April i, 1902.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



20d 



line with our government departments as regards the details of 

 their rubber specifications, and there can be little doubt that 

 the tendency of the more enlightened of the companies to pin 

 their faith to mechanical rather than chemical tests has justi- 

 fied itself by results. After all is said and done, results are 

 what is wanted, and if an article containing some proportion of 

 high class African rubber is found to answer requirements, 

 then the clauses referring to the use of Para rubber only had 

 better be relegated to obscurity ; and especially is this desirable 

 seeing that no absolutely safe chemical tests exist whereby the 

 presence or absence of an admixture of high class African rub- 

 ber with Para can be cleail/ demonstrated. Space precludes 

 further dilation on this topic on the present occasion, though 

 developments may be expected which will incite further refer- 

 ence. 



This annual show, held at the latter end of February, pre- 

 sented, as far as rubber in particular is concerned, really nothing 

 of novelty. Rubber manufacturers have evi- 



"cycle^nd" ^^"'^'y come to the conclusion that there is little 



MOTOR SHOW, to be gained by exhibiting their wares, and on 

 this occasion they were conspicuous by their 

 absence. Among the tire companies who exhibited were the 

 North British Rubber Co.— with their "Clincher" tire; The 

 Swain Tyre Co., of Harwich ; The Shrewsbury & Challiner Co., 

 and the Radax Co., the last named, not, however, having a 

 whole exhibit to itself. A striking feature of the Clincher ex- 

 hibit was a biscuit of Para rubber weighing 7 cwt. and stated on 

 the affixed label to be the largest block ever imported.* 



One of our manufacturers complained to me recently that 



he had traced some trouble in his goods to the inferior quality 



of a certain delivery of recovered rubber 



GUARANTEES from a firm who had long given him satis- 



WITH 



RECOVERED RUBBER, faction. His expressed idea was that the 

 recovered rubber dealer ought to give a 

 guarantee with his goods, but this, it seems that the particular 

 dealer referred to, in common with his fellows, was not at all • 

 inclined to do, the chief reason for dissent being ignorance of 

 the conditions under which the recovered rubber was used. 

 Now this position does not seem to me at all arrogant or un- 

 fair, because otherwise the dealer might easily let himself in for 

 damages, or at any rate vexatious litigation, with the unavoid- 

 able feeling that he was the victim of circumstances over which 

 he had had no control, and of statements which he was not in 

 a position to verify. It does not seem at all probable that such 

 guarantees will be given, and the best way to prevent compli- 

 cations, even though at some slight expense, would be for the 

 rubber manufacturer to avail himself of the services of the 

 analyst with respect to every new delivery of the recovered 

 rubber. 



The colossal works of the British Westinghouse Co., in 

 Traflord Park, Manchester, which are now approaching com- 

 pletion, received a lengthy notice in the London 



^matters'" ^"''" of February 25, as a sort of sequel to the 

 trenchant comparisons which have recently been 

 made in that journal between our supposed out-of date methods 

 and those practised in America today.==Two business amal- 

 gamations have recently taken place in the cable industry. At 

 least announcement is made that Callender's Cable Co. and the 



* The Bolivian display at the Chicago World's Fair, in 1893. contained 



a ball of Beni river rubber weighing 1181 pounds, which later was exhibited for 

 several months in a rubber store window on Broadway. New York. In 1897 the 

 New York Commercial Co, imported two balls of Pard rubber which weighed, on 

 arrival, 834 and 1264 pounds, respectively. In making the latter 1200 kilograms of 

 lubber milk had been used. The Crude Rubber Co. (New York) received, early in 

 1900, a ball of Islands Par^ rubber, weighing 1120 pounds, which went at once into 

 consumption. — The Editor. 



Henley Telegraph Works will be combined, and Rickard & Co., 

 the cable makers of Derby, have undergone reconstruction, 

 joining forces to a large extent with Messrs. Charles Macintosh 

 & Co., two directors of which firm — R. K. Birley and F. H. 

 Smith — occupy seats on the board of the Derby concern. ■== 

 The Anchor Cable Co., of Leigh, Lancashire, will shortly com- 

 mence operations. Mr. Henderson, managing director of the 

 Ancoats Vale Rubber Co., is on the board, and will doubtless 

 have the leading voice as far as the rubber details of the busi- 

 ness are concerned. An impression which has got abroad with 

 regard to the prospective manufactures of this company de- 

 serves some modification. The business will not, as has been 

 stated, be confined to house wires, but will be principally con- 

 cerned with the manufacture of traction cables of the vulcanized 

 rubber, bitumen, and paper varieties. 



During the riots which took place in February, at Barce- 

 lona, one item of intelligence which appeared in the London 

 papers had reference to the strike of employes at 

 ^^^trade""^ the rubber factories. This notice might lead to 



IN SPAIN. the impression that Barcelona was an important 

 rubber manufacturing center, which is not at all 

 the case. I think I am right in saying that there are no rub- 

 ber works, strictly so called, in the town, although there are 

 several factories where piece goods are made up. Some years 

 ago the manufacture was actually tarried on in a small way in 

 a branch establishment of Messrs. Charles Macintosh & Co., 

 but alter a few years it was given up. This firm still have, how- 

 ever, a making up factory, as also have Messrs. Mandleberg & 

 Co. As the cloth is not produced in Spain, but has to pay 

 import duties, which are rather excessive, the advantage of 

 carrying on proofing operations in Spain is not apparent, and 

 those English houses who do a Spanish trade find it more prof- 

 itable to send out the proofed cloth, though there is a rather 

 heavy duty, of 3 pesetas per kilo, to be paid. From all accounts 

 the Spanish business in this branch of the rubber trade is grow- 

 ing in importance, though it must be remembered that the 

 climate is a tricky one, subject, especially in elevated regions, 

 to extremes of heat and cold and thus necessitating the supply 

 of goods which will satisfactorily stand such conditions. 



The annual meeting and dinner of the Rubber Manufactur- 

 ers' Association was held at the Queens Hotel, Manchester, on 

 February 20. Among those from a distance who were 



news staying at the hotel for the occasion were Mr. John 

 '^ Cooper of the Dermatine Co., and Messrs. J. E. Hop- 

 kinson and F. Pegler of the Northern Rubber Co. -- ■ 

 The Droylesden rubber works are being broken up, and the ma- 

 chinery disposed of, there being no intention on the part of 

 Mr. Baxter, who purchased the property at the sale by auction 

 last year, to utilize his purchase for rubber manufacturing pur- 

 poses. ==With regard to the placing of recent government 

 contracts, it is understood that Messrs. Reddaway & Co., Lim- 

 ited, have come in for a large share of the Admiralty order, 

 and Isidor Frankenburg, Limited, are in a similar position 

 with regard to the contract given out for ground sheets. The 

 number of sheets required was about 6o,ooo.=-=A patent has 

 been taken out by Mr. R. Coulter, of 60, St. Paul's street, Leeds, 

 for an improved rain coat. This consists of the ordinary rain- 

 proof material, which is now so popular, but has one or two 

 features of the macintosh introduced. It is sought to remedy 

 the defect, or alleged defect, of the ordinary rainproof in allow- 

 ing rain to penetrate at the seams, by making the seams with a 

 strip of rubber-proofed cloth. Further, certain parts are 

 strengthened to resist the rain by having a coating of rubber 

 varnished. I understand that the sewing machine is not used 

 at all in the construction of the garment. 



