54 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[November i, 1904. 



THE SINGAPORE GUTTA-PERCHA TRADE. 



TO THE EDITOR OF "THE STRAITS TIMES " (SINGAPORE). 



VOUR informant on Gutta adulteration evidently knows 

 very little of the article, and his fantastic and misleading 

 statements ought, I think, in the interests of the reputation of 

 Singapore trade, to be contradicted. 



The shipments of Gutta from London to Singapore represent 

 to a great extent Singapore consignments sent back to their 

 unlucky shippers. The principal consumers ol Gutta having 

 now their buyers in Singapore, will buy nothing in the London 

 market, and certain qualities were absolutely unsalable in 

 London, although prices in Singapore had gone very high. The 

 consequence was that several lots have been brought back. 



If Batata has been imported, it must have been in quantities 

 of not very much importance. Besides, as you know, there are 

 hundreds of different sorts of Gutta, worth from $5 — up to S700 

 — per pikul [=i33/j pounds], according to their special merits 



Every small place where the article is collected sends to 

 Singapore different sorts, which you must divide again into dif- 

 ferent graduations according to quality, so that every single 

 piece of Gutta has to be valued separately and you must even 

 cut them through, because you mostly find that the inside of a 

 piece is quite different to the outside. You also probably will 

 know that a very large quantity of this Gutta has always been 

 boiled and mixed again in Singapore by half a dozen large 

 Chinese dealers. Thisisdone partly to utilize numerous small 

 lots of Gutta yvhich on account of their irregular supply cannot 

 be sold as they are. and many pieces refused by the European 

 buyer on account of their adulteration with wood or stones, 

 which for that reason have to be cut into small pieces and 

 cleaned. 



The reboiling is also done to utilize inferior qualities, which 

 unless mixed with better qualities would much sooner deteri- 

 orate, and many hundreds of tons of Soh and Jolotong, worth 

 from $5 to$ 1 5, have been so treated every year ever since the ex- 

 port of Gutta from Singapore began. The Chinaman, as long as 

 he hopes to deceive the buyer, will evidently try to put into his 

 mixture as little as possible of the good expensive Gutta and as 

 much as possible of the low kinds. The buyer knows all this 

 very well, but, as it would not be more convenient for him to 

 do otherwise, has always taken the many sorts of reboiled Gutta 

 which the Chinamen prepare, trying to be as careful as possible. 

 in order not to pay for it in excess of its actual value. 



You will see from this that if the mixture of Gutta with Soh 

 and Jolotong worth $5 to $15 has never done any harm to the 

 Singapore trade it must be absurd to say that any mixture with 

 Balata, which is a superior sort of Gutta worth from $100 to $200 

 per pikul, can have had any such effect. If any such mixture 

 has taken place, which seems strange, considering the high 

 price of Balata compared to inferior sorts of Gutta formerly 

 used, it would have had only the effect to improve the aver- 

 age quality of reboiled Gutta. That the quality of all Gutta 

 sorts (genuine more than reboiled) has been getting poorer 

 and poorer for the last 20 years is quite true, but the reason for 

 this has nothing to do with adulteration in Singapore. It is 

 from the jungle that a lower Gutta is brought out, partly be- 

 cause the plants giving the better qualities have more and 

 more been destroyed, partly because the natives, on account ol 

 the very high prices, found it easier to sell even interior quality 

 and do not take the trouble to prepare the Gutta so carefully 

 as formerly. To say that adulteration in Singapore can have 

 anything to do with the decreased exports is absurd. 



The demand has naturally ceased last year on account of the 

 completion of some large cables. The manufacturers having 



no new orders for cables cannot buy. We are going now 

 through a period of stagnation, due to want of demand, which 

 it is hoped will cease if new cables have to be constructed. The 

 trade has not gone elsewhere, as your informant says, and there 

 is no reason to think it will shift to any other place unless the 

 reputation of the market is damaged by alarming statements. 

 Yours faithfully, x. 



Singapore, September 6, IQ04. 



* * * 



Editorial Note. — The above communication to The 

 Straits Times has been called forth by the recent publication 

 in that journal of some articles on the Gutta-percha trade, one 

 of which was copied into the August i issue of The India 

 Rubber World (page 379). The point made by the Singa- 

 pore journal was that the trade in Gutta percha had been in- 

 jured by the wholesale adulteration alleged to have been prac- 

 ticed, and reference was made to<he use of Balata for this pur- 

 pose. The latter supposition appears to have been strengthened 

 by some statistics presented by The India Rubber World, 

 relative to certain exports from London to Singapore. The 

 article above reprinted apparently is from a well informed 

 source, and no doubt fairly represents the situation ; i.e., less 

 Gutta-percha has been shipped lately because the demand was 

 less, and present prices of Balata would preclude the use of 

 that material as an adulterant. The India Rubber World 

 has not claimed to possess definite information on all the 

 points involved, but has sought to arrive at the facts, and the 

 article signed " X " appears to explain satisfactorily the Lon- 

 don exports to the Straits. At the same time, it cannot be as- 

 sumed that the supply of Gutta-percha is unlimited, and it will 

 be of interest to note the effect upon prices of the next large 

 increase in demand. 



ROENTGEN RAYS IN CABLE MAKING. 



AN interesting application of Rontgen rays in cable manu- 

 facture is described by W. Otto in Electro (Berlin, 

 August). The chief value of this apparatus is in detecting 

 foreign substances and imperfections in the India-rubber or 

 Gutta-percha insulation of electric cables. The apparatus is of 

 particular value in preparing submarine cables, since here 

 defects which might ultimately give much trouble and cause 

 great expense for repair are easily detected. The device con- 

 sists of a table containing the necessary regulating apparatus. 

 On this a Rontgen tube is fixed, and above it is placed the 

 fluorescent screen. The cable to be examined is passed through 

 guides, which conduct it just below the screen, so that the 

 shadow of the cable is thrown upon the screen. This arrange- 

 ment allows the cable to be passed through the testing ap- 

 paratus quickly. Any foreign substances or a bubble of air, or 

 even a bad joint in the rubber, is at once shown. It is con- 

 venient to have the apparatus portable, so that it may be taken 

 to any part of the works. 



A movement is on foot at Montreal to organize a " technical 

 institute," to afford opportunities for the better training of fac- 

 tory employes who may wish to become more proficient in 

 their respective lines of work. The cause is heartily supported 

 by some ol the manufacturers, including Mr. D. Lome McGib- 

 bon, general manager of the Canadian Rubber Co. of Montreal, 

 who writes a strong letter to the Montreal Star, pointing out 

 the great benefits to German industry of the technical schools 

 in that country, the growing interest in technical education in 

 the United States, and how Canada may be benefited by similar 

 methods. 



