July 1, 1914.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



527 



way, in 1890 the crude rubber brought into this country 

 equaled .54 of a pound per capita, in 1900 .65 — in 1910 

 it had reached 1.10 pound per capita and in 1913 1.19 — 

 showing a constantly increasing importation of crude 

 rubber as compared with population. All of tliis rubber 

 has been manufactured in this country, and by far the 

 greater part of the resulting product consumed here. 



The increase in consumption has extended into every 

 ■department of manufacture. That would naturally be 

 so, as with the growth of manufacture there would be 

 a continually increasing demand for belting, and with 

 increased traffic more and more packing and hose would 

 be needed ; while the general tendency to look after 

 physical comfort that comes with enlarging prosperity 

 would mean the consumption of more rubber shoes to 

 protect the feet from wet, and the consumption of more' 

 hot water bottles to drive away twinges of rheumatism 

 where the proper protection afforded by rubber shoes 

 had been neglected. But the great increase in consump- 

 tion of crude rubber in this country is attriliutable. of 

 course, to the vast proportions assumed b}' the tire in- 

 dustry. In 1890 there practically was no manufacture 

 of rubber tires in the United States, except for the 

 bic3Tle; and that industry consumed less than a million 

 pounds per year. In 1900 the making of automobile 

 tires had reached an annual aggregate of only about 

 60,000, while in 1913 it is safe to say that 7,500,000 

 casings, and probably an equal numlier of inner tubes. 

 were made in the United States. This enormous use of 

 crude rubber would account for the consumption, prob- 

 ably, of over 50,000.000 pound.s — or more than the en- 

 tire rubber importation into our ports thirteen years ago. 



THE BINDING TIES OF TRADE. 



'"P'HE thing that should put an end to war is an ethical 

 ■*■ appreciation of its iniquity, but the thing that act- 

 ually zi.'ill put an end to war, some day — and that day 

 not so very far distant — is the human instinct for swap- 

 ping, or, if you prefer — trade. Trade is the great de- 

 stroyer of national liarriers, the supreme harmonizer 

 and unifier. \\'hat's the use of shooting a man if he's 

 got a good bargain to offer? 



All of which is more or less apropos of the sixth an- 

 nual "International Congress of Chambers of Commerce 

 and Commercial and Industrial Associations," held in 

 Paris early in June, attended by a thousand delegates 

 from thirty-seven different countries — all the civilized 

 countries of the globe, — and some still on their wav 



towards civilization. This round regiment of men, com- 

 mercial leaders in their respective communities, repre- 

 sented 369 chambers of commerce and various kindred 

 associations ; and they came together with one purpose — 

 to see if they could not increase the trade of the world, 

 and particularly commerce with one another. 



-Ml sorts of matters were discussed, from the purifica- 

 tion of advertising to the maintenance of an international 

 gold reser\-e in a numlier of different countries, to be 

 drawn upon whenever any country seemed to need a 

 little financial ballast. The chairman of the committee 

 of arl)itration of tlie Chamlier of Commerce of the State 

 of Xew York .submitted a plan for international com- 

 mercial arljitration, a system which certainly ought to 

 work as well between citizens of different countries as it 

 does between citizens of the same country — where it has 

 been found to be efficient and satisfactory, and a vast 

 improvement over resort to the cunrts. 



There is not a people on the face of the earth that is 

 not worth knowing; and there isn't a nation that hasn't 

 something which we ought to have, and that hasn't some 

 want which we ought to sujjply. In a business way we 

 probably know more than, say — taking a couple of the 

 participants in the congress at random — Peru and Por- 

 tugal, but we can learn something from them, and we 

 can teach them, possibly, quite a good deal. And both 

 of these are very satisfying achievements. These annual 

 commercial congresses are, in the language of the street, 

 ■'ail to the "ood." 



AND WHY NOT RUBBER TENNIS COURTS? 



■fT* \ ERY new rubber exposition brings its distinct 

 ■'— * novelties. Probably not the most important, but 

 certainly one of the most interesting innovations of the 

 rubber exposition now in progress in London, is the rub- 

 lier tennis court, contributed for the occasion by one of 

 the large English manufacturers in conjunction with the 

 Rublier Growers' Association of London. The court is 

 constructed of slabs of rubber, colored green, to be 

 pleasing to the eye, and marked oft' with inlaid strips 

 of white rubber. This court is receiving a thorough 

 trial. Ixjth from amateur and professional players, and 

 their verdict will be awaited with interest. 



Lint in the meantime, viewed from this dispassionate 

 distance, a rubber tennis court certainly seems feasible. 

 Its original cost of course would considerably exceed 

 that of a dirt court or of one laid out on a lawn, but on 

 the other hand its permanency would be vastly greater ; 

 and there would be additional advantages — for instance. 



