346 



THE INDIA RUBBER V/ORLD 



[August i, 1902. 



THE INDIA-RUBBER TRADE IN GREAT BRITAIN. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



AS a continuation and modification of the remarks ten- 

 dered under this heading last month, it Is by no means 

 an exaggeration to say that things have been very bad 

 indeed, as regards the proofing trade. Some diver- 

 gence of opinion exists with regard to the cause, though none 

 at all with respect to the effect. It is probable 

 STATE OF that we shall arrive at the most correct opinion 

 by attributing the slump in business to a conca- 

 tenation of causes having little or no connection with each 

 other. To enumerate one or two of these, we have the les- 

 sened rainfall, the decreased buying power of the public 

 owing to general slackness of trade, and also the increased use 

 of the rainproof garments. The two former causes may be 

 looked upon as temporary and representative of conditions 

 which may easily be reversed ; as much, however, cannot be 

 said for the rainproof competition, it becoming more and more 

 evident that the genuine macintosh business has received u 

 severe blow from this source, especially with the better class of 

 customers. The strongest advocate of rubber clothing must 

 perforce admit that where an umbrella is used in conjunction, 

 the advantage both as regards general comfort, hygiene, and 

 lasting capacity lies with the rainproof material, and if predic- 

 tion is permissible, I certainly think that the macintosh of the 

 future will be largely limited to two classes of wearers, viz. : 

 sportsmen, coachmen, and others who do not carry umbrellas, 

 and the wearers of the dubiously waterproof cheap goods. 

 This opinion is not advanced with any feeling of exultation, 

 but rather in the tone of regret, but there is no use blinking 

 the signs of the times; pramonitus pr<rmunitus \vx'\\.\-A.x%,e. in 

 the mind's eye is less likely to lead to business losses. Turn- 

 ing for a moment from cause to effect, one rather awkward 

 feature of the slackness in the proofing trade has been the in- 

 ability to take in the naphtha contracted for. Even if rubber 

 firms had sufficient storage room, they do not care to stock 

 large quantities of such inflammable material, the usual pro- 

 cedure being to have a certain quantity delivered weekly. No 

 doubt some compromise will be arrived at between the tar 

 distillers and the proofers, though, of course, as regards the 

 contracts, the former are in the better legal position. Cer- 

 tainly the month of June saw best solvent naphtha offered at 

 exceptionally low rates, which is at once indicative of a supply 

 being thrown on the market. Despite the improvement that 

 has undoubtedly manifested itself in the mechanical rubber 

 trade there really is very little ground for assuming that a 

 better tone is likely to develop in the macintosh department. 

 The relations existing between the rubber manufacturer and 

 the merchant must of a necessity depend for their amicable 

 continuance largely on a feeling of good faith 

 A MIDDLEMAN'S ^^ f^^ ^g jjje latter is concerned. The average 



DILEMMA. ■ . u r u 



merchant who buys macintoshes, say for home 

 or export trade, does not know anything about rubber, and he 

 has to rely explicitly upon the word or the guarantee of the 

 rubber firm that they fit and are proper goods for their purpose. 

 Disputes, however, though not at all frequent, do arise, and it 

 is then that the technical ignorance of the merchant is apt to 

 become painfully clear. It suggests itself as advisable that 

 firms dealing with large quantities of waterproofs should ac- 

 quaint themselves to some extent with the manufacture, or 

 else make a business arrangement with some expert to make a 



rough examination in cases where large quantities of goods 

 are being shipped abroad. There have been cases where, owing 

 to some oversight in the manufacture, goods which were sup- 

 posed to be perfectly vulcanized, and as to which a guarantee 

 had been given, have been shipped to cold climates and given 

 the utmost dissatisfaction. This, of course, means loss of rep- 

 utation to those retailing the goods, a loss which is by no 

 means necessarily rectified by the settlement of claims. A 

 merchant who had suffered a loss in this way said it would be 

 far too expensive a matter to have the goods tested before 

 despatch, but I think he exaggerates here, and it must be re- 

 membered that there is a wide difference in the charge made 

 for isolated analyses and for testing work later in quantity or 

 by contract. Anyhow, whatever course of procedure may 

 be adopted, it certainly seems that the merchant would be 

 well-advised to dissipate to some extent the Egyptian gloom 

 which surrounds his knowledge of the technology of water- 

 proofing, even if only to enable him to put leading questions 

 when entering into contracts. With regard to the important 

 question of guarantees as to withstanding extremes of temper- 

 ature, it certainly may be safe enough to give such for a good 

 rubber proofing, but in the case of some of the recovered rub- 

 ber proofs which have been fashionable of late, considerable 

 caution should be exercised, both as to giving and receiving 

 them if litigation Is to be avoided. 



With regard to the rubber sponge, success seems to have 



provokingly eluded the grasp of those who have essayed Its 



manufacture. Were the experiments of Indl- 



A DEFICIENCY vldual firms considered fit subject matter for 

 "^ "'i" discussion here, somewhat melancholy would 



MANUFACTURE. •' 



be the recital of the failures experienced. 

 Specimens are in existence which look and feel as if they had 

 been subjected to Influences similar to those which wrought 

 such disaster in Pompeii. I do not suppose that, a sponge of 

 the nature and consistency of pumice stone Is at all conform- 

 able to the ideas of the merchants, as is likely to lead to the 

 existing demand, as testified to in the May issue of The India 

 Rubber World, being satisfied wholly or in part by Great 

 Britain. Of course I don't profess to be In a position to speak 

 as If I were conversant of all that has been done in this branch, 

 and It may be that I am quite in the wrong in assuming that it 

 is not possible at the present time to report any real progress. 

 It will be admitted that results are the most unimpeachable of 

 formulas, and it is to them that we must look for proof that 

 we have got on terms with Russia In this particular branch 

 of the rubber business. 



The news of the collapse of the projected HenleyCallender 



combine came as a surprise, it being generally thought that 



the union had been effected. Evidently difficulties 



CABLE Qf ^ serious nature must have arisen, though of 

 COMPANV , . . ., ... , . ... 



NOTES course their details are not likely to become public 



unless in a surreptitious manner. It Is noteworthy 

 that a prominent reason given by the British Insulated Wire 

 Co. and the Helsby company for their union was "the im- 

 portant combination recently effected in the trade " ; of course 

 there is no reason why the London contretemps should have 

 any influence upon the prospects of the more northerly com- 

 bine, the details of which appear to have been amicably settled 

 in a very brief space of time. The Prescott works are. It may 



