320 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[June i, 1905. 



=The United States Rubber Co. on May 25 filed with the 

 secretary of state of New Jersey a certificate increasing the com- 

 pany's capital stock from $50,000,000 to $75,000,000 — including 

 $40,000,000 in first preferred. $10,000,000 in second preferred, 

 and $25,000,000 in common stock. This is for the purpose of 

 acquiring control of the Rubber Goods Manufacturing Co. 



= Despite all assertions that the leading rubber manufac- 

 turers of Canada are not to amalgamate, the report continues 

 current in the Dominion that the purpose of the Commercial 

 Rubber Co., incorporated at Ottawa in January last, is to serve 

 as a holding company for the shares of four principal rubber 

 factories, somewhat on the plan of organization of the United 

 States Rubber Co., and that plans for the merger are now bemg 

 considered. The management of one of the companies named 

 in newspaper reports inform The India Ruber World : 

 " The amalgamation of the different rubber companies of Can- 

 ada to our knowledge has never been seriously discussed, and 

 as far as this company is concerned, we are not by any means 

 anxious for it." 



=:It is understood that plans have been approved for the new 

 plant of Morgan & Wright, at Detroit, which is intended to be 

 one of the largest and most complete rubber factories in the 

 world. 



PERSONAL MENTION. 



The factory of the Hartford Rubber Works Co. was visited 

 on April 28 by the Duke of Manchester, who made a special 

 trip from New York for the purpose of witnessing the manu- 

 facture of rubber tires, he being an enthusiastic automobilist. 

 The Duke was escorted from New York by a representative of 

 the company, and on arrival at Hartford was taken in an auto- 

 mobile first to the capitol for a call on the Governor of the 

 State, after which he devoted some hours to an inspection of 

 the factory. 



= The Pard newspaper Folha do Norte prints in full (in Portu- 

 guese) the address of " Coronel Samuel P. Colt, presidente du 

 Companhia de Borracha dos EstadosUnidos," delivered at 

 the banquet of the New England Rubber Club, in Boston, on 

 February 24. This address is naturally of much interest on 

 the Amazon, owing to Colonel Colt's avowed belief that the 

 region referred to is the world's great dependence for its supply 

 of rubber. 



= Mr. William Vernon Backus was elected on May 12 presi- 

 dent of the society of the American Colony in the City of Mex- 

 ico. Mr. Backus until recently was a lawyer residing at Cleve- 

 land, Ohio. On going to Mexico on professional business he 

 became interested in the opportunities for investment there, 

 and his work has resulted in the formation of three rubber 

 planting companies. Recently he became a resident of Mexico 

 City, where he will practice law, while retaining his interest in 

 planting. The American Colony society is now preparing for 

 the usual Fourth of July celebration. 



= Mr. Ratcliffe Hicks, president of the Canfield Rubber Co. 

 (Bridgeport, Connecticut), sailed from New York on May 27, 

 to be absent in Europe until the end of summer. 



A PARENT RUBBER COMPANY. 



^T ^^ 3979 in 'he Corporation Record of the territory of New 

 ^ ' Mexico (Vol. V — page 323) relates to articles of incorpo- 

 ration of the Western Parent Rubber Co., filed May 6, 1905, 3 

 P. NL It is impossible here to enumerate all the purposes of 

 said company, but they are partially set forth in one of the arti- 

 cles, as follows : 



Third. That its purposes are and shall be the following : To buy, 

 sell, lease, and deal in - • ■ sheep, cattle, and other live stock ; . • - 

 to own, operate, and maintain sawmills and lumber camps ; to manufac- 

 ture crude rubber and rubber goods ; - - - to acquire, own, have, hold, 

 sell, and deal in discoveries whether patenteil or unpatented, and patent 

 rightsof all kinds ; - - - to institute proceedings for the patenting of and 

 to bring to patent the alleged discovery of Benjamin K. Spencer for the 

 manufacture of an India-rubber substitute from Actinflla Richardsoiiii 

 ■ - - to amalgamate or consolidate with other corporations or to be 

 amalgamated or consolidated with other corporations - - -. 



The capital stock is to be $100,000, in $100 shares, and the 

 incorporators, with the number of shares held by each, are: 

 Ishmael Sparks (150), Harvie Du Val (50), Morton C. Miller 

 (50), Hiram B. Cartwright (50), John Howard Vaughn (50), 

 and Alois B. Renehan (50). The principal office is at No. 135 

 Palace avenue, Sante Fe, New Mexico, in charge of Alois B. 

 Renehan, Harvie Du Val was mentioned recently in this 

 Journal [January i, i905~page 125] as the chief parent of The 

 Salida Crude Rubber Co., at Salida, Colorado, to make rubber 

 from " rabbit weed," and considered locally the starting of 

 " one of the greatest industries in the age." 



REFORM DEMANDED IN NEW JERSEY. 



[from "the trento.n news," ai'RIL 26.1 



THE commission appointed on Monday by Governor Stokes 

 to report " some method of improving the judicial sys- 

 tem and the system of procedure in this state " is to report 

 " what changes in the judicial system can be made, with advan- 

 tage, in order to prevent the use of two or more legal proceed- 

 ings to settle controversies that can be conveniently settled in 

 one ; and in order to minimize delays due to litigations or ob- 

 jections upon points of procedure not involving the substan- 

 tial rights of the parties." 



Perhaps no better example of the need of reform can be given 

 than that of the case of Fulton against the Grieb Rubber Co., 

 which will probably be upon the Mercer court list for the May 

 term. Concerning the merits of the litigation we have no 

 opinion to express; but the case has already been tried three 

 times in the Mercer court, and has been appealed as many 

 times to the supreme court. It is to be heard for the fourth 

 time in the Mercer circuit at the May term, must again be ap- 

 pealed, and for the ninth time be tried before a final decision 

 is reached. Any system that permits such expensive and annoy- 

 ing delays in the determination of a suit needs reformation 

 very badly. One trial and a single appeal should suffice to 

 settle any difference between parties. 



REVIEW OF THE CRUDE RUBBER MARKET. 



TH E feature of the market during the month has been one 

 of increasing firmness, and prices for fine Para grades 

 have shown an advance, in spite somewhat larger visi- 

 ble supplies. Consumers, in consequence, have shown 

 no disposition to buy beyond actual current requirements. 

 The situation is variously explained, being attributed by some 

 to the efforts of operators at New York and in Europe to main- 



tain prices, and by others to the situation in the primary mar- 

 kets at Pard and Monaos, where holdings are small. At any 

 rate the crop season is practically at an end, and further large 

 arrivals are impossible until after the summer months. 



Offerings at the Antwerp auction for May 31 aggregated 586 

 tons, but it was generally thought that prices would not fall be- 

 low the values determined at the April sale. 



