340 THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD [July 1, 1911. 



In the first class niav be found automobile and bi- leather shoes, none of it is recoverable except small 



cycle tires. A French chemist recently analyzed the lots of "cement balls" — the drippings when the cement 



dust of the streets in I'aris and found a considerable is applied. 



percentage of rubber dust. This undoubtedly came Porous plasters use considerable high-grade rub- 



frum cab and automobile lire treads. An examination ber. but the gatherer of waste has not yet begun upon 



of worn out tires at any reclaiming mill will develop the thousands who wear them to buy their cast offs. 

 the fact that in nearly all cases the tire has lost from Of the goods rarely seen in any waste rubber heap 



5 to 10 per cent, of its actual rubber through the wear- are erasers, pencil tips, stoppers, chair tips, small 



ing off of the tread. The friction gum is all there, the plumbers" specialties, jar rings, dress shields, sponges, 



inner tubes show little loss, but the tread of the shoe football bladders, toy balloons, rubber bands, elastic 



has lost in substance and in weight. In rubber belting, webbing, rubber heels, minor auto accessories, the 



the same sort of wear is just as noticeable, but the smaller druggists sundries, and thousands of special- 



"tread" or cover is thinner and in spite of the fact that ties. 



both sides wear off, the loss is no larger proportion- A third wastage even of rubber goods might be 

 atcly than in the motor tire. In matting, stair treads, added, as, for example, goods that have perished, that 

 and tiling, the wear is exceedingly uneven. Some is, where the rubber has Iieen so oxidized as to be abso- 

 portions lose as much as 70 per cent., being worn down lutely worthless, so that it is a complete loss. In this 

 to a thin skin of rubber. Others show hardly any sur- same class belong goods lost at sea, thrown away in 

 face loss. An estimated loss of 20 per cent, in weight places inaccessible to the junk man, lost in conflagra- 

 would be ample to cover this line. In hose, the actual tions, and put to permanent use for which they were 

 percentage of loss is small, not more than 5 per cent, not designed. An instance of the last named is the 

 In footwear the surfaces that wear thin are sole and use of fire hose for motor boat buffers, and for ramps 

 heel chiefly, and as the weight is largely in those por- in city stables. It is thus evident that there is still a 

 tions, the loss will average 15 per cent. It is in solid field for the alert -athurer of waste rubber, as well as 

 tires for trucks, as well as for light vehicles, that the an increased sui^ply and new problems for the re- 

 most distinctive wearing out occurs. Very few come claimer. So much progress has been made in the past 

 back with their outline preserved, most are worn half 20 years in taking up one line of waste after another, 

 the wav down, many show that they have been run and in the face of failure finally turning out merchant- 

 long after the cushioning eft'ect of the rubber has dis- able products, that he would be most self-assured who 

 appeared. Certainly 30 per cent, of the rubber in would predict that any or all of the neglected or 

 solid tires is ground off and lost in use. Wringer rolls wasted lines would not one day be recovered. In- 

 show a very decided loss, sometimes as much as 40 deed, who shall say that the dust of the cities will not 

 per cent., but the average will not be more than 20. eventually give u]i its jjercentage of "crumb" for use in 

 In large rolls, such as squeeze and couch rolls, the sur- the arts? 



face does not as a rule show a great amount of wear ^^^ 



as compared with tires, for example, but it is there THE "LOAN SHARK" AND EMPLOYEES. 



just the same, and of the portions examined it wijuld 



be safe to figure a weight shrinkage of 20 per cent. IT IS our impression that the salary loan shark has 



There are, of course, goods that are worn out but * but little hold on employees in American rubber 



show no appreciable loss in weight, water bottles, factories and agencies. However that may be, because 



bulbs (surface clothing and carriage cloth, when re- of an urgent request and for the general good we 



claimed), hard rubber, etc. draw attention to a recent meeting held in New York 



As for the goods that are absolutely lost from a re- imder the joint auspices of the Merchants' Associa- 

 claiming standpoint the moment they leave the fac- tion of New York and the Russel Sage Foundation, to 

 tory their name is legion. Dentists and stamp makers consider means of improving prevalent conditions in 

 return but little for recovery. A \-erv little dental regard to the loaning of money in small sums to 

 dam is recovered, but tooth plates ne\er come back, salaried people, incidentally to combat the "loan 

 nor do the millions of rubber stam])s for mercantile shark" evil. Henry R. Towne, president of the first- 

 work, for potter)', etc. named organization, occupied the chair, and in brief 



Tons of cement are used in the manufacture of addresses the subjects under consideration were pre- 



