388 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[August i, 1909. 



Rubber Interests in Europe. 



THE Nortli British Rubber Co., Limited (Ediiilnirgb), bave 

 decided to organize at Berlin an independent joint stock 

 company, which is to operate in the German, Austro-Hun- 

 gariaii and Roumanian markets, not only in the line of rubber 

 and canvas shoes, as hitherto, but likewise in rubber mechanical 

 goods, automobile tires and the like. A circular issued by the 

 Xorth British company and the firm of Max Scherer & Co., of 

 Berlin, announces that the latter has by mutual agreement re- 

 signed the agency of the said company. The new company, which 

 is to have its main office in Berlin, will be under the manage- 

 ment of Josef Scherer, who for many years has been associated 

 with the firm of Max Scherer & Co., and of Alfred E. Baker, 

 of Edinburgh. The firm of Max Scherer & Co., of Berlin and 

 Vienna, will likewise continue in business, devoting itself hence- 

 forth exclusively to the sale of the products of the Helsingborger 

 Gummifabriks Aktiebolag (Helsingborg Rubber Works Co.), of 

 Helsingborg, Sweden, the said firm having had since i8g6 the 

 exclusive sale of these goods in Germany, Austria-Hungary 

 and the Balkan countries. 



The new business arrangement of the Edinburgh company 

 will be carried out under the style North British Rubber Co., 

 Aktiengesellschaft, Berlin-Wien. The Berlin office is Neuc 

 Friedrichstrasse 9-10. 



Referring to Protection v. Free Trade. 



A Berlin dispatch to the London Standard states that the 

 Xorth British company have opened a large office in Berlin in 

 place of their former agency, and will erect a factory there in 

 order to avoid payment of the heavy import duties imposed to 

 foster the German industry. It is stated that the North British 

 company are in hope of competing not only with German manu- 

 facturers, but with the Russian rubber shoe trade in Germany, 

 which continues large. The correspondent of The Standard 

 comments as follows : 



"This action on the part of the company is one more proof of 

 the way in which the free trade government of England drives 

 capital from the country and takes the bread out of the mouths 

 of workmen of a country working under its old-fashioned, out-of- 

 date methods, whilst a scientifically tarifif protected country, as 

 Germany is, not only attracts capital, but new industries, af- 

 fording employment for its workmen. German manufacturers 

 can export their products, with very few exceptions, into Eng- 

 land duty free, hence they are quite content to work their fac- 

 tories in Germany, maintain a small office in London and other 

 commercial centers throughout Great Britain, where their agents 

 can reap a rich harvest of orders, with the result that they 

 make hugh profits. English manufacturers wishing to do busi- 

 ness in Germany, on the other hand, everywhere find themselves 

 excluded by high tariff walls. If thoy really desire to do trade 

 in Germany they find it imperative to set up their own fac- 

 tories within the German empire. This fact the Americans have 

 long recognized, with the result that many .American concerns 

 have opened their own factories in this oountry." 



FORTY YEARS WITH ONE RUBBER COMPANY. 



The recent celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the con- 

 nection of Herr Jean Hagclsieh with the Vercinigte Berlin-Frank- 

 furter Gummiwaren-Fabriken led to the publication of some de- 

 tails of interest relative to the history of this important com- 

 pany, which are summarized herewith. The original factory was 

 established on a small scale, on the banks of the Spree in 1849 

 (just 60 years ago) by Mr. Elliott, an Englishman. The busi- 

 ness underwent various changes before the organization of the 

 Berliner Gummiwaren-Fabrik Actiengesellschaft, with 670,000 

 marks capital, December 18, 1883. Meanwhile a rubber factory 



at Frankfort o/M was reorganized (in 1870) and removed to 

 Gelnhausen. In 1886, by which time the latter had come into 

 possession of Wendt, Buchholz & Co., the two establishments 

 were consolidated under the present style, Vereinigte Berlin- 

 Frankfurter Gummiwaren-Fabriken. The original capitalization 

 u-as 1,000,000 marks, which has been increased gradually to. 

 3,500,000 marks [;= $833,000]. on which the yearly returns of late 

 have been 9 per cent. Recent stock exchange quotations have 

 been 139. When Herr Hagelsieb joined the staff of the Berlin 

 factory, June 16, 1869, the latter was owned by C. Bolle. He 

 has since been at the head of the office and financial department, 

 through the various changes here outlined. Herr Hagelsieb is 

 now in his sixty-eighth year, and bids fair to live to celebrate his 

 golden jubilee with the company. Herr Emil Spannagel, often 

 mentioned in The India Rubber World, has now been at the 

 head of the Berlin-Frankfurter company for 16 years. 



NORWAY— LABOR TROUBLES ENDED. 



The labor troubles from which the "Viking" Gummivare- 

 fabrik and the Aktieselskabet Norsk Galoche- og Gummivare- 

 fabrik in Mjondalen, near Drammen, have sufifered since Novem- 

 ber 14, 1908, and January i, 1909, respectively, have now beei> 

 settled by the signing of an agreement on the basis of a new 

 scale of wages, which is to be in force until January i, 1912. 

 Work w-as resumed on June 14. 



DENMARK— A SWEDISH BRANCH. 



The Aktieselskabet Helsingborgs Gummifabriks Aktiebolagets 

 LTdsalg ved John Prange has been registered at Copenhagen, with 

 a capital of 30,000 kroner [^$8,040], fully paid. Under the firm 

 name, John Prange & Co., hitherto has been conducted the e.\ 

 elusive sale in Copenhagen of the rubber footwear made by the 

 works at Helsingborg, Sweden. The managers of the new 

 branch are H. Chr. L. Dunker of Helsingborg, John Prange ano 

 W. J. Honum of Copenhagen. 



THE "SILVERTOWN" COMPANY'S MEETING. 



At the half yearly meeting of the India Rubber, Gutta Pcrcha 

 and Telegraph Works Co., Limited (London, June 15), the 

 chairman said that during the past six months there had been 

 a considerable change in the market for raw material. In De- 

 cember last the price of fine Para rubber was 5^. oj/zd. per pound ; 

 now the quotations were about 6s. per pound, and the medium 

 grades had also advanced in sympathy. To protect themselves 

 the company, in common with the principal manufacturers, had 

 advanced the selling prices of their general goods, and would 

 doubtless have to advance the price of their special goods, as 

 contracts fell in for renewal. It was unfortunate that the last 

 quarter of their financial year should have this advance in selling 

 prices to face, and it would to some extent diminish their sales 

 during this period, and lessen the substantial percentage increase 

 in their sales which they had experienced during the three- 

 quarters just terminating. Their tire and tiling branches had 

 been well maintained. The customary interim dividends were 

 declared. 



RUBBERIZED BALLOON FABRICS. 



The development of aerial navigation has led to great activity 

 in the rubber industry in the production of rubberized fabrics for 

 balloons, aeroplanes, and the like. Already The Indi.\ Rubber 

 World has mentioned at length the production of such fabrics 

 by Continental Caoutchouc und Guttapcrcha-Compagnie, of Han- 

 over. Three other German rubber factories may now be men- 

 tioned as having engaged in a practical way in making goods of 

 this class : Etablissements Hutchinson, at Mannheim ; Franz 

 Clouth, Rheinsch Gummiwaren-Fabrik m. b. H., at Cologne; and 

 .^ktiengesellschaft Metzeler & Co., at Munich. 



