98 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[November 1, 1913. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN JAPAN. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 

 A CCORDING to a translated official report of the financial 

 ■**• department of the Japanese Government, the imports of 

 crude rubber into Japan for the year 1912 amounted to 2,004.010 

 pounds, valued at $1,514,560, this being a decrease of 50,854 

 pounds, $15,449, from the imports of the preceding year. The 

 following is a comparative table showing the quantity and value 

 of the rubber imports for the two year-; ami the countries from 

 which these were drawn : 



China 



British India . . . . 

 Britisli Straits Set- 

 tlements 



Dutch India 



French India 



Great Britain . . . . 



Germany 



United States 



Mexico 



Other countries . . 



2,054,864 $1,530,009 2,004,010 $1,514,557 



In spite of the above figures, the rubber industry has made 

 great progress in Japan, and reports of crude rubber imports in 

 the future will show large increases. For example, manufac- 

 turers of weatherproof insulated electric wire, started several 

 years ago, have now assumed considerable importance. Jin- 

 rikisha tires, first manufactured in Japan at Tokio some years 

 ago, are now made also by rubber concerns at Kobe and Osaka, 

 who, by producing them in large quantities, are able to quote 

 lower prices. In these two last named cities the rubber trade 

 has steadily advanced, surpassing that of Tokio which was started 

 some time earlier. Tfie Kakuichi Rubber Co., of Osaka, as 

 well as other works in that city, has arranged for production 

 on a larger scale than heretofore, and the Osaka branch of the 

 Yokohama Electric Wire Works has plans under way for the 

 extension of its plant, while the Settsu Rubber Co., Limited 

 (Nishinomiya, Kobe), The Taisho Rubber Manufacturing Co., 

 Limited (Kobe), and many other companies have been estab- 

 lished. 



Of the crude rubber imports from Singapore during 1912, 

 Borneo rubber comprised the greater part, with plantation Para 

 next in importance; while for 1911 the Singapore importations 

 consisted of one-half Borneo, thr^e-tenths plantation Para (which 

 constituted 30 per cent, of the total exports of that place for 

 the year), and the remaining two-tenths from India. In the 

 imports of crude rubber from Great Britain, Brazilian Para 

 occupied first place, and of the various grades "hard fine" was 

 received in greatest amount, with a small quantity of African. 

 Imports from the United States and Germany were similar 

 in proportion. From Dutch India the Borneo variety was first 

 in importance, with jclutong next, and a small proportion of 

 gutta percha. Manila and British India supplied principally 

 Borneo rubber. 



Crude rubber is imported generally through crude rubber 

 merchants, the large manufacturers orderin.g in quantities as 

 demanded hy the immediate needs of their business, so that 

 no stocks are carried in hand. Thfe market has not shown any 

 great fluctuations, the price per pound of plantation Para in 

 1912 being 1.80—1.47 yen ($9(V-$.7'4V The hiplu-^t .ind Imvest 

 prices were as follows : 



April-May Nov.-Dec. 



Borneo rubber 1.27 yen ($.64) 1.14 yen ($.57) 



India rubber " " " 1.09 yen ( .55) 



Plantation Para rubber.. 1.95 yen ( .98) 1.58 yen ( .79) 



The decrease in importations of crude rubber for 1912 was 

 due largely to the general business depression which followed 

 the death of the late Emperor. But the trade in one particular 

 article of commerce which consumes large quantities of rubber 

 was not seriously affected by this dullness — and that was the 

 bicycle industry, this article having come to be regarded as no 

 longer a luxury but an actual necessity. The 1912 imports of 

 bicycles and their parts amounted to $1,558,118, exceeding those 

 of the previous year by $58,758, tho the actual number of 

 machines received during the year fell off 4,815. Under the 

 old tariff schedule in force until July 13, 1911, bicycles were ad- 

 mitted into the country under an ad valorem duty, but the law 

 enacted at that time places a specific duty on bicycles. Prices 

 for the year ranged from 30-200 yen ($15-$100), .those at 70- 

 130 yen ($35-$65) being most in demand. A large number of 

 bicycles are also constructed' in this country, from parts im- 

 ported; and these showed a falling off in price during 1912, due 

 largely to increased competition. Among the domestic concerns 

 engaged in the construction of these machines from imported 

 parts is the Premier Cycle and Motor Car Co., Limited of 

 Wakinohema. Kobe — under the same management as the Dunlop 

 Rubber Co. (Far East), Limited, of that place. 



An investigation has been made by the military department 

 of the Japanese Government as to the number of automobiles 

 and bicycles in Japan, and the official count shows, at the end 

 of 1912, 426 of the former and 367,820 of the latter. The auto- 

 mobiles are most numerous in Tokio, Yokohama and Mie-Ken, 

 but while these cities possess a fair share of the bicycles in this 

 official count, other districts are credited with 259.775 of the 

 total number. Mie-Ken is a district in which are situated our 

 Imperial shrines, "Ge-Gu" and "Nai-Gu," worshipped by all 

 Japanese, from the Emperor and Empress, the princes, prin- 

 cesses and other nobles, down to the lower classes ; and the 

 automobiles and bicycles are employed largely in conveying the 

 Japanese people to worship at the shrines of their ancestors. 



The Sanyo Rubber Co.. Limited, was established by Messrs. 

 M. Ido, K. Nakamura, T. Yamada, etc., in September, at Suma, 

 Hyogo. Its capital is $17,500, one-fourth of which is already 

 paid in. It will manufacture toy balloons, etc. 



Mr. K. Kobayashi, who was editor-in-chief of the "Gomu 

 Shimpo" from October, 1912, to September, 1913, left that post 

 to become an officer of the Imperial Household Department. 



FENDERS FOR AUTOMOBILES. 



The Cuban legislature has recently passed a law making it 

 compulsory upon automobiles -used in that island to be equipped 

 with a fender — which is quite different from the bumper some- 

 times used in this country. This fender looks like a pneumatic 

 tire projecting in front of the machine. It serves a double 

 purpose — it breaks the impact in case of a collision and thus 

 helps to preserve the car; and, better than that, it is sufficiently 

 low to act ■ as a scoop when striking against a human being. 

 While this fender has never been used in this country, it. is 

 the invention of an American ; and in view of the fatalities at- 

 tending the use of the automobile, chronicled; regularly every 

 morning in the news columns of the papers it would seem as if 

 the time was about ripe for sorrie such equipment on American 

 cars. 



Commerical Agent Ralph M. Odell, of the Department of 

 Commerce, in a report on the development of Anglo-Egyptian 

 Sudan, states that there are many good rubber trees in the 

 southern part of the country, from ^ which a good quality of 

 rubber is obtained, and that a company is now preparing t6 

 extract it along modern lines. 



