily 4, ,5^4 5312 



BRin.SIl RURBEK GOODS EXPORTS. 



TIRE TROUBLES ON THE GLIUDhN TOUR. 



TIIU question of tires is discussed bj' two writers in TJic 

 Horseless Age in reviewing the results of the late 1200 

 mile (ilidden tour. Harry B. Haines says ; " The run had 

 been a hard one on tires and on the cars which had not re- 

 placed shoes these were in shreds, being full of sharp cuts 

 and stone bruises, the result of the high speed work done re- 

 gardless of road conditions. One thing that was noticeable, 

 however, was that there had been very few blow outs, and 

 most of the tire troubles had been the result of punctures. 

 It was evident that the present tire product is a better one 

 and more serviceable than that of a year or two ago. " 



While hard luck in the matter of tires pursued certain cars 

 in the contest quite relentlessly, says Albert L. Clough, 

 there were a few cars which came through with little or no 

 tire troubles. It would be interesting to know how much 

 the tire expense was for the entire tour and how many tubes 

 and covers were used, but no official records were kept on 

 this or on any technical question. " One thing is certain that 

 the time and labor required for the repair of tire troubles 

 have been greatly reduced of late, by the use of improved 

 methods of tire fastening. Quite a number of cars have lost 

 their clean scores through delays occasioned by tire trouble, 

 and it is to be regretted that there is no available method 

 by which delays due to this cause can be allowed for, so as 

 not to count ag.iinst the reputation of the car which suffeis 

 them. " 



EXTORTS of British manufactures of India-rubber goods 

 during two years past, as officially stated, were in 



value as follows : 



1904. 1905. 



Hoots and shoes £ 205.035 £ 236,403 



Other rubber goods 1,214,494 i, 28 497 



Waterproofs 258,388 227,893 



Total £i('71.')J~ -^1,792,793 



In U. S. money $8,199,144 88,760,483 



Ivxports to the United .States amoiinted in 1904 to ^57,- 

 380 of British and .^,6305 of foreign manufacture and in 1905 

 to ^55,765 of British and ^^20,409 of foreign manufacture. 

 No waterproofs were included. 



The principal exports of rubber footwear in 1904 were as 

 follows; To France, ^27,727 ; Belgium /;22,678 ; Austria- 

 Hungary, /i2,395; Hongkong, ^48,525; Australia, /^s,- 

 404 ; British East Indies, ^10,552 ; Cape of Good Hope, 

 /8770. In 1905: To France, ^^30,460; Belgium, /25.3S2 ; 

 China, ^16,215; Turkey, /i2,02o; Hongkong, ^37,761 ; 

 Australia, ^27,389 ; British East Indies, ^12,938; Cape of 

 Good Hope, /i2,946; Natal, ^10,402. 



The quantity of rubber footwear exported was as follows 



in dozen pairs : 



1904. 1905. 



British manufacture 172,822 J97.811 



Foreign niauufaoture 39,501 9,966 



Total 212,323 207.777 



Imports of rubber footwear into the United Kingdom in 

 the two years were as follows, in dozen pairs : 



From- 1903. 1904. 1905. 



United States 62,216 106,733 60,395 



Germany 53 7oo 29,754 42i4lS 



France 3,604 12,148 14.273 



Belgium 3,72(1 9,772 12,807 



Holland 7.354 4.537 837 



Canada 4,748 13.0S3 10.(192 



Other countries 6 625 2,572 



Total 135.354 176,652 143.994 



ARE TlRbS BLCOMING SMALLER.? 



NOTWITHSTANDING the improved method of manufac- 

 ture and the increased sizes of tires now in common 

 use, says Automobile Topics, it is safe to say that nuire cars 

 are undertired now than ever before In the niodern cars the 

 cha.ssis is longer and heavier, every appliance is fitted and 

 very heavy bodies are used yet the tires remain the same. 

 Large tires cost more to purchase, but in the long run will 

 be found just as economical as the smaller ones. 



The same subject is referred to in The Motor World. It 

 says : " One of the evils directly invited by the loosening of 

 all restrictions on tires is showing its head even sooner than 

 was anticipated. There are several automobile manufactur- 

 ers bent on equipping their cars with tires with smaller di- 

 ameters." This tendency was formerly the cause of much 

 friction between the tire makers and the car builders, but in 

 time it was relieved bj' an agreement as to thedemensionsof 

 tires for the veohicles of given weights. It is natural of course 

 that automobile makers should wish to save the cost repre- 

 sented by the difference of an inch or a half inch in the di- 

 ameter of a .set of tires, and just as natural that tire makers 

 should oppose the u.se of the smaller tires. The Motor World 

 regrets to see this cause of friction being revived. 



