Jl-lv I, 1913.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



537 



DANGEROUS 

 GOLF BALLS. 



RE-FORMED 

 RUBBER. 



Abbott's "Auto-Soie." These arc made in eight colors, and 

 are very light and transparent. What their lasting power is, 

 compared with a macintosh of the same price, I do not know. 

 P.ut I gather that their life is by no means co-extensive; 

 more particularly because they require careful handling. The 

 main point about the business is that they have become 

 popular with ladies who are not too particular as to the price, 

 as long as the thing is fashionable. One of the advantages 

 of the oil-skin over the macintosh, I am told, is that it per- 

 mits an expensive dress underneath it to be seen by others, 

 and that largely accounts for their appearance this year at 

 fashionable out-of-door gatherings in dubious weather. Al- 

 though Abbotts may be considered the pioneers in this 

 business, they are by no means without competitors, and in 

 all probability, unless the demand should prove evanescem, 

 we shall see further competition arise. 



A somewhat sensational paragraph has been going round 

 the Englisli papers with reference to a case in America where 

 a boy lost the sight of an eye by open- 

 ing a liquid core golf ball. As there 

 is no reason to doubt the authenticity 

 of the case, it would certainly seem advisable that balls con- 

 taining corrosives such as caustic soda and chloride of zinc 

 should be sold with some notification of their hidden danger. 

 One of the results of the paragraph has been the bombarding 

 of British dealers in golf balls as to the dangers that may 

 lurk therein; the general answer being that such balls arc not 

 sold here. 



Compared with what was the case two or three years ago, 

 one hears singularly little about re-formed rubber nowadays. 

 With regard to the Premier Re-form- 

 ing Co., of Walthamstow, a new board 

 of directors has been elected, and 

 at a recent meeting it is understood that the financial position 

 was under special consideration. Mr. Rawson, who was the 

 promoter of the company, and who was to act as consulting 

 engincr for a term of years at comfortable remuneration, has 

 now severed his connection with the concern. 



I have read the editorial headed "The Best Rubber School" 

 in the June issue of The India Rubber World with interest, 

 TEACHING ^"'^ have little doubt that it will be 



RUBBER endorsed by our manufacturers gen- 



MANUFACTURE. erally. Here, as in America, the best 



rubber schools are still to be found within the four walls of 

 the factory. Your reference to one of the Polytechnic in- 

 stitutes in London is not quite accurate; the Polytechnic in 

 Regent street being the only institution bearing that title, 

 and ranking among the numerous technical colleges now to 

 be found scattered over the metropolis. Already the initiative 

 of the Polytechnic in founding a rubber department has been 

 copied in provincial technical schools and doubtless the move- 

 ment will spread under the aegis of education enthusiasts, 

 and the glut of those who wish to turn their knowledge to 

 account as leaders. Some manufactures can no doubt be suc- 

 cessfully taught at colleges, but I don't think that rubber can 

 be included in their number, for reasons which it would oc- 

 cupy too much space to elaborate. Mention may, however, be 

 made of the varying procedures in important matters of detail, 

 which occur in the several works and which, if they do not in 

 truth merit the term of secret processes, come near the 

 category of such, and at any rate are kept as quiet as pos- 

 sible by those working them. It seems to me that the teacher 

 of the rubber manufacture who goes beyond general prin- 

 ciples will make himself unpopular with, at any rate, some 

 of the manufacturers, and others will be in a constant state 

 of suspense as to whether their particular methods will come 

 out in the lime-light of the classroom. Leaving this point, 

 however, for another, it is certain that the supply of chemists 

 wishing for posts in rubber works will shortly (if such is 

 not already the case) largely exceed the demand. 



Compared with what was the case twenty years ago, the 



use of lime in compounding rubber shows a decided increase. 



Not only is it more generally used in 



THE USE OF LIME rubber goods, but, what is more 



IN RUBBER. . , , , ,, 



noticeable, the very small proportions 

 of the past are now being exceeded. The main reason for 

 this lies in the fact that whereas in the past rubber used to 

 be kept for weeks — in some cases months — after washing, 

 before being used, a more hand-to-mouth policy now pre- 

 vails and the rubber is used up at once. Without neces- 

 sarily being damp, it is apt to be so. Hence the increased 

 use of lime as a preventative of prospective trouble. 



THE RUBBER TRADE ASSOCIATION OF LONDON. 



AVZITH the growing importance of London as a rubber market, 

 *' the necessity had become evident of an organization in 

 which tlie various sections of the trade would be appropriately 

 represented and which would at the same time serve as an 

 authority on the various questions arising in the conduct of the 

 increasing business of the port. 



The foundation in April last of "The Rubber Trade Association 

 of London" has met these requirements. Its establishment under 

 the auspices and with the co-operation of the "Rubber Growers' 

 .-Association" ensures a continuity of previous efforts. The last 

 named body has four representatives on the committee, which 

 likewise includes six brokers and six dealers. 



As defined in the general regulations, the objects of the asso- 

 ciation arc : To promote the best interests of the Rubber Trade 

 as a whole, for the mutual benefit of all concerned, producers, 

 importers, brokers, dealers and consumers in general ; to 

 facilitate the settlement of disputes in the trade by arbitration; 

 and for these purposes to make rules for the proper supervision 

 and efficient conduct of the trade, including the regulation of 

 mutual transactions between members of the association. 



The entrance fee is £5 5s. ($26.25), the annual subscription 

 being of like amount. 



A prominent feature of the association is the "Standard Quali- 

 ties Committee," whose duty it will be to examine all samples 

 of plantation rubber sold under any of the standard descriptions, 

 for the purpose of certifying before tendering whether such 

 samples conform to the recognized market standards. 



The officers and committee for 1913 are : Chairman, Samuel 

 Figgis ; vice-chairman, Harry Symington, and treasurer, J. D. 

 Johnston. 



The committee consists of the following brokers : A. Buss- 

 weiler. Andrew Devitt, Samuel Figgis, Patrick Gow, W. J. C. 

 Hendrev, and Geoffrey Hoare ; of the following dealers : E. Berg, 

 J. D. Johnston, Arthur Meyer, E. Stevenson, L. Sutro, and Harry 

 Symington ; and of the following representatives of the Rubber 

 Growers' Association : A. Gordon Dickson, E. L. Hamilton, 

 .Arthur Lampard. and John McEwan. 



The Standard Qualities Committee for 1913 consists of 

 Spencer Brett, Andrew Devitt, W. J. C. Hendrey, L. Jacob, 

 Arthur Jones, F. Loeflund, A. H. Punnett, Roger E. Thompson, 

 and W. S. Worthington. 



The secretary is William G. Briggs, and the offices are at 6 

 j\Iincing Lane, E. C. 



NEW LONDON RULES FOR PLANTATION RUBBER BUSINESS. 



One of the first acts of the association has been the promulga- 

 tion of a set of 30 rules, applicable under arrangement to private 

 contracts, but to which all sales of rubber at public auction are 

 considered as subject. These rules are to govern all contracts 

 made on or before May 1. 1913, but rule 4, abolishing the allow- 

 ances for draft and discount (referred to later on), will only 

 apply to contracts made on and after January 1, 1914. 



In rules 2 and 3 the usual formalities of auction sales are 



