436 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[May 1, 1913. 



The India Rubber Trade in Great Britain. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



THE reports of the Akers Committee, though of primary in- 

 terest to Brazilian politicians and people, have been followed 

 with considerable interest by manufacturers in Europe. 

 Popular though Eastern plantation Para has become for very 

 many purposes, there still remain many purposes for which the 

 Brazilian product is considered indispen- 

 THE nrTTTRE OF ^gj^, ^^^^j j^ ^yoyij geem inevitable that 



BEAZnjAir PABA. , ■,,,,., 



It must command a considerably higher 

 premium in the market in the near future than is at present the 

 case. A prominent manufacturer in conversation with me re- 

 cently, confidently predicted the price of 2s. per lb. for plantation 

 Para in the not distant future, and expressed the opinion that 

 in order to compete, the Brazilian merchants will have to pay 

 their gatherers at a higher rate and considerably reduce the 

 present remuneration of officials, capitalists and other go-be- 

 tweens. Of course one must take into account the prospective 

 advantages to be derived from the Madeira-Mamore railway, 

 a railway which is now familiar to British investors — or perhaps 

 I ought to say underwriters — owing to recent financial develop- 

 ments on this side. 



A point in the report which I have seen criticized in various 

 papers is the proposal to start rubber works in Brazil with Gov- 

 ernment assistance. Quite apart from any considerations as to 

 the suitability of the climate, there is no doubt that European ru- 

 ber manufacturers look with apprehension upon the probable 

 loss of some profitable export business. It is probably correct 

 to say that as regards value mechanical rubber goods, largely 

 for railway use, are the most important of our rubber exports 

 to South America, these being followed by waterproof garments 

 and tires. How the position stands with Continental countries 

 or the United States I have no information, but our manufac- 

 turers are certainly not enamored of the idea of rubber manu- 

 facturing in the South American countries, though they extract a 

 few crumbs of comfort from the assertion that the competition 

 will take several years to make itself seriously felt. The first 

 factory, I understand, is being put up at Bahia; machinery being 

 already despatched from England. 



In the Russian supplement to the "Times," published on March 

 28, appeared an interesting contribution by V. P. Krymoff on the 

 »-ra. "S^'W^manufacture of rubber goods in Russia 



Owing to the system of protection, 

 coupled with the possession of two very 

 large factories, the imports of rubber goods into Russia are 

 described as insignificant, while the exports have shown a large 

 increase. The daily output of goloshes at the "Prowodnik" works 

 now amounts to the huge total of 42,000 pairs. Solid cab tires 

 are made and used in Russia in numbers far exceeding all other 

 countries. On the other hand the automobile tire trade has not 

 yet achieved any great proportions, though rapid progress is being 

 made at the present time. It appears that compared with some 

 of the American states, the proportion of motor vehicles in Rus- 

 sia is only 1 to 100 other vehicles. Rubber sponges are stated 

 by the writer to be virtually a monopoly, which, whatever may 

 have been the case twenty years ago, seems rather surprising, 

 now that the manufacture is carried on in several other countries. 

 The writer does not refer to Russian reclaimed rubber, the ex- 

 port of which in large quantities to England is a very sore point 

 indeed with English reclaimers. It is, of course, generally known 

 that there is an export duty on Russian goloshes going to Eng- 

 land and America. This is sufficiently high to bar their use in 

 England as raw material for reclaiming, and as there is no ex- 

 port duty on Russian reclaimed rubber to England this is proving 

 a serious competitor to reclaimed stock of similar quality made 



THE IKDUSTKY 

 IN RtTSSIA. 



DISASTK0U8 

 FIRE. 



in England. Indeed the situation is such that I hear rumors of an 

 important English reclaiming works proposing to erect a branch 

 factory in Russia. Outside reclaimed rubber I don't know that . 

 the imports of Russian rubbers into England occasion home 

 manufacturers any disquietude. As far as footwear is concerned 

 the competition seems to be practically limited to America. Per- 

 haps the Russian goods cannot compete with the American in 

 price; certainly, as far as old goloshes for reclaiming are con- 

 cerned, the quality of the rubber is superior to that of the 

 American. With regard to Russian goods in England I ought to 

 add that quite recently motor tires have been coming over in 

 quantity and of a quality to make their competition felt by home 

 manufacturers. 



Early in the morning of March 12, the works of the Mersey 

 Rubber Reclaiming Co., Ltd., of Stockport were entirely gutted 

 by fire, and the business of the company 

 has for the present been brought to an 

 abrupt stop. The works in the main 

 consisted of a four-story mill, formerly used in the textile in- 

 dustry. The fire appears to have started on the top floor, where 

 the drying screens were situated, though the actual cause remains 

 a mystery, nothing wrong having been noticed by the night 

 watchman who had quite recently visited the rooms. The loss 

 to plant and rubber, of which there was a large stock, may be put 

 at about il2,000; electrical driving gear having only quite recently 

 been installed. This loss is fully covered, I understand, by in- 

 surance, and so also is the mill. The Mersey company was 

 established about two and one-half years ago, and as they were 

 well booked up with orders for several months ahead, the fire is 

 a most unfortunate occurrence. At the moment I cannot say 

 definitely what will be done in the future, but I understand that 

 recommencing the business on another site is a matter now under 

 the consideration of the directors. 



Like the matter of the new King who is to preside over the 

 destinies of Albania, there is considerable discussion and uncer- 

 THE INDIA RUBBER tainty about the personality of the new 

 MANUFACTURERS' chairman of the above association. 

 ASSOCIATION. Colonel Birley has now held office for 



nearly two years, the ordinary term of one year having been 

 extended by general request. If what I hear is correct, some 

 difficulty is being found in deciding upon his successor, not from 

 any rush of applicants, but because those approached have begged 

 to be excused. Compared with what is known — at any rate in 

 this country — as the American Rubber Trust, our manufacturers' 

 association has always suffered from the fact that important 

 works like the Silvertown, North British, Dunlop and Warner, 

 have remained outside its membership though without in any 

 way acting antagonistically towards it. The salesmen in America, 

 I understand, have a definite price and stick to it, while here, 

 despite the issue of notices as to this or that advance in price 

 by the association, individual members have confessed to an 

 uneasy feeling that their competitors do not always quite play 

 the game. This is a delicate matter to which I only refer in a 

 spirit of detachment, as being quite outside my personal ken. 

 It is, of course, well known that the proceedings of the associa- 

 tion are not communicated to the press, a matter which has in 

 the past been adversely commented on by our London contem- 

 porary. With regard to the conduct of affairs I may say that 

 general meetings of the members are only called at irregular 

 intervals, the main business being attended to by a standing com- 

 mittee of half a dozen and a secretary. 



The 1913 revised druggist sundries list has just been issued 



