August 1, 1914.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



583 



COLOMBIA OUGHT TO THROW IN HER RUBBER 

 TRADE. 



T AST December Colombia revised her tariff, inark- 

 ■^~' in;;' sonic articles up and st)nic down. The rubber 

 duties for the most ])art were lowered, as will be seen 

 from the instances mentioned below. In the items cited 

 the duties have been changed from pesos per kilogram 

 into tiieir equivalent in cents per pound, as being rather 

 more intelligible to the a\-erage .American ru1)l)er man. 



The general tendency of the new tariff seems to be 

 towards uniformity, as is shown by the fact that while 

 the duty on rubber floor cloth has been reduced T^ per 

 cent, and that on rubljcr mats increased 700 per cent., 

 both now stand at 16 cents per pound. The same ten- 

 dency is seen in rubber cotton cloth, as the thin rubbered 

 cloth has been increased 8 per cent., to 50 cents per pound, 

 wliile the thick rui)bered cloth has been reduced 10 ])er 

 cent., to 41 cents per pound. Tires have been increased 

 15 per cent., to 9 cents per pound; toys decreased 57 per 

 cent., to 27 cents per pound. Footwear stands practi- 

 cally where it did before, at 45 cents per pound. There 

 has l;een a reduction of 97 per cent, in the duties du driv- 

 ing belts and of 80 per cent, in the duties on hose, both 

 being now almost on the free list, belts paying onl)- 5 

 mills per pound and hose AVi mills per i)ound. Rublier 

 soles and heels have been reduced 7'^i ])cr cent,, and like 

 rublier mats pay 16 cents per i)ound. Rubber sponges 

 have been reduced 2b per cent, and now jxiy 45 cents per 

 pound, while rubber erasers are taxed at 68 cents per 

 pound. 



The reductions enumerated above are not yet in full 

 effect, the new tariff carrying the provision that all in- 

 creases should take effect at the rate of one-third each 

 month for the ensuing three months, so that the increases 

 took final effect last March, while the reductions did not 

 begin to take effect until Alarch and then went into 

 operation at the rate of one-tenth per month, the full 

 reduction not becoming operative until next January. 



To be sure there are larger things in the world than 

 the volume of rubber impurtations into Colombia. 

 According to the latest statistics ptiblished — those of 

 1912 — the rubber importations into Colombia amounted 

 to one hundred and two thousand dollars for the year, 

 of which the I'nited States supplied about tw'enty-six 

 thousand dollars. But perhaps with these lower 

 duties the consumption of imported rubber goods will 

 materially increase in that republic. If so, the United 

 States ought certainly to do considerably better than this. 



After spending four hundred million dollars for a, 

 canal which will enable Colombia to sail clirecth' from 



her front door to her side door, without making a cir- 

 cuit of twelve thousand miles around the continent, and 

 after paying an additional twenty-five million dollars 

 ( if we do) for the (jrivilege of conferring that great 

 benefit on the Colombians, and after an apology framed 

 with due humility for ever having dug the canal at all, it 

 would seem as if Colombia might pass over to us the 

 greater i)art of her rubber trade as a sort of quid pro 

 quo. 



"ONE OF THE FIVE LARGEST PRODUCERS." 



I 'HAT staid, sober and altogether reputable [lublica- 

 *■ tion, the "New York Commercial," in a recent 

 issue made the statement that a certain New England 

 rubber manufacturing company — mentioning the com- 

 pany by name — "will in the fiscal year to October 31 

 next probably produce between 900,000 and 950,000 tons. 

 This makes it one of the five largest producers in the 

 country," 



If the CDiiipany's production of manufactured rubber 

 goods reaches the volume mentioned in this item it cer- 

 tainly is entitled to be classed among the five largest 

 producers. Taking rubber goods on an average — tires, 

 belting, shoes and the other .standard lines — it probablx' 

 would be a conservative estimate to say that the crude 

 rubber used in their manufacture would rejiresent one- 

 fourth of the weight of the finished goods. That is, in 

 900,OCO tons of rubber manufactured goods there would 

 be approximately 225,0C0 tons of crude rubber. Rut the 

 world's output of crude rubber last year was only 113.- 

 000 tons. It is quite evident, therefore, that any manu- 

 facturing company w'hich is consuming twice the entire 

 crude rubber supply of the world in the manufacture 

 of its goods may safely be assigned a fairly important 

 place ill the industry. 



NORTH AMERICAN BANKS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



IX the June number of this publication the difliculties in 

 the way of establishing direct banking relations be- 

 tween the United States and South American centers 

 were described at some length. One North .American 

 bank, however, has decided to establish branches in Rio 

 de Janeiro and Buenos Aires to determine if these dif- 

 ficulties cannot be overcome. Fortunately the bank that 

 has essayed this task is one of the strongest financial insti- 

 tutions in the world and has the resources to command 

 success. For the last four years it has seriously contem- 

 plated this undertaking, but its agents have unanimously 

 advised delay. But with changing conditions and with the 

 growing demand from the business men of the United 

 States for direct banking facilities with South America, 

 the directors of the National City Bank of New York 

 believe the time has arrived to make the venture. It un- 

 doubtedly is an act of w^ise finance, and it assuredly is a 

 fine instance of patriotism. 



