April i, 1902.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER 'WORLD 



205 



RECLAIMING RUBBER IN ENGLAND. 



TO THE Editor of The India Rubber World: In an 

 article by your" Regular Correspondent '' on the India- 

 rubber trade in Great Britain, there is a paragraph [February 

 issue — page 140] no doubt referring to ourselves and our 

 methods of manufacturing recovered rubber. A statement is 

 there made that our system of guaranteeing the specific grav- 

 ity and content of mineral matter involves considerable diffi- 

 culty, and that French chaik and other drugs being unacted 

 upon chemically, it is not possible to do this. 



We think it is only fair to ourselves that this statement should 

 be contradicted. No one who does not completely undeistand 

 the very special processes which we adopt in our manufacture 

 of recovered rubbers, could be expected to find anything but 

 difficulty in arriving at the results which we obtain, nor do we 

 propose to aid our critics by enlightening them as to our meth- 

 ods. We are, however, continuing to ofHer our goods with the 

 guarantee, and if any time it be proved that our guarantees are 

 not reliable, then it will be time for your " Regular Correspond- 

 ent " to speak adversely of our methods of doing business. We 

 would respectfully suggest that until that timearrives he should 

 give us the credit of being able to do what we promise. 



We should take it as a favor if you would, m your forthcom- 

 ing issue, give publicity in a few words to these statements. 

 Yours faithfully, the rubber chemical CO., limited. 



J. Barclay, Managiag Director. 

 Mitchim, Surrey, Englanil. February 26, 1902. 



HOW TO UO BUSINESS IN GERMANY. 



T N a letter from Berlin to the Chicago Record-Herald, their 

 -*■ special commissioner, Mr. William Eleroy Curtis, writes of 

 the opportunities for the extension of American trade in Ger- 

 many, concluding his letter as follows : 



" But whoever comes here to sell American goods must do 

 business on the American plan. It is also necessary to observe 

 the moral law with scruples. Many Americans have come to 

 grief by trjsting German methods, but more have failed be- 

 cause of misrepresentation. The Germans cannot be hum- 

 buga:ed more than once, and the merchant who attempts it 

 m'ght as well give up business, because his reputation will be 

 destroyed. The commercial code is more strict and exacting 

 than in any other country. There is a good field in England 

 for all kinds of bogus operations. The English like to be hum- 

 bugged, but the Germans are not to be trifled with. There is 

 even a law to punish misrepresentation in mercantile trade." 



TROUBLES OF THE CABLE TO MANAOS. 



ONE of the Mana >s newspapers, A Federacao, is devoting 

 much energy to its attacks upon the Amazon Telegraph 

 Co., Limited, owing to the frequent interruptions in the cable 

 from that city to Para — said to have covered an aggregate of 

 180 days during 1901. "The matter is of general interest," 

 says the Mandos paper. " It affects all classes. We insist upon 

 the right tD a good telegraph. We pay for it, and dearly too." 

 Not only is the Amazon river cable subsidized liberally from 

 the public funds, but the state of Amazonas contracted with 

 the cable company for an overland telegraph connection be- 

 tween Manaos and Parintins (as a substitute for one section of 

 the cable), on terms which practically made the line a present 

 to the company, and still Manaos merchants are isolated from 

 the world — to the great disadvantage of the rubber trade, par- 

 ticularly. 



Besides, the rates are complained of — 2 milreis [=48 cents at 



the recent rate ol exchange] per word between Mandos and 

 Para. And it is evident that at least some people do not ad- 

 mire Mr. Mardock, the manager of the cable company, to 

 whom A Federacao devotes these few lines : 



" Not any personal animosity whatsoever against Mr. R. 

 Mardock moves us to attack him with severity. We see in 

 Mr. Mardock nothing but a manager of the company, on whom 

 the responsibility should rest. The company should select an- 

 other manager, more critical, more serious, more thoroughly 

 educated, more honest, more respected, more ambitious, and 

 less indifierent. This Mr. Mardock ,ra««(7/ remain. He is in- 

 compatible with the Amazone population, repulsive and unac- 

 ceptable to the commerce of Manios, and deprecated even by 

 his own serious and prominent countrymen. 



" Mr. Mardock, quit ! " 



AMERICAN CYCLES AND TIRES IN CHINA. 



A N American firm recently sent a consignment of bicycles 

 ^^ to southern China. They were laid down, including 

 freight and charges, at $57 Mexican (about $26 gold) each. 

 They were placed on exhibit, and were thoroughly inspected 

 and tried by all classes of buyers. The manufacturer unfortu- 

 nately did not care to place his own name plate on the machines, 

 which cast suspicion upon the lot at once. Being without 

 parentage, their sale could not aid an introduction of future 

 consignments. It would not have been necessary for the firm 

 to have placed its own name on the wheels; any name would 

 have done, as long as they were good wheels. Thg main fault 

 was that the handle bar was so low that the rider had to lean 

 forward. Cyclists in southern China are not " scorchers," and 

 like a high handle bar and a comfortable seat. The tool bags 

 were not sufficiently complete ; and as it is difficult to obtain 

 supplies, this item was of more importance than it would have 

 been had the buyers been nearer the factory. Another defect 

 in a number of the wheels was that the tires were found punc- 

 tured in places, owing to imperfect finish of their terminals. 

 Some of the tires, too, had a series of minute air holes, pro- 

 nounced by experts to be due to flaws in manufacture. These 

 tires admitted of being pumped, but quickly ran down. This 

 possibly would not have been a serious matter, had the wheels 

 been nearer the factory. Three of the wheels were finally sold 

 at $go Mexican (S42.57) each, and the balance were turned over 

 to an auction firm and netted $60 Mexican ($28.38) each. — The 

 British Trade Journal. 



The India-Rubber, Guita-Percha, and Electrical Trades 

 Directory and Year Book, 1902, is published by Maclaren & 

 Sons, 37 and 38, Shoe lane, London, the proprietors of The 

 India-Rubber Journal. It is intended as a ready reference book 

 for the rubber man's desk, in respect to weights and measures, 

 postal rates, foreign money equivalents, factory and workshop 

 acts, import duties on rubber goods in various countries, Brit- 

 ish statistics of rubber imports and exports, and the like. 

 Several pages are devoted to " The Chemical Examination of 

 India-Rubber Articles," and there is a catalogue of rubber 

 goods, in English, with equivalent expressions in French and 

 German. Apart from this, the book is made up of blank pages, 

 dated, for use as a diary. The book is substantially got up, 

 6>^"Xi i" in size, and the price is 2s.6d. 



The governor of Connecticut has authorized the statement 

 that he will revoke the commission of any notary public in that 

 state known to him to use^a rubber stamp in lieu of such official 

 seal as is provided for by law. 



