September i, 1909.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



433 



SINGLE TUBE TIRES IN COURT AGAIN. kft uithoin l)iing specified, but it clearly was the idea of the 



Congress to liiinp them with rubber goods, the rate on which 



'T'ilE infringement suit, in relation to the Tillinghast tire 's advanced from 30 to 35 per cent, ad valorem. 

 * patent, of The Single Tube .Automobile and Bicycle Tire Imports of rubber goods into the United States arc classified 

 Co. !■. Continental Rubber Works (Erie, Pennsylvania), pending only to a certain extent. Separate account has been taken of 

 since November, 1904, has resulted in a decision for the plaintiff, hard rubber goods, but these have not come in in largely in- 

 filed August 7 in the United States Circuit Court for the West- creased quantities during 10 years. The average has been only 

 em District of Pennsylvania, having been rendered by Judge about $191,000 per year, and the arrivals in igo8 were only 

 Buffington. $293,000. The total increase in the imports of rubber goods has 

 The defense of the Continental company rested in part upon been at a nuich higher rate, however, and it is to be noted that 

 the publication by A. Boothroyd, in England, in December, 1S90, the increase has been most largely in imports from Germany 

 of the idea of a single tube bicycle tire. But the court decided and France, the countries supplying most of the rubber tires 

 that, whereas the application of Pardon W. Tillinghast for a pat- imported into the I'nited States. In the tabic on this page is 

 ent was a later date, "as early as July, iSgo, Tillinghast had a shown the total amount of imports of rubber goods for ten 

 clear conception of his pneumatic bicycle tube embodying the fiscal years (ending June 30), and the countries of origin. It 

 elements of his second claim," and that prior to September in will be seen, by the way, that the imports from France and 

 the same year he had disclosed the same to credible witnesses. Germany are declining at a greater rate than the total imports 

 The merits of the Tillinghast claim have already been passed of rubber goods. 



upon twice in the United States circuit courts in different juris- In connection with the tabic may be considered the value 



dictions, and Judge Buffington in the present case did not see of rubber goods imported during the fiscal year ended June 30, 



his way clear to depart from the theory on which the preceding 1909, which was only $1,301,770. It is not possible yet to state 



decisions w-ere based. It was divulged that the Continental whence the imports for this year came. 



Rubber Works prior to the latest decision had made about 1,250,- 



000 tires, and all of these under the decision infringe the Tilling- ^ BRAZILIAN VIEW OF RUBBER PRICES. 



hast clami. As the royalty demanded by the complamant from . 



its licensees is 5 per cent., with 15 cents per pair minimum, the [pe^m "the er.nzh.i.vn review" (rio). Julv 27.] 



amount of damages involved make a considerable sum. The p UBBKR prices have boomed up to 6.y. ^d. per pound, a rate 



Continental Rubber Works have given notice of their intention I\ evidently too high to be long maintained, because it is cer- 



to file a sufficient bond and appeal from the decision. The patent ,ia„ t^ afj^jj consumption and so reduce demand, apart from the 



m question expires May 23, 1910. action of speculation, which, with previous records alrcadv left 



The patent in question is No. 497,971, and the language of f^r behind, cannot hope to push prices much higher, but has 



the claim which is the basis of the present action : everything to gain by putting them down. 



s. .\ pneumatic tire, composed of a rubber tube, an intermediate In fact, rubber prices, subject to the general relation of supplv 



layer of fabric, and an outer covering of rubber, substantially as de- . , , ^11,1, t i^- r- t- ,• , j 



scribed, havini; all its rubber joints and component parts simultaneously 1° demand, are controlled by a few big German, English, and 



vulcanized together, forming an integral annular tire. American houses. Under the influence of the American crisis, 



The history of the Tillinghast patent recalls the connection prices were driven down from 5^. 2d. in January, 1907, to 2s. ^d. 



with it of Colonel Albert A. Pope, whose death during the past per pound on February, i9aS. Then when the great houses 



month is reported elsewhere in this paper. The Pope Manu- bought up all the stock at ruinous rates the reaction set in that 



facturing Co., then owning the Hartford Rubber Works, pur- has carried prices back and over 6.r. 4^., the highest ever known, 



chased the Tillinghast patent in 1905, with a view to using the h is impossible to believe that all this is the unaided result of 



"single tube" tire on their bicycles, and other manufacturers increased consumption. Consumption was never bigger than at 



pai<l a royalty to Colonel Pope, the patent ultimately forming the the beginning of 1907. previous to the American crisis, and yet 



basis of the present corporation. The Single Tube .\utomobile prices fell steadily from 5.?. 2d. in January to 4.?. 4(/. in July, 



and Bicycle Co. The energy and capacity displayed by Colonel before any crisis was heard of. 



Pope in this connection, involving his development of the bicycle It would be equally difficult to believe that the present high 



for popular use, and his propaganda for good roads— such as prices are the result only of economic factors. In all probability. 



bicycles could be used on— justifies the assertion by The Hi- as soon as big holders have unloaded and see that nothing more 



rvf/iVi.i,' World that "it gave us the pneumatic tires, now so ncces- is to be got by pushing prices high, they will unload and there 



sary to physical comfort and well being." The other forms of will be a sharp decline. It would, therefore, be unwise, in our 



pneumatic tires now popular came later; the idea is that the opinion, to count on the continuation of present prices. 



Tillinghast tire "blazed the way." 



.\ co.Mi'.ARi.soN of the profits of cinchona culture with rubber 



TIRES IN THE AMERICAN IMPORT TRADE. growing is contributed by Charles Bohringer to Dcr Tropen- 



— t'Hanccr. Dealing with 32.000 acres devoted to cinchona, he 



""PIIE advance in the rate on imports of india-rubber goods figures out an average yield of 394 marks [=$93,30] per acre. 



' in the new .Airierican tariff act doubtless has been made Again, dealing with the yield of a number of rubber plantations, 



in view of the extent of the trade in imported automobile tires. he arrives at an average yield of 224 pounds per acre, which, 



At one stage of the tariff discussion it was proposed to class at an average selling price of 10 marks per kilogram [=$1.08 per 



tires as "parts of automobiles," under which head tliere have pound], gives 1020 marks [=$242.76! per acre. But very much 



been attempts made to class them in the customs administration better returns for rubber have been reported since Mr. 



in the past [see The Indi.\ Rubber World, April i, 1909 — page Biihringer's article was written, while cinchona has remained 



256I, hut this proposal did not find favor. Finally, tires were at practically the same figure*. 



[MPORTS OK .M.Wlir.NCTUKKS OF IN1)I.M<1 I'.RKR INTO THE UNITED .SMTK.S. WITH THF. COUNTRIKS OF ORIGIN, FOR TEN 



FISCAL YEARS, ENDING JUNE 30. 



From, 1809. 1000. looi. 1902. 1903. 1904. 1905. 1906. 1907- 1908. 



France $81,862 $98,599 $121,217 $110,850 $129,632 $167,911 $332,250 $720,276 $825,399 $539,48o 



r.crmanv .06.161 163.942 182,442 197,608 308.551 427.917 827,452 960.086 1.028.746 737,278 



Great Britain. 178,788 291.647 150.097 113.589 132,^68 117.709 115.^98 124.798 193.468 333,543 



Other 12,498 9.900 24.907 27.709 95. 021 108.025 114,064 187.254 215,169 346,289 



Total $378,209 $564,088 $478,663 $449,756 $665,972 $821,562 $1,389,064 $1,992,413 $2,262,782 $1,956,590 



