FEBRL'AkV 1, 1911. 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



147 



Because of its commanding importance the trade 

 paper has a preslijje that is of infinite vahic to the ad- 

 vertiser who uses its cohmms. Its readers in general 

 look to it for acconnts of the latest inventions, for lists 

 of dealers who can furnish them with the most ap- 

 proved machiner\-, the best raw materials and sup- 

 plies of various kinds. Hence an advertisement printed 

 in its pages commands attention because it carries 

 with it the implied, if not expressed endorsement of the 

 publishers. It possesses, moreover, a pulling power 

 that is nut inlicrent in the circular, booklet or cata- 

 logue. 



Xo n])-to-date business man can afford to ignore 

 the jjaper that co\ers his own particular field. He de- 

 pends upon the information it fin-nishes, whether in 

 tlie editorial or advertising columns. He knows that 

 the publisher will not knowingly allow any irrespon- 

 sible or unworthy firm to use its pages to defraud its 

 readers. It is to the credit of the trade paper pub- 

 lishers of the United States that seldom is this confi- 

 dence betra}ed. Editors are only human and are 

 themselves sometimes deceived by advertisers, but 

 when this happens, which is not often, the fraud is 

 soon discovered and made known. 



Already the admission of an advertiser to the 

 columns of a trade periodical of high standing ha'', 

 come to be regarded as a distinct honor because of 

 the privilege it gives him to address from ten to fifteen 

 thousand intelligent readers, many of wh<im ma}- be- 

 come possible customers. 



It is interesting, if not important, to know that there is 

 one place where discussion of rubber planting conditions is no 

 longer considered necessary. In Mexico, in Africa, and in the 

 Far East, even on the most advanced plantations, many questions 

 regarding rubber culture are still dealt with as unsettled. We 

 have seen a mention of five rubber plantations in Ceylon, in the 

 same district, all accounted successful, and employing as many 

 diflferent tapping systems, the manager in each case considering 

 his practice the best. But discussion of such points is not wel- 

 comed in the Philippine islands. At least the Manila Daily 

 Bulletin, in the columns of which several correspondents en- 

 gaged in a discussion of rubber planting details, peremptorily 

 put a stop to the matter by announcing : "To avoid further con- 

 troversies these notes will be discontinued." If the planters 

 around Manila cannot agree upon such a simple matter as plant- 

 ing rubber, let them hire a hall and thresh out the question^ 

 but not molest the newspaper editors. 



Who can say that the last word has been heard in rubber 

 invention, or even in any one single branch of tlie industry, 

 when the patent offices of every country continue to grind out 

 new issues relating to rubber and its applications? One would 

 have thought that certainly no field existed for a new patent on 

 a r\ibber eraser, since the original rubber eraser — back 140 years 

 ago, when its use suggested the name "rubber" — was not pro- 

 tected by any patent. But here comes a Californian, with a new- 

 fangled shape for an "eraser tip for pencils" and means for 

 attaching the same, and the United States has granted him a 

 patent on it. Considering how much more complicated is the 

 field of rubber tire invention, it promises to keep patent office 

 examiners busy for a very great while to come. 



COLONEL COLT ON THE RUBBER OUTLOOK. 



IN an interview in the New York Journal of Commerce, Colonel 

 Sanuicl P. Colt, president of the United States Rubber Co., is 

 quoted as saying iliat on account of the extreme high prices of 

 crude rubber during part of 1910, manufacturers were obliged \.o 

 reduce their output, and also to advance the prices of goods. He 

 says that this undoubtedly had an effect on consumption, but as 

 there has not been discovered a substitute for rubber in tires, the 

 influence on this particular line has not been material. With the 

 decline of crude rubber, the industry has been approaching a 

 normal condition. Colonel Colt regards prospects for 1911 as 

 favorable to lower prices for crude rubber than for past two 

 years. 



Regarding the rubber footwear trade, which depends more 

 upon the state of the weather than on any other condition. Col- 

 onel Colt says: "The prices of boots and shoes were never ad- 

 vanced proportionately to anything like the advance in crude, 

 and owing to the change in conditions of crude, the advance of 

 12 per cent, that was made on boots and shoes was reduced later. 

 The boot and shoe trade is now in excellent condition. The early 

 winter has so far been exceptionally advantageous to the footwear 

 market. Concurrently with this, stocks throughout the country 

 arc light, which would indicate a healthy condition and the possi- 

 bility of increased orders for next season." 



In the opinion of President Colt the year 1911 will witness as 

 large, if not a larger demand for tires, than during any previous 

 year. He regards the extreme high prices for crude rubber as 

 having been due in part to speculation, adding: "The artificial 

 character of the market was emphasized by the remarkable and 

 ■■iteady decline that followed." In view of the stocks reported to 

 exist in certain quarters, he thinks that the speculators who 

 manipulated the market for high prices have had a costly ex- 

 perience, much of their holdings today having accumulated at 

 prices high above those now ruling. 



QUALITY OF PLANTATION RUBBER. 



AT the last annual meeting of the India-Rubber, Gutta-Perclia 

 and Telegraph Works Co., Limited, the chairman, in discus- 

 sing the market for crude rubber during the past year, said : 



■■\\'e. in common with every other manufacturer of india-rubber 

 goods, view with pleasure the development of india-rubber culti- 

 vation, and will continue to give those engaged in it such assist- 

 ance as lies in our power. The quantity of this rubber which will 

 be eventually produced will be very large, and plantation rubber 

 will form an important feature in the raw rubber market. It is, 

 therefore, to be hoped that those producers who will establish a 

 reputation for the quality of their produce will jealously maintain 

 that reputation so that tlie confidence which is necessary between 

 buyer and seller may not be unduly disturbed. This care should 

 be all the greater because plantation rubber is not, strictly speak- 

 ing, a raw product; it is partly manufactured, and therein lies the 

 danger so far as quality is concerned." 

 * * * 

 IN commenting on the quality of tlie phuitation rul)ber coming 

 under his notice, Mr. A. D. Thornton, of the Consolidated 

 Canadian Rubber Co., Limited, writes in The India-Rubber 

 Journal: "Please do not think I am writing in a carping spirit. 

 In my opinion the man on the plantation should know what the 

 manufacturer desires, and the latter should not hesitate to ex- 

 press those desires. The manufacturer is forced to obtain certain 

 results. If he cannot obtain them from 'plantation' he must go 

 back to Para. May I suggest that the word 'Para' be not used 

 in connection with plantation rubbers. Let 'plantations' create 

 their own record, let them have their own standing; it should not 

 be necessary to use the word 'Para' to exploit them." 



