June i, 1905.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



315 



RUBBER INTERESTS IN EUROPE. 



MERGER OK TWO GERMAN COMPANIES. 



THE Vereinigte Berlin- Frankfurter Gummiwaaren-F'abri- 

 ken, owing to their Berlin premises (Miihlenstrasse 70- 

 71) having become too restricted for their growing business, 

 have taken over as a whole the factory and businessof Aktien- 

 gesellschaft liir Fabrikation technischer Gummiwaaren C. 

 Schwanitz & Co., in the same city. For the 650,000 marks 

 general capital of the Schwanitz company an equal amount in 

 new shares of the Berlin- Frankfurter company, entitled to a 

 dividend for the present year, has been issued, and for iSo,ooo 

 marks preferred shares an equal sum in 4/2 per cent, bonds have 

 been issued by the Berlin- Frankfurter company and 18,000 

 marks paid in cash. The capital of the Berlin- Frankfurter has 

 been increased by 1,050,000 marks, making a total of 2,850,000 

 marks, by the issue of new shares. Besides the 650,000 marks 

 above mentioned, the new issue includes 400,000 marks in 

 shares for purposes of working capital, which were taken over 

 by the Deutsche Bank at a premium of 25 per cent., with the 

 proviso that 360,000 marks in shares should be offered to the 

 shareholders at a premium of 30 per cent. Messrs. Herman 

 Rinkel and Phil. Braun, who were directors in the Schwanitz 

 company, have joined the board of the Berlin- Frankfurter. 

 The Schwanitz company dates from i874and has had a profit- 

 able career. The Berlin-Frankfurter corporation dates from 

 18S3, though their Berlin works are among the oldest in Ger- 

 many. A second factory, at Gelnhausen, near Frankfort o/M., 

 was acquired in 1886, and a third, at Grottau (Bohemia), was 

 built later. 



THE CALLENDER COMPANIES IN ENGLAND. 



George M. Callender & Co., Limited (London), have is- 

 sued an additional ;^25,ooo in preference shares, bringing their 

 capital to £\oo,ooo, one half in 6 per cent, cumulative prefer- 

 ence shares, and one half ordinary. The company was formed 

 in 1903 to succeed the firm George M. Callender & Co. in sup- 

 plying the Callender bitumen specialties — sheeting, " damp 

 course," and damp resisting solution — for architectural and en- 

 gineering work, and to erect a factory for making these mate- 

 rials, which formerly had been manufactured by Callender's 

 Cable and Construction Co., Limited. The bitumen is still 

 obtained from the latter company. The increase of capital of 

 George M. Callender & Co., Limited, is to enable them to be- 

 come interested in companies lately formed to manufacture the 

 Callender specialties in Italy and in Egypt, respectively.- - 

 Callender's Cable and Construction Co., Limited, date from 

 1895. Their capital is £200,000 preference and £175,000 or- 

 dinary shares, and £300,000 in debentures, all of which issues 

 are quoted at a premium — indicating the importance of the 

 bitumen interests with which they are concerned. 



OBITUARY. 

 Mr. Stephen William Silver, who died on March 7, in 

 his eighty-sixth year, had been connected for more than half a 

 century with the business which in 1864 became the India- Rub- 

 ber, Gutta-Percha and Telegraph Works Co., Limited. Pre- 

 viously the firm was S. W. Silver & Co., founded at Greenwich, 

 in the waterproofing trade, to which at an early date insulation 

 work was added. In 1852 the factory was removed to what has 

 become an important town named Silvertown, in honor of the 

 Silver family. Originally a director of the company, Mr. Sil- 

 ver became chairman of the board, and latterly has worn the 

 title of extraordinary director. In addition to devoting his 

 energy for more than half a century to the aflairs of this com- 

 pany, Mr. Silver manifested a close interest in colonial affairs, 



and was a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and an ac- 

 tive member of the Linnean Society, the Royal Botanic So- 

 ciety, and others of a kindred nature. 



= Mr. John Bailey died in London on March 30, in his sev- 

 enty-fifth year. At the age of 18 he entered the employ of 

 Messrs. S. W. Silver & Co., and in 1857 was appointed resident 

 manager of their works at Silvertown. He remained there un- 

 til 1900, when he was transferred to the company's offices in 

 Cannon street, London, retiring in 1902. Mr. Bailey, in addi- 

 tion to his devotion to the progress of the factory, took a live 

 interest in promoting the local improvements which have 

 transformed an isolated group of buildings on the banks of the 

 Thames into a densely populated borough. 



GREAT BRITAIN. 



Mr. William Firth has retired from the position of secre- 

 tary of the North British Rubber Co., Limited (Edinburgh), 

 which he had filled continuously since the formation of that 

 company, in the summer of 1857. He has outlived all the found- 

 ers of the company and the original directors and officers, and 

 practically all the original employes, in whatever capacity. He 

 is succeeded in the office of secretary by Mr. Alexander John- 

 son, late manager and secretary of the Hyde Rubber Works, 

 Limited (Woodley). 



= East Kent Vacuum Cleaner Co., Limited ; registered March 

 31. Capital £10,000; object, to adopt an agreement with H. 

 H.and G. E. Arnold, to acquire patents and to carry on the 

 business of carpet and general cleaners. The Southern Coun- 

 ties Vacuum Cleaner Co. nominate one director ; H. H. Arnold 

 is managing director. Registered office; 42, High street, Roch- 

 ester, England. 



= The India Rubber, Gutta Percha and Telegraph Works 

 Co., Limited (Silvertown), have brought out two rubber covered 

 golf balls, made under the Haskell patent, which they label 

 " Silvertown " and " Silviator." 



GERMANY. 



Herr Director SELiOMANNof the Continental Caoutchouc- 

 und Guttapercha- Compagnie (Hanover) has been decreed a 

 Kommerzienrat. Herr Director Prinzhorn, of the same firm, 

 received the Order of the Red Eagle, fourth class. These dis- 

 tinctions were granted for the interest evinced by both gentle- 

 men in the matter of homesteads for workingmen. 



= The St. Helens and General Rubber Co., G. m.b.H., has 

 been established at Berlin, with 100,000 marks capital, for the 

 sale of tires and technical rubber goods, especially those of the 

 General Rubber Co. of England. The managers are Adolph 

 von Wulffen and Michael Steinhardt. 



= Max Baumgiirtel, proprietor of the elastic webbing and 

 hosiery factory conducted under the name Julius Rompler, at 

 Zeulenroda, is dead. The business is being continued by Frau 

 Martha BaumgUrtel, his widow, with Anton Fritzsche, for sev- 

 eral years in charge of the factory, and Paul Henrich, a travel- 

 ing salesman, with powers of procuration. 



= Alexander Cross, of Glasgow, Scotland, has severed his 

 connection with the Continentale Pegamoid-Aktiengesell- 

 schaft, at Crefeld. Frank Gustav Gebhard, of Freiburg, has 

 been added to the board. 



= The Continental Caoutchouc- and Guttapercha-Compagnie 

 (Hannover), in order to extend their factory premises, have 

 decided to purchase the site of the Hannoverschen Ziindholz- 

 Compagnie (Hanover Match Co.), who will move outside the 

 city. 



= Asbest- und Gummiwerke .'Mfred Calm on A. -G. (Hamburg), 

 instead of paying a 4 per cent, dividend, decided to devote their 

 profits for last year to improvements. 



