374 



THE. INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[AlTGl-ST I, 1905. 



merchant who bewails the altered condition of affairs. This 

 barter system is of course closely allied to the truck system of 

 payment to workmen which is now illegal in England and has 

 seen a great reduction on the Continent in late years owing to 

 agitation on the part of the work people. That it is open to 

 great abuses in the case of illiterate and ignorant men admits 

 of no doubt and those who advocate its continuance except in 

 cases of very primitive civilization must excite suspicion as to 

 the disinterestedness of their action. 



In the June issue of The India Rubber World under the 

 head of " Jottings by an American in Rurope," some apprecia- 

 tive remarks are made in reference to the article 



THE SWEDISH j yy^ote lasl year on the rubber trade in Norway 



RUBBER TRADE. , ^ ^ ' ,„. , , , . '' 



and Sweden. With regard to the surprise ex- 

 pressed at the accuracy of the article, there is a very simple ex- 

 planation, and that is the willingness of those concerned to give 

 the necessary information. My experience in other countries, 

 and especially in my own. is that often it is an exceedingly dif- 

 ficult matter to get information at first hand. Manufacturers 

 seem always interested to read what one has to say concerning 

 the doings of theii competitors, but their own springs of infor- 

 mation show a decided tendency to run dry on the appearance 

 of the interviewer. It was quite a revelation to me to find an 

 opposite tendency in Scandinavia, and this rendered my self- 

 imposed task an easy and pleasant one. 



As an appeal has been entered against Mr. Justice Buckley, 

 finding that the Haskell patent has been anticipated, comment 



on the case ought to be suspended. Since 

 "■^^"^ the judicial finding a considerable reduction 



QOLF BALL ... , . ,, ij . un- 1- 



TRiAL '" '^* price of balls now sold at 2 shillings each 



has been freely talked about in golfing circles, 

 but evidently such anticipations are somewhat premature. 

 There seems little doubt that the present retail price leaves a 

 handsome profit, judging from the cost price of the elastic 

 thread and (jutta-percha, and the makers should be able to con- 

 template a reduction with equanimity, though probably not 

 with approbation. 



At some of the London workhouses the tasks allotted to 



casuals have been widened in their scope and it may be news 



to some to learn that one of the innovations is 



NEW jhe separation of the insulation from narrow vul- 



Vt/ORK HOUSE 



canized rubber cables. A year or two ago the 

 competition of prison made goods was strongly 

 denounced in the house of commons. I am not suggesting that 

 there is anything to be objected to in the workhouses going 

 into the scrap rubber line, but the dealer who supplies the ca- 

 ble and gets the rubber back for sale seems to be a man of bus- 

 iness, because in the ordinary way it has never been found prof- 

 itable to strip the narrow cables by hand and the rubber has 

 generally been burnt off. 



The June number of this |ournal reprints from a Toronto 



contemporary some interesting remarks on the Canadian 



waterproof industry. Though there is nothing 



WATERPROOF j^ j[,g British references which requires correc- 



TRAOE IN . , J ^ , 7, , 



CANADA tion, yet a few words by way of addendum seem 

 called for. To the three Manchester waterproof- 

 ing firms mentioned as having done most of the early trade in 

 Canada should be added S. L. Gotlitie & Co., who probably did 

 the biggest business of any at one time. It is not surprising 

 that since the evolution of the home manufacture in-Canada 

 the English firms have closed their offices, Frankenburg's be- 

 ing the last to take this step. This does not mean, however, 

 that all business is stopped, because a considerable amount is 

 still being done. This is more especially with single textures, 

 in which the British make is superior to the Canadian. The 



article referred to above says truthfully that the Canadian 

 made proofing stands the climate better than the English 

 make does. This applies especially to double textures, and I 

 am told that the superiority consists in their being a good deal 

 cheaper than the English, and because they contain the Amer- 

 ican pilch proof in place of rubber. It is considered in I'^ng- 

 land that for cold climates this pitch proofing may be superior 

 to a pure rubber proof, and this fact added to its lower price 

 makes English competition quite impossible. Of course it 

 must not be assumed that no business in this branch is done by 

 other than the four Manchester firms whose names have been 

 mentioned in connection; other firms have a share in it, but 

 have not laid themselves out specially for the trade. 



I SEE that in a recent patent of C. A. R. Steenstrup, hydro- 

 lluoric acid under pressure is one of the chemicals used. This 

 has been proposed before, though I do not 

 know whether it has been patented. I expect 

 it will be found an objectionable substance to 

 use, and I don't see how it can affect more in the way of de- 

 stroying textile fabric than the cheaper mineral acids. Heinz- 

 erling's patent for dissolving vulcanized rubber in aniline or its 

 higher homologues with the subsequent separation of the rub- 

 ber free from mineral matter has now run out. 



Dr. Schu.macher, who for some years was chemist at Messrs. 

 Charles Macintosh & Co.'s works and subsequently started the 

 London Rubber Manufacturing Co. at Deptford, 

 which closed down about a year ago, has recently 

 commenced business as a rubber merchant as H. Schumacher 

 & Co., at 40, Great Tower street, London, E. C. 



DEVULCANIZINQ 

 PATENTS. 



NEW FIRM. 



INDIA-RUBBER GOODS IN COMMERCE. 



O 



EXPORTS FROM THE UNITED STATES. 



FFICIAL statement of values for May, 1905, and the 

 first eleven months of five fiscal years, beginning July 

 rom the treasury department at Washington : 



Months. 



' Belting. 

 Packing, 

 and Hose. 



Boots 



and 



Shoes. 



May $97,976 $ 35.5'7 



July-.\pril 794,256 1,100,093 



Total 



Total, 1903 04. .. 

 Total, 1902 03. .. 

 Total, igoi-02. .. 

 Total, 1900-01. .. 



$892,232 

 802,98s 

 753,236 

 57S.572 

 508,873 



$1,135,610 



1,045,193 



1,006,982 



981,058 



684,256 



All 

 other 

 RubDer. 



$ 263,691 

 2.064,066 



52.327.757 

 2,242,130 



2.075.925 

 1,607,448 

 1,584,864 



Total. 



I 397.184 

 3.958,415 



14.355. 599 

 4,090,307 



3.836.143 

 3,167,078 



2,777.993 



BRAZILIAN IMPORTS OF RUBBER GOODS. 

 Official statement of values (in milreis) during two calen- 

 dar years [These figures doubtless fail to include many arti- 

 cles embracing more or less rubber, but classified under other 

 headings than " manufactures of rubber."] : 



ORIGIN. DESTINATION. 



Ports. 1002. 1903. 



Man.ios 48,925 77,640 



Para 102,208 155,725 



Pernambuco . . 82,703 135,703 



Bahia 82. 125 89,728 



Rio dejaneiroi, 109,855 1,244,261 



Santos 449,449 377,203 



Porto Alegre.. 62,894 104,168 

 Other Ports. .. 134.513 190,395 



foUNTKIl-:S. 1902. 



(lermany.... 680,349 



United States 113,633 



France 299,432 



Great Britain 773,54s 



Italy 127,952 



All Other 77.758 



873.259 

 150,776 

 289,371 

 767,308 

 189,872 

 104,237 



Total 2,072,672 2,374,823 



Total 2,072,6722,374,823 



Equivalent, with exchange at 12 pence, to : 



1902. 1903. 



United States gold $502,332.92 $573,91381 



Sterling ..^103,63312.?. £iiZ,-]^i lis. 



