10 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[October i, 1904. 



lution making is cut sheet waste, which seems to repay collec- 

 tion from the numerous small users of such in our industrial 

 centers. As this sheet may contain small quantities of substi- 

 tute, this latter body may enter into rubber solution quite un- 

 beknown to the manufacturer thereof. 



In J^itge's Magazine for August appear some notes on elec- 

 trical matters by Mr. E. Kilburn Scott, m. i. e. k. He draws 

 attention to the fact that faults in cables have 

 A MAGAZINE (jgg^ traced to impurities — dust, grit, etc. — 



REFERENCE. , . , , -j , • j • u .u 



which have evidently got incorporated with the 

 rubber during the manufacture of the cable. He enjoins 

 on the manufacturers greater carefulness to prevent this oc- 

 curring, and instances as commendatory the action of the 

 St. Helens Cable Co. (Warrington) in lining their roofs with 

 Uralite — a substance which has a smooth surface and is 

 moreover fireproof. From my own knowledge I can testify 

 to the lack of attention to this point often displayed by rub- 

 ber manufacturers, a whitewashed ceiling, for instance, being 

 very liable to crack and deposit gritty particles in the rubber. 

 The maintenance of an equable temperature all the year round 

 in cable manufacturing is also advocated as conducive to good 

 work. So far I agree with the author, but where I fail to follow 

 him is in his reference to the special suitability of Lancashire 

 for cable manufacturing. Whether or not the bulk of the 

 cable made in the future will come from Lancashire is a specu- 

 lative matter in which any one is entitled to speak, but it is 

 strange to hear that as in cotton spinning the humidity of 

 Lancashire renders it peculiarly suitable for cable making. 

 Leaving the ordinary rubber cable out of account, it is certain 

 that as far as dry core telephone cables are concerned the exact 

 opposite is the case. It is incorrect to say that these cannot 

 be made in Lancashire as well as in America, for they are now 

 being made in quantity, but the numid climate is a drawback 

 which has to be specially guarded against. It is this very 

 moisture in the Lancashire air that gives it an advantage over 

 New York in cotton spinning, and it is somewhat startling to 

 hear that moisture generally considered the bug bear of insu- 

 lation, is to be looked upon as positively advantageous. 



More is heard at the present time of companies for rubber 



planting than of efforts to increase the supply from natural 



sources. In Peru it seems that there is plenty of 



PERUVIAN untouched forest land which awaits the enterprise 



RUBBER. , , . ,. , , . , J • J , 



of the capitalist. I have before me, derived from 

 an official source, the prospectus of a company entitled Com- 

 pania Seleccionadorade Minas y Gomales del Perii, with a cap- 

 ital of _^20,ooo, the stated objects of which are the introduction 

 of capitalists to the owner of mineral properties and rubber 

 plantations, and the carrying out of pioneer work in the further- 

 ance of mining and rubber production. The personnel of the 

 board invites confidence in the bona fides of the concern, which 

 deals with a country undoubtedly rich in both minerals and 

 rubber. Anyone interested can no doubt obtain details by ap- 

 plying to the office, which is at Bodegones 341 (altos), Lima, 

 Peru. 



A DIGRESSION TO GERMANY. 

 This firm, with which is incorporated the Harburg Gummi- 

 Kamm Co., occupies an imposing block of buildings in close 



contiguity to the Hanover station at Ham- 

 DR. HEiNRiCH TRAUN t^rg, and has in recent years been largely 



extended. Founded in 1836, they have 

 ever since held the position of the largest manufacturers of 

 vulcanite goods in Europe. It is, I understand, the intention 

 of the firm to hold a special jubilee in 1906, on which occasion 

 full details of the rise and progress of the concern will be avail- 

 able for those interested. Fifteen hundred men are employed, 



the manufactures being limited solely to vulcanite goods. In 

 my walk through the offices, warerooms, etc., under the con- 

 ductorship of Dr. F. A. Traun, I was much interested in the 

 rubber museum, which I imagine must be one of the most com- 

 plete in existence. The senior partner has spared no trouble 

 or expense in obtaining specimens of known brands of rubber, 

 and especially is the collection rich in the shoes, toys, etc., of 

 pure l^ara rubber, in which form the substance used to come to 

 Europe in the very early days of its export from South Amer- 

 ica. I imagine that such specimens must now be almost of the 

 scarcity, though probably not the market value, of the eggs of 

 the Great Auk. Compared with what obtains in England, 

 there is a much greater demand for vulcanite vessels and im- 

 plements in the chemical manufacture in Germany. This is 

 largely because the manufacture of fine chemicals for phar- 

 macy, photography, and so on has not attained to any great 

 proportions in England, but still there are many uses to which 

 vulcanite goods can be usefully put in the heavy chemical 

 manufacture which at present seem imperfectly known to 

 those who might profit by their application. I gather that at 

 present the London house of Messrs. Traun, which is situated in 

 Red Cross Street, E. C, draws the bulk of its business from the 

 electrical industry, the Silvertown company being the principal 

 home competitor. In the vulcanite comb business, of course, 

 the more recent competition of the Scottish Vulcanite Co. has 

 had to be met, but taking the vulcanite industry all round, a 

 glance at the works and the products of the firm under notice 

 makes it clear that in this branch of the rubber trade the Brit- 

 ish cannot, as in other branches, lay claim to being in the very 

 front rank. 



This great company, whose works are situated about five 



miles from Hamburg, is too well known to call for any specific 



reference ; indeed it is not many months 



THE HARBUHQ-viENNA sj^j-g reference to its finances and products 



RUBBER CO. 



was made in this Journal. Mr. Hartman, 

 one of the procurists for the company, gave me to understand 

 that the one absorbing topic of interest to the trade was the 

 abnormally high price of rubber. With regard to the Austrian 

 cartel, in which they were interested by reason of their Wim- 

 passing factory, he thought there was no reason to apprehend 

 any difficulty on account of the comparatively few rubber works 

 in Austria— fifteen altogether, I think he mentioned. In the 

 case of Germany, with about fifty works, and also about another 

 fifty small establishments where the rubber manufacture in 

 some form or other was carried on, he said it would be hopeless 

 to attempt any such combination. With regard to the progress 

 made by the Scandinavian rubber footwear factories, he put it 

 down largely to their protective duties. The Swedish duty is 

 now 120 krone (18 krone=/i sterling) per 100 kilos on rubber 

 boots and shoes. The German duty at the present time is 60 

 marks, though negotiations are on foot which will result in all 

 probability in this being raised to 100 marks per 100 kilos. I 

 understand that at present the imports of German rubber shoes 

 into Norway and Sweden have declined into insignificance, and 

 a rise in the German duty can hardly prove more than a retal- 

 iatory measure. 



The Hannoversche Gummikamm Compagnie, Aktiengesell- 

 schaft (the Hanover Rubber Co., Hanover- Limmer, Germany), 

 who, in addition to their extensive line of hard and soft rubber 

 goods, have been successfully marketing motor, cycle, and ve- 

 hicle tires on the Continent, announce arrangements for enter- 

 ing the tire trade extensively in Great Britain, now that the 

 leading Dunlop tire patents have expired. The Hanover com- 

 pany have long maintained a selling branch in London. 



