286 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March 1, 1913. 



across the water, but in the development of mud-guards 

 Europe is quite likely to retain the pre-eminence. 



THE RIO EXPOSITION POSTPONED UNTIL 

 SEPTEMBER. 



THE Jaiuiary number of The Indi.\ Rubber Wori-b 

 contained a fairly extended editorial comment on 

 the International Exposition to be held in Rio de 

 Janeiro next May. The attention of the manufacturer 

 was called to this opportunity — rendered particularly 

 attractive by exemption from duties — to show the 

 South Americans the product of his skill and enter- 

 prise. But great expositions to be successful, require 

 much time for preparation, and the Rio management 

 has concluded most wisely to postpone the opening 

 from May until the early part of September. This is 

 most fortunate for Americans who wish to be properly 

 represented there, as it gives them ample time to pre- 

 pare a creditable exhibit. 



As already pointed out in these columns, the imports 

 from Brazil into the United States amount to $124,- 

 000,000 a year in value, being one-third of all the Bra- 

 zilian exports, while the Brazilian imports from the 

 United States amount to only $25,000,000 a year, or 

 one-eighth of the foreign goods bought by BraziHans. 

 There certainly seems to be no good reason why when 

 we buy over a third of their exports, they should buy 

 seven-eighths of their imports from other markets. 

 There certainly is a market for rubber goods in South 

 America. The demand for tires in the large urban 

 centers is already considerable, and undoubtedly a mar- 

 ket for other lines of rubber goods could be secured 

 if sufficient effort were put forth. Some English com- 

 panies and at least one American manufacturing con- 

 cern are seriously contemplating the erection of rubber 

 factories in or near Rio de Janeiro. Such a move would 

 be a distinct departure, and the result would be 

 awaited with interest. But to make an attractive dis- 

 play at the Rio exposition would involve comparatively 

 little expense and no risk, and is certainly worth the 

 American manufacturers' most earnest consideration. 



RUBBER TIPS TO SAVE THE EYES. 



SOME of our progressive state legislatures have 

 passed sundry enactments against the long, sharp 

 and perilous hatpin, with which the feminine members 

 of our body politic are accustomed to attach their head- 

 gear to the abundant locks with which they have been 

 endowed by nature — or otherwise. 



Any man who has occasion to use the subway, the ele- 

 vated, or even the plain trolley during the going-to-work 

 or going-home hours, appreciates the awful menace of 

 this keen steel point projecting at random into space, and 

 sweeping through the air with every movement of the 

 owner's head. There was a time when in a crowded car. 



a man gave consideration to his watch and his pocketbook, 

 but now if he is wise he watches only his eye. 



In Sweden they have handled this world-wide evil with 

 much acumen. They sometime since passed a law in that 

 advanced country, making it a misdemeanor to wear hat- 

 pins with exposed points ; and early last month a new 

 law, corollary to the first, went into efifect, providing that 

 street car conductors throughout Sweden should be sup- 

 plied by the Government with rubber tips which they 

 should furnish, at one cent each, to women passengers 

 with unprotected hatpin points. 



Now here is a vital issue for the new administration. 

 If Mr. Wilson in his impending inaugural, will forego all 

 references to sacred honor, plighted faith and high re- 

 solve, and simply announce that the first work of the new 

 Congress will be to pass a law compelling the use of rub- 

 ber tips on all hatpins, he will achieve what the historical 

 writers love to refer to as a coup d'etat, and will instantly 

 take his place in masculine regard by the side of Wash- 

 ington — if not a little in front. 



But let us view this matter not with reference to its 

 political effect, but rather as to its bearing on the great 

 world of rubber manufacture. What a fine new industry 

 it would open up. Just consider the statistics for a mo- 

 ment : There are 45,000,000 female persons in the United 

 States, 40,000,000 of them being of the hatpin age, viz., 

 between 8 and 80. It is safe to say that each bonnet con- 

 tains five hatpins. (There are men who aver the number 

 is fifty, but this is undoubtedly an exaggeration.) Each 

 bonnet wearer would doubtless consume — counting the 

 lost, loaned and those given to the baby to play with — 

 three full sets, or fifteen rubber tips a year. That would 

 make an annual consumption of 600,000,000 rubber tips. 

 Assuming that these rubber tips retail here as in Sweden, 

 at one cent each, making annual gross sales of $6,000,000, 

 and that the manufacturer modestly contents himself with 

 50 per cent, of the gross — that would amount to $3,000,- 

 000, quite a snug, little business. Now who will see that 

 the Swedish law is adopted in the United States, and 

 who will be the first to equip his factory for the output 

 of 600,000,000 point-covering, eye-saving rubber tips? 



COMPARATIVE IMPORTS AND PRICES OF RUBBER. 



STATISTICS to end of November (the latest published 

 at time of writing) give the following details of rub- 

 ber imports for first eleven months of the last three years : 



Average 

 Year. Pounds. Value. Per Pound. 



1910 83,888,801 $91,038,750 $1.08 



1911 74,013.921 67,179,799 0.91 



1912 107.078,374 90,436,489 0.85 



As these returns are based on the imports of various 

 descriptions of rubber, their value is only of general 

 character. However, they establish the broad fact, that 

 an increase of nearly 50 per cent, in the quantity imported 

 in 1912 as compared with 1911. only led to an average 

 fall in price of less than 7 per cent. 



