50 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[October 1, 1912. 



proportion consisted of planted Para rubber from Malaya, con- 

 stituting over (30 per cent, of the whole. Receipts from Great 

 Britain amounted to about 20 per cent, of the total; principally 

 consisting of hard-cure Para rubber produced in Brazil, with a 

 small proportion of African grades. Imports from Germany 

 and the United States were of the same general character as the 

 British shipments. 



It has been asked wliy Japan does not import direct from 

 Brazil, and thus purchase more advantageously. Such an idea 

 is. however, of a visionary character, as London and the other 

 crude rubber points form a central market, whose operations 

 influence prices throughout the world ; thus establishing a uni- 

 versal standard of value. 



Of the imports from Dutch India, the largest proportion 

 consisted of Borneo rubber; Jelutong and gutta-percha being 

 likewise represented. Some Borneo rubber was shipped via 

 Manila, as well as through British India. 



Prices of Para rubber in Japan displayed less fluctuations in 

 1911 than had been the case in 1910, varying in the monthly 

 average for 1911 per 100 pounds, as follows: 



July $113.40 



January $118.18 



February 156.87 



March 173.88 



April 139.86 



May 136.08 



Juiie 158.76 



August 113.40 



September 120.96 



October 117.18 



November 108.62 



December 113.40 



While Japanese imports of crude rubl)er amounted for 1910 

 to 2,054,864 pounds (or an average of about 170.000 pounds a 

 month), the returns for this j-ear show a falling oflf, the latest 

 available figures for 1912 being : 



Pounds. 



Februarv 58,152 



March '. 80,183 



April 67,260 



May 99.799 



Distribution of J.\p.\nese Rubber Imports. 



By the subjoined table the respective shares in rubber imports 

 of the two principal Japanese trade ports are shown : 



Distribution Between J.\p.\nese Ports. 



1910— • 1911 



Pounds. Value. Pounds. Value. 



Yokohama 1,026,266 $1,062,016 1.044,199 $ 794,342 



Kobe 554,652 443.967 1 ,008,240 732,933 



Other ports 2,425 2,734 



Total 1,580.918 $1,505,983 2,054.864 $1,530,009 



The chief interest of the above figures lies in the fact that 

 Kobe has almost doubled the quantity of its rubber imports, while 

 those of Yokohama have remained stationary. Such a result 

 is due to increased consumption of rubber by the European 

 firms located at Kobe, including the Dunlop Rubber Co. (Far 

 East), Limited, and the Ingram Rubber Manufacturing Co. of 

 Japan. Many of the Japanese rubber manufacturers at Kobe, 

 Osaka and Kyoto helped in using the au,c;nientcd receipts at 

 the port of Kobe. 



as well as mechanical rubber goods. The works cover an area 

 of 2j/i acres, the power equipment consisting of one engine 

 and two boilers (each of 250 H. P.). Nine hundred hands, 

 male and female, constitute the working staff. 



Most of the officials are English, including the experts, the 

 manager being Mr. B. V. Williams. 



The Ingram Rubber Manufacturing Co., of Japan, was 

 established at Shiriiki, Hyogo, in 1908, by Mr. Arthur Ingrain, 

 son of the president of the Ingram Manufacturing Co., London. 

 During the following year it was converted into a stock com- 

 pany. Its manufactures include surgical and mechanical giiods. 

 The area of the works is three-fourths of an acre. 350 male and 

 female hands being employed, while the mechanical equipment 

 includes four engines and two boilers (each 70 H. P.). Mr. Tom 

 Parker is works and shop manager. The plant is now being 

 removed from Shiriiki to Wakinohama. Kobe, where the Dunlop 

 Rubber Co. are situated. It is contemplated for the two com- 

 panies to each get motive power from the same engines and 

 boilers, with the result of effecting great economies. 



A third European rubber company, established at Wakino- 

 hama, is the Premier Greer Cycle & Motor Manufacturing Co., of 

 Japan, Limited, with a capital of $150,000. The manager is Mr. 

 J. L. Newman. 



EUROPEAN RUBBEE COMPANIES IN JAPAN. 



Kobe is the seat of the chief European rubber manufacturing 

 companies domiciled in Japan, to whose increased consumption 

 is attributed the recent development of crude rubber imports 

 at that port. 



The Dunlop Rubber Co. (Far East), Limited, was established 

 at Wakinohama. Kobe, in 1908. with a capital of $435,000. Its 

 principal manufactures are automobile, cycle and jinrikisha tires. 



GERMAN RUBBER IMPORTS. 



According to the most recent German statistics, the total of 

 crude material imported by the rubber industry during the year 

 1911 represented 31,042 tons, as compared with 34,061 tons for 

 the year I9I0. The separate classification of this total was as 

 follows : 



GERM.\N CRUDE M.^TERI.\L IMPORTS. 



1910. 1191. 



Rubber tons 18,705 19,959 



Gutta-percha 8,694 3,507 



Balata 773 774 



Scrap 5,143 5,937 



Rubber substitutes 746 865 



Total tons 34.061 31,(M2 



The shortage of 3,000 tons in crude material shown by 1911. 

 as compared with 1910, is caused, it will be seen, by a falling off 

 in gutta-percha, of 5,0(X) tons, partially offset by an increase of 

 1,200 tons in rubber and of 800 tons in scrap. 



By another table are indicated the sources of supply, which 

 throw light upon the development of the German crude rubber 

 trade. 



SOURCES OF GERM.AX RUBBER IMPORTS. 



1910. 1911. 



Brazilian Rubber tons 5,686 6,811 



Other South American and Central Rubber.. 939 1,340 



.African Rubber 7,323 6,455 



.\siatic Rubber 2,859 2,717 



Mexican Rubber 1,347 2.099 



Indirect .imports 551 537 



Total tons 18,705 19,959 



Of the quantities credited to African rubber, the proportion 

 from the German colonies is shown in the following table : 

 GERMAN RUBBER IMPORTS FROM GERM.A.N COLONIES. 



1910. 1911. 



German East .Africa tons 476 602 



Kameun 1.935 1,805 



Togo 129 120 



German South West Africa 258 .... 



Kameun thus constitutes the principal source of German colo- 

 nial rubber. 



