I'F.nRUARY 1, 1911. 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



171 



Our Esteemed Japanese Contemporary 



THE enterprise displayed by tlic Japanese in the india-rubber 

 industry, and the progress made in its development, though 

 of such recent origin in their country, is indicated in the 

 well tilled columns of our excellent contemporary. Uoiiiti 

 Sliimpo ("India Rubber News" or "Gazette"), edited and pub- 

 lished monthly in Tokio by Mr. T. Takeuchi, with Mr. T. Sato 

 as associate. Judging from the substantial appearance of the 

 Shiiiipo it must enjoy a good support, but however extensive 

 its circulation the paper probably is not seen by many readers of 

 The Indi.\ RfBBER \\ oki.u, for whose benefit is reproduced on 

 this page tlie headpiece of the Tokio publication. 



The leading article in the issue of Goinu Sliiiiipo for Novem- 

 ber 10, 1910. is an editorial on india-rubber cultivation, a subject 

 which appeals to the interest of the Japanese, not only in con- 

 nection with the future supply of raw material required by them, 

 but also because they entertain hopes of cultivating rubber 

 profitably on the island of Formosa, now owned by Japan. 

 There are further articles on "The Most Recent Discovery Re- 

 lating to Rubber Plantations," "The South China Bank in Rela- 



very pronounced. Taking up at random an early number of 

 this pioneer American journal, one linds only about 42 per cent, 

 of its reading matter devoted to rubber and allied subjects, and 

 a good part of this was filled with a chapter in an excellent 

 history of Charles Goodyear, which the editor compiled and 

 published serially. Other articles in this pioneer rubber journal 

 related to sea sickness, tippling in Ireland, fairies in Great 

 Britain, and the like, together with jokes and poems. The new 

 Japanese paper, it will be seen, is' doing somewhat better. 



And the early New York paper had only 16 advertisements of 

 rubber manufacturers and dealers in factory supplies, though 

 there w-ere over a hundred rubber factories in the L'nitcd 

 States at the time, with millions of capital invested and many 

 millions of dollars' worth of products. 



Speaking of advertisements, Goiiitt Shiinpo makes a good 

 showing for the Japanese rubber industry. There are 28 adver- 

 tisements in the number under review, all bearing in some way 

 upon the rubber interest. There are announcements both of man- 

 ufacturers and importers, some offering rubber goods in general 



IIE.\DriECE OF THE GOMU SlIIMPO (INDIA RUBBER NEWS), TOKIO, JAPAN. 



tion to Rubber" (having reference to planting investments), 

 "The Hongkong Rubber Revolution," and notes on Malaysian 

 and other planting company dividends. 



There are articles on two or three Japanese rubber manufac- 

 turing companies ; statistics of imports at different ports of india- 

 rubber and gutta-percha; the prices of crude rubber, and such 

 like information. One article is headed "Koma Agricultural Col- 

 lege and Rubber." Celluloid also receives attention, first in a 

 statistical article, and secondly in a review of the celluloid in- 

 dustry in Germany. 



The coming International Rubber Exhibition in London re- 

 ceives attention, and there are articles on the automobile indus- 

 try in the United States and on the amount of capital invested 

 in the rubber industry in the world. The leading technical article 

 is devoted to "Compounding Rubber." The remaining title is 

 "Pedals for Bicycles." 



It will be seen from this brief summary that the editors of 

 Goinn Shimpo, in the allotment of their space, have adhered 

 pretty closely to their text. Here we recall that when The 

 Indi.\ Rubber World was being founded there were members 

 of the trade who feared that early failure would result from the 

 inability of the editor to find enough matter pertaining to rubber 

 to fill the paper. And the success of the first journal ever pub- 

 lished in the trade — The Rubber Era, of New York, forty years 

 ago — in getting together matter bearing upon rubber was not 



and others confining themselves to specialties.. The advertise- 

 ments relate to mechanical goods, druggists' sundries, tires, toys, 

 shoes, balloons, crude rubber, and substitutes. Particular atten- 

 tion is given to jinriksha tires. Two firms mention waste rubber. 

 There is, in fact, no general class of rubber goods not mentioned 

 in these advertisements, with the exception of waterproof cloth- 

 ing. One of the advertisers, by the way, is the Japanese Ingram 

 Rubber Co., a branch of an important English concern established 

 recently at Kobe, for the manufacture of medical and surgical 

 supplies, including gloves and nipples. We notice an announce- 

 ment also of the British "Murac." 

 well filled columns of our excellent contemporary, Gomu 



With this excellent material in such goodly quantity to start 

 with and the promise of industrial progress that characterizes 

 modern Japan, there seems to be no reason why Gomu Shimpo 

 should not attain an importance, a magnitude, and a circulation 

 in keeping with the present condition and future growth of the 

 rubber industry in Japan. That there is room and plenty of op- 

 portunity for the industry is attested by the present importance 

 and diversity of Japan's manufacturing interests ; also by the 

 steady spread of modern culture among her people. These fac- 

 tors mean an increased demand for rubber goods and a wide 

 field for our esteemed far-eastern contemporary. 



Our congratulations to Gomu Shimpo and to the trade which 

 it so worthily represents! 



