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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[June 1, 1914. 



erated Malay States, was recently read, or rather submitted— the 

 author not being present— before the Manchester section of the 

 Society of Chemical Industry, and is to be found in full in the 

 society's journal for March 31. It was announced by the chair- 

 man that those rubber experts who had assembled would have 

 tlie advantage of reading the paper in the journal before the dis- 

 cussion, which would take place at a future meeting which was 

 to take the form of a rubber evening. So far, I may say, no notice 

 has been given of this rubber evening. 



With regard to the paper perhaps a few words by way of a 

 summary of its contents will prove acceptable to those who have 

 not much time to study contemporary literature. The author's 

 object is to fmd out the causes for the difference in strength be- 

 tween Brazilian and plantation rubber, it being clear from his 

 general remarks that he accepts the manufacturers' statement as 

 to the superiority of the wild product, while he discounts the 

 experimental work of those who aver that the difference exists in 

 imagination only. With respect to the Brazilian curing process 

 he attaches considerable importance to the evaporation of water 

 and the consequent increase in concentration of the serum as a 

 factor influencing coagulation. The part played by the protein 

 was undoubtedly of importance. The idea that cleanliness of the 

 rubber had much to do with quality was a mistake common with 

 planters. 



The experimental work carried out by the author consisted in 

 treating a large number of samples of latex in test tubes with 

 varj'ing proportions of standard solutions of acid and salt of vari- 

 ous kinds. The water-absorbing capacity of the protein was also 

 determined. The results obtained support the results published 

 by others that the protein constituents play an important part in 

 coagulation and determine to a considerable degree the physical 

 properties of the rubber. He thought that the high concentration 

 of salt and protein in the Brazilian process determined the supe- 

 rior qualities of the rubber and that the dilution of latex by 

 water and acid solution was largely responsible for the inferiority 

 of plantation rubber. This artificial dilution of the latex would 

 result in considerable variation in the rubber produced from day 

 to day. He argued that if dilution of the latex lowers the quahty 

 of the rubber, increasing the concentration of salts or protein in 

 the latex should improve the rubber. Samples of rubber coagu- 

 lated in the presence of varying concentration of salts have been 

 prepared and manufacturers' tests of these samples are now in 

 progress and will be published as soon as available. The author 

 is sufficiently modest to defer expressing any opinion as to the 

 value of his method until the practical tests are concluded, and 

 it may be assumed that he himself is certainly not the only one 

 who will await the result with interest. 



EUBBER OVTR-PEODUCTION FROM AN ENGLISH STANDPOINT. 



A German estimate lately placed this year's production of plan- 

 tation rubber at 84,000 tons, and the world's aggregate for 1914 

 at 145,000 tons, with an anticipated consumption of 115,000 tons. 

 Commenting on these estimates, the "Financial Times" of Lon- 

 don remarks : "If this assumption should prove to be correct, an 

 over-production of 30,000 tons would have to be reckoned with, 

 so that the maintenance of the present level of prices would 

 hardly be expected." 



THE ENGLISH SCRAP RUBBER MARKET. 



During April the opinion prevailed in the London market that 

 lower prices for scrap rubber would be needed for inducing trans- 

 actions of importance. It would seem that the spring collections 

 have been on a larger scale than last year. Garages, which in 

 April, 1913, had 3 to 4 tons to sell, find this year they have twice 

 that quantity, and are much surprised at being able to get only 

 about half of last year's prices. Large parcels of anti-skid covers 

 have been offered from Germany at low rates. 



Bicycle tires have maintained their prices, probably because 

 collections have not been large owing to the low quotations. 



THE LONDON RUBBER EXHIBITION. 



nPHE Fourth International Rubber and Alhed Industries Ejc- 

 ■*• hibition will be formally opened at the Royal Agricultural 

 Hall, London, at 3 p. m., June 24, by His Royal Highness Prince 

 Arthur of Connaught. To be sure there will be a press function 

 on the preceding day, but the formal opening of the big show 

 will be as above described. Mr. Manders, the organizing man- 

 ager of this undertaking, as he has been organizing manager of 

 its three successful predecessors, wrote some time ago to the 

 various associations and institutions connected with the rubber 

 industry in all parts of the world stating at what hour the open- 

 ing ceremony of the exhibition would begin and asking them if 

 at that particular hour, whatever time of day it might be in their 

 part of the world, they would not get their various members 

 together and wish success to the rubber industry throughout 

 the world. 



Mr. Manders, who speaks from the fullness of experience, 

 promises to visitors and exhibitors the best rubber exposition 

 which has yet taken place. Great efforts have been made to 

 have this as comprehensive as possible and to show every phase 

 of this vast industry. There will undoubtedly be the best dis- 

 play of plantation rubber which has yet occurred; for this rea- 

 son, if for no other, that the plantation feature of the industry 

 is now so much farther advanced than it was at the time of the 

 last show two years ago. And there will also be a wonderftil 

 display of manufactured goods. One company alone will show 

 five hundred distinctly different rubber articles made in its 

 factory. 



.\ WE.\LTH OF TROPHIES AND PRIZES. 

 An unprecedented number of trophies will be presented on 

 that occasion for excellence in the various branches of this in- 

 dustry. There will be silver cups and gold medals and silver 

 medals, and money prizes — some of them amounting to 100 

 guineas — for superiority in a great variety of departments, as, 

 for instance : For the greatest variety of articles for commercial 

 use made from rubber; for the best exhibits of rubber flooring; 

 for the best suggestions for new uses of plantation rubber; for 

 the best arrangement of a rubber factory; for the best exhibit 

 of a manufacturing machine; for the best samples of plantation 

 rubber ; for the best exhibit of wild rubber ; for the best essays 

 on a rubber estate factory ; for the best collection of photographs 

 illustrating all departments of rubber estate work, and for excel- 

 lence in various other departments of planting and manufacture. 



IMPORTANT PAPERS AT CONFERENCE. 

 Jointly with the exposition there will be a rubber conference, 

 at which many valuable papers treating of every phase of the 

 industry will be read by men of acknowledged authority in their 

 particular departments. These papers will be collected and 

 printed in book form. 



A NUMBER OF RUBBER MOVING PICTURE SHOWS. 

 One feature which will interest not only those connected with 

 the rubber industry but especially the casual visitor will be a 

 number of moving picture shows, which may be seen at certain 

 hours during each day in different halls connected with the main 

 exhibition hall. These moving picture displays will show the 

 gathering of rubber in Brazil, the production and preparation of 

 rubber on the plantations and the process of manufacture in 

 some of the large British mills. 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD WILL BE THERE. 

 There will be a number of American exhibits, the most im- 

 portant of which — not, to be sure, in size and scope of display 

 but in point of interest to this particular publication — is that of 

 The India Rubber World. This will be found at a middle point 

 along the left wall of the building and on the passageway lead- 

 ing to the conference room and also to the club room — a very 



