November 1, 1912.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



111 



JAPANESE IMPORTS OF PACKING. 



, 1910, > , 1911 



Pounds Value. Pounds. 



Great Britain 484,991 S91,033 397,156 



Germany 179.639 25,801 131,260 



Italy 83,09(.> 11,714 88,588 



United States 84,385 41,723 130,043 



Other countries 2,491 337 2,740 



Value. 



$75,271 



19,649 



14,324 



64,762 



591 



834,602 $170,608 749,787 $174,597 



INSULATED ELECTRIC WIRE IMPORTS. 



The Japanese imports of submarine telegraphic or telephonic 

 cables have diminished under the influence of domestic manu- 

 factures in that line. In three years they have represented from 

 January to June— 1910, $238,470; 1911, $165,759; 1912, .$.36,006. 



.Ml other classes of insulated wire represented during a similar 

 period : 



Pounds. Value. 



1910 2,724,869 $340,777 



1911 14,047.505 1,322,256 



1912 7,952,928 666,735 



The cause of the large increase shown for 1911 (apart from 

 the impending new tariff) was the number of hydro-electric com- 

 panies, electric car companies and electric light companies, pro- 

 jected or established in consequence of the development of elec- 

 tricity over the country. As a result of the imports having again 

 fallen off in 1912, domestic manufacturers secured a large acces- 

 sion of business during the first six months of the current year. 

 For instance, it is announced the Fujikura Electric Wire and Rub- 

 ber Co., Limited, paid for that period a dividend at the rate of a 

 little over 20 per cent, per annum. 



Exports of insulated electric wire, January to June (chiefly to 

 China and Japanese China) represented — 1910, 336,801 pounds, 

 $56,102; 1911, 164,936 pounds, $34,248; 1912, 134,668 pounds, 

 $27,968. 



Statistics of the electric installations in Japan on December 

 31, 1911, show that there were at that time 2,765,169 electric 

 lamps, averaging about ten candle-power, and 10,419 electric mo- 

 tors, with a total actual horse power of 47,188. 



JAPANESE TRADE IN JINRIKISHAS. 



According to official reports, Japanese exports of jinrikishas, 

 which had been relatively active in 1910, fell off in 1911. 

 This was specially the case as to the Straits Settlements, which 

 had taken in 1910, about 80 per cent, of the total exported from 

 Japan. Owing to the dullness in Singapore, caused by many 

 Chinese workers leaving for their native land, the demand fell 

 off 22 per cent, in quantity, while the value was only diminished 

 by 5 per cent., the adoption of higher grades being thus indicated. 

 During the first six months of this year, business revived in 

 the Straits market. In Annam, moreover, business was better 

 than in Singapore. Rubber tires are there adorned with red 

 paint, which gives them a characteristic aspect. 



JAPANESE JINRIKISHA EXPORTS. 



, 1910. , , 1911. > 



Number. Value. Number. Value. 



China 1,286 $21,548 1.046 $20,781 



British India 1,406 31,172 976 19,987 



British Straits Settlements.. 11,027 148,128 8,616 149,109 



Other countries, including 



Corea 478 8,329 188 4,209 



Total 14,197 $209,177 10,826 $185,086 



RUBBER PLANTING IN SIAM. 

 The Japanese Consul at Bangkok, the capital of Siam, has re- 

 ported that rubber planting in that country is now in a tentative 

 period; the most favorable districts being the two states of 



Champon and Segora, on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula, 

 facing the Gulf of Siam. At the south of those two states is a 

 state named Pato-ni, where there are already 300 acres planted 

 with 58,000 Para trees. In Chautaburi State (northeast of 

 Bangkok), rubber planting has also been tried on a large scale. 



This state resembles the Malay peninsula in climate and fertil- 

 ity, but owing to the droughts usual in spring, tapping is later by 

 one or two years, than is the case there. Two of the plantations 

 (aggregating 160 acres) are operated by individuals, and one by 

 a stock company, styled Borisab So wan, Chautaburi, with a 

 capital equaling $22,500, which owns an area of 8(X) acres. Of 

 this acreage 200 acres are planted with 16,000 Para trees, the 

 bulk of which were planted in July, 1911, and have now attained 

 a diameter of an inch to an inch and a half; 600 trees having 

 been planted two years ago. One of the representative men of 

 this company is Mr. K. Tanje, a Japanese, who has become a 

 naturalized Siamese. 



The total area planted in rubber in Siam is estimated at about 

 3,(XX) acres, but the enterprise is of such recent date that it has 

 not yet been possible to determine whether it is suited to the 

 country. 



The opinion is expressed in the official Japanese report, that 

 if suitable locations are selected, Siam will in the future become 

 a good rubber planting center, having much uncultivated land, 

 with many of the characteristics of tropical countries. Siam, it 

 will be recalled, is to the northeast of the Malay peninsula. 



CYCLE, MOTORCAR AND JINRIKISHA SHOW. 



This show was held during the early part of the summer of 

 1912 at the Shiba Exposition Hall, Tokyo, and included some 

 30 e.xhibitors. Among them were chiefly English-made cycles 

 and automobiles, exhibited by Japanese traders. The exhibits in- 

 cluded those of the Dunlop Rubber Co. (Far East), Limited, 

 Kobe; the Meiji Rubber Works, Tokyo; the Leicester Rubber 

 Co. of England, as well as various British and American makes. 



Exhibits of other rubber manufactures included medical goods 

 and carriage mats from the Meiji Rubber Works, Tokyo, as well 

 as rubber gloves for electricians, hose and heavy rubber heels 

 from the Ingram Rubber Manufacturing Co. of Japan, Limited, 

 Kobe. 



FURTHER JAPANESE RUBBER COMPANIES. 



i'he Kawaji Rubber Works were established at Higuretori, 

 Fukiai, Kobe, in October, 1907, with a capital of $5,000. The prin- 

 cipal manufactures are toy balls, sporting and mechanical goods, 

 jinrikisha tires, etc. Its equipment includes one 15 h. p. engine 

 and one boiler of 20 h. p. Messrs. K. Kawaji and H. Suba are 

 the proprietors. 



The Kobe Rubber Manufacturing Co., Ltd., was established 

 at Wakinohama, Kobe, in January, 1912, making tires, tubing, 

 etc. Mr. W. H. Coast is the expert. All the members of the 

 company are English, most of them having been connected with 

 the Dunlop Rubber Co. (Far East), whose success encouraged 

 them to branch out for themselves. 



The Rubber Co. was established at Sumiyoshi-mura, in 

 1887, being the oldest factory in Osaka and Kobe. Its specialty 

 is a water bottle, the annual output of which amounts to 20,000, 

 principally sold to consumers in Tokyo. This bottle is made by 

 a special and original process, which requires less machinery 

 than the foreign method, but takes more hands. This factory 

 has one fifteen h. p. engine. Many of the Osaka water-bottle 

 manufacturing companies have emanated from this concern. 



BKAZILIAN GOVEHNMENT TENBEKB. 



On December 30. tlie Ministry of Agriculture at Rio de Janeiro, 

 will receive tenders from persons who may propose to establish 

 factories for the refining and manufacture of rubber, in accord- 

 ance with the law of January 5, 1912 and the subsequent regula- 

 tions. The provisions of the law were reported in The India 

 Rubber World of June 1, 1912 (page 426). 



