190 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March i, 1903. 



THE INDIA-RUBBER TRADE IN GREAT BRITAIN. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



I THINK the trade outlook for the present year is certainly 

 blighter than could have been predicted a year ago, for 

 the months that have passed. Although there are no 

 new works to record, at least none of any magnitude, 

 more than one existing firm have gone in for large extensions. 

 In this connection may be cited Messrs. W. & A. 

 IMPROVED Bates, Limited, of Leicester; The Avon India- 

 TRAOE Rubber Co., Limited, of Melksham ; and the Irwell 



PROSPECTS. 



Rubber Co., Limited, of Manchester. Trade is 

 proceeding in well worn channels as far as the bulk of manu- 

 factures is concerned, though special mention ought to be made 

 of the bootheel pad, which is now being manufactured very 

 largely as a novelty and in which a large trade is being done. 

 To people who habitually wear down their bootheels while the 

 soles retain their pristine vigor, no doubt the purchase of a 

 couple of these pads represents a profitable investment, the 

 expense being about a shilling. There are numerous registered 

 patterns on the market, the differences being in shape and in 

 the method of attachment to the leather. So far it cannot be 

 said that the winter has been such as to make the heart of the 

 dealer in rubber boots and shoes rejoice; except in one or two 

 districts there has been no fall of snow worth mentioning. 

 This class of business is still limited to two Scotch firms, the 

 North British and the Victoria company, and the Liverpool 

 Rubber Co., although to judge by the price lists sent out by 

 other houses one would imagine that the number of bona fide 

 manufacturers was larger. Reports from waterproof garment 

 makers are still couched in despondent language, as far as rub- 

 ber proofing is concerned, and the expected revival is some- 

 what slow in its appearance. There seems to be little doubt 

 that the department which will absorb a largely increased 

 amount of rubber this year compared with preceding years 

 will be that dealing with motor tires, as Great Britain is rap- 

 idly increasing her output. The remarks made recently by 

 the chairman of The New Grappler Pneumatic Tyre Co., Lim- 

 ited, with regard to the rapid increase of business during the 

 last three months of the year, strongly support this prediction. 

 "For tubing for chemical purposes we look upon acid and 

 alkali as the same thing." Thus spoke a rubber manufacturer 



to me the other day, and I could not help thinking 

 CHEMICAL ji^^j j[^g broadness of his views must militate 



TUBING. , . , , , , . , 



somewhat against the success of this particular 

 branch of his trade. The question of tubing for chemical 

 works has become of some importance, and it surely behooves 

 those manufacturers who essay to supply the demand for par- 

 ticular purposes that they should post themselves up to some 

 extent on the subject. At the same time, as they rarely have 

 an opportunity of seeing the tubing in use, it is not surprising 

 that they are inclined to be somewhat credulous when they 

 hear of its value. Keeping, however, to the point of acid and 

 alkali, it ought to be remembered that rubber which would 

 work well with dilute acids might prove very unsatisfactory 

 with concentrated alkali, especially if it contained more than a 

 small proportion of substitute. Then it must be remembered 

 that the acids vary a good deal in their action. A tubing 

 might withstand dilute sulphuric or hydrochloric acids for a 

 long time, but soon come to grief if used for conveying nitric 

 acid, even in a very dilute form. It would cettainly seem de- 

 sirable in answering queries as to chemical hose to inquire par- 



ticularly as to the purpose for which it is intended and to se- 

 lect the mixing according to the lights of experience. I be- 

 lieve that the Dermatine Co. have paid special attention to this 

 matter of hose for chemical works, to judge by the order books 

 of certain prominent chemical works. It would be an unkind 

 thing to attempt to class brewer's hose with chemical hose, al- 

 though it is undeniable that chemicals of one sort and another 

 do find their way into beer in this age of the advancement of 

 science. With regard to brewer's hose, however, it may be 

 pointed out that although a good deal of it may be used in 

 connection with the beverage which we will allow to consist of 

 malt and hops, yet a good deal is bought for yard or cleansing 

 purposes and this strictly comes under the definition of chem- 

 ical tubing. 



Some twelve months ago I referred to the fact that the 

 use of rubber by British locomotive builders had practically 



died out; that is, as regards the engine fittings 

 RUBBER iN^ apart from continuous brake connections. Some 



new regulations of the Board of Trade may, how- 



LOCOMOTIVE 

 ENQINEERINQ, 



ever, give a fillip to the use of rubber in a cer- 

 tain direction which it may be of interest to mention. Under 

 the new powers of the Railway Employment (Prevention of 

 Accidents) act, 1900, it has been laid down that all locomotive 

 engines, except those used exclusively for shunting purposes, 

 ought to have power brakes in addition to hand brakes. This 

 refers especially to goods and coal engines, and is to come into 

 operation two years hence. The choice of brake lies practically 

 between the steam brake and the Eames vacuum, in the latter 

 of which a thick rubber diaphragm is used. From what I hear 

 in the district of Newcastle-on-Tyne, so prominently associated 

 with the evolution of the locomotive, the Eames brake, which 

 is of course of American origin, is likely to come into increased 

 use. There seems to have been considerable trouble, by the 

 way, with the diaphragms as originally imported from America, 

 trouble which has not been experienced with those of British 

 manufacture. Of course this statement is only given for what 

 it is worth, as it is quite possible that more extensive interview- 

 ing might produce opinions which would serve to neutralize it 

 if not altogether to nullily it. With regard to the recommenda- 

 tions of the railway department of the Board of Trade, it should 

 perhaps be mentioned that they are not obligatory, like acts of 

 Parliament, but any neglect to observe, renders the railway 

 companies liable to penalties if any accident can be attributed 

 to their disregard. 



In a recent issue of \\\^ Journal of the Society of Chetnical 



Industry I note a pretty lull abstract of a paragraph which Dr. 



C. O. Weber contributed to our London 



PARAFFIN WAX contemporary on this subject last Novem- 



IN ELASTIC THREAD. »V , , , j ■, j , , 



ber. Although the detailed explanation of 

 the effect of the wax may undoubtedly prove useful, it can hardly 

 be said that there is anything particularly novel in the commu- 

 nication. Those who are engaged in the elastic webbing trade, 

 which is so largely carried on in the vicinity o( Derby, Leices- 

 ter, and Nottingham, know that the custom of lubricating the 

 cotton threads with paraffin wax during the weaving process is 

 a very old one. In an important lawsuit tried at the Liverpool 

 assizes twenty years ago, arising out of a claim for decayed 

 elastic webbing, a good deal of scientific evidence was given 

 with regaid to the use of paraffin wax, and it was pretty clearly 



