358 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[Seitemher I, 1 90 1. 



THE LARGE MOVEMENT OF RUBBER SCRAP. 



FOR several years past it has been evident that the total 

 amount of crude India-rubber (excluding Guttapercha) 

 embraced in the official statistics of the leading coramercial 

 nations was greater than could be accounted for by adding 

 together the output of the different countries producing rub- 

 ber. This excess doubtless would be accounted for if a sepa- 

 rate classification were adopted at the European custom houses, 

 as has been done in the United States, for rubber scrap and re- 

 claimed rubber. But without such classification, some impor- 

 tant facts bearing upon the question may be arrived at by an 

 analysis of European official figures. For example, the British 

 import returns have long embraced " Caoutchouc " from Rus- 

 sia, though it is well known that England does not receive any 

 crude rubber from that country. Ttie imports of " raw Caout- 

 chouc " credited to Russia in the latest British returns have 

 been as follows: 



1896. 1S97. 1898, 1899. 1900. 



Pounds 1,016,624 988,512 2,311,120 2,196,992 4,260,928 



All of these amounts are clearly old "galoches," and were 

 they entered as such, the result would be a material modifica- 

 tion of the returns of the crude rubber movement in England. 

 A similar condition exists with reference to German statistics 

 of rubber imports. In the latter country crude rubber is re- 

 ported to be received, not only from Russia, but from several 

 other European countries, not one of which is likely to be an 

 exporter of this material, as follows : 



From — 189S. 



Russia pounds. 1,546,160 



Finland 



Denmark 



Norway 53.24° 



Sweden 120,560 



Austria-Hungary 



Turkey 192,500 



18-9. 



7,267,260 



55, coo 



64,240 



130,020 



439.780 

 118,800 

 174,020 



1900. 



4,061,420 

 255,420 

 134.860 

 390,440 



843,160 

 189,860 

 240,900 



Total 1912,460 8.249,120 6,122,160 



The next comparison relates to the German returns of India- 

 rubber exported to the United States during the three past 

 calendar years, and to the United States returns of rubber im- 

 ported from Germany in the same period — weights in pounds: 



1S98. 1899. 1900, 



Exports reported by Germany 3,041,060 8,319,300 5,912,320 



Imports reported by United States. .. 1,716,521 2,110,969 1428,339 



It may throw some light upon this wide discrepancy to give 

 here a statement of the imports of " old " or " scrap " rubber 

 credited to Germany by the United States for the past three 

 fiscal years, no details being now accessible for the calendar 

 years in question : 



1897.98. '898-99. 1899-1900. 



Pounds 2,857,606 3,560,065 9,810,311 



No doubt, if the figures at hand permitted a closer adjust- 

 ment of the periods of time under comparison, it would be 

 found that the total exports of rubber from Germany to the 

 United States would be found to balance pretty closely the 

 combined imports credited to Germany by the United States 

 for crude rubber and scrap. As indicating the importance of 

 reckoning separately with scrap rubber in calculating the 

 world's movement of rubber, a table is given on this page, 

 showing the imports into the United States for ten years past 

 of scrap. The total for the last fiscal year reached 19093,547 

 pounds — a figure approximating to 20 per cent, of the probable 

 total production of crude rubber for the period under review. 

 And it is worth while to point out, not only that upwards of 

 16,500,000 pounds of this material was derived from Europe, 

 but that the greater part of this heavy volume figures, in one 

 way or another, in the European statistics of crude rubber. 



SCRAP RUBBER OF AMERICAN ORIGIN. 



In this connection it may be of interest to give space to an 

 estimate of the amount of rubber scrap of American origin, 

 which is greatei than in any other country. Some inquiry has 

 been made on this point, and the following letter is one of 

 those which have been received in reply : 



To THE Editor ok The India Rubuer World : Answering your 



inquiry of the i6th instant, we will say that we estimate the quantity of 



rubber shoes gathered in this country, at approximately 25.000 tons. 



In addition to this, there are gathered about 5000 tons of hose, some 



2500 tons of bicycle and vehicle tires, and likewise some 5000 tons of 



miscellaneous rubber scrap — or a total of 37,500 tons. This does not 



take into consideration the foreign rubber boots and shoes that are 



landed on our Eastern shores. The yield of reclaimed rubber will 



average about 80 per cent. Yours, truly, 



B. LOEWENTHAL BROS. & CO. 

 Chicago, July iS, 1901. 



The estimate above figures out at 75,000,000 pounds of scrap 



rubber, which, at 80 per cent, of reclaimed rubber, would give 



60,000,000 pounds of the latter — which is the largest estimate yet 



brought to our notice. W. T. Rodenbach, of the United States 



Rubber Co.'s reclaiming plant (Naugatuck, Connecticut) says: 



" Various estimates have been made of the quantity of domestic 



rubber boots and shoes which are reclaimed each year ; to be 



on the safe side, my opinion is that it would not be far from 



18,000 to 20,000 tons. To this, of course, would have to be 



added all the other kinds of scrap rubber converted." This 



estimate, it will be seen, is 20 per cent, less than in the letter 



above given, and yet calls for an immense amount of waste 



material. 



Imports of Scrap Rubber into the United States — Fiscal Years Ending June 30. 



Countries, 



Belgium pounds 



Denmark 



France 



Germany 



Russia — Haltic 



Russia — lilack sea 



Norway-Sweden 



Turkey in Europe 



United Kingdom 



British North America 



West Indies 



South America 



British East Indies 



Other countries 



Total pounds 



1891. 



108,175 

 21.668 



20,593 



246,257 



87.008 



2,033 



2,429 



488,163 



1892. 



319.853 

 15,102 



11,516 



59,230 



896,787 



534.58" 



.... 



1,000 



2.717 



1893. 



24,238 



24,610 



104,653 



22,000 



65.233 

 117.929 

 548,067 



3.813 



1,841,786 



910.543 



1894. 



68,211 

 707.647 



10,675 



131,621 



188,997 



664,498 



2,359 



1,774.006 



1895- 



3,916 



52,053 



52,0J5 



742,259 



65,954 



65,407 



«5,540 



67.405 



254,489 



583. S71 



115.987 



13.637 



2,032,563 



1896. 



I2,22q 



46.628 



42,868 



,910,033 



398,321 



51,437 

 340,439 

 659,830 



409,752. 



3, 140! 



1897. 



16,928 



15.424 

 41,264 



1. 291. 353 

 563.998 

 300,815 



18,178 

 593.798 

 398,913 



19.736 



389,238 

 4.300 



3.874.6771 3.653.945 



1898. 



74,683 



129. Sii 



84.769 



2,857,606 



1,582,862 



132,190 



14,267 



50,988 



269,652 



2,051,617 



79,535 



2,140,358 



19,972 



1899. 



196,790 



90,075 



64,782 



3,560,065 



2,993,763 



329,495 



33.800 



115,143 



426,790 



2,675,147 



4,220 



23.534 



9,488,327 10,513,604 19,093,547 



1900. 



300,419 



7.273 



190,901 



9,810,311 



3.955,387 

 1,092,129 



95.175 



123,866 



1,006,513 



2,497,908 



1,050 



300 



12,315 



