February 1, 1914.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



267 



THE STANDARDIZATION COMMITTEE'S REPORT. 



IT will be recalled that at an extraordinary general meeting 

 * (if the Rubber Growers' Association, held in London on 

 July 21 last, a committee was appointed for the consideration of 

 a project for a more accurate system of the standardization and 

 valuation of plantation rubber. The report of this committee, 

 s'.ilimitted in December to the council of the association, advocates 

 the introduction of a testing system which would clearly indicate 

 quality to the buyer and value to the seller, further proposing that 

 a central testing station be rented where examinations could be 

 made and certificates of quality issued corresponding to every 

 half ton of rubber delivered ; samples of the rubber to be vulcan- 

 ized under certain standard conditions and tests applied to the 

 vulcanized material, on the basis of which certificates would be 

 issued — these tests to be made, if necessary, within two days of 

 delivery of samples. In conjunction with this testing station the 

 report suggests also the erection of an experimental factory, the 

 principal ol)jccts of which would be: To advise regarding the best 

 type of plantation rubber to be used for specific purposes and 

 best method of use; to advise regarding mixings, processes, etc., 

 in respect to which manufacturers may ask for assistance ; ex- 

 perimental work, with a view to determining new uses for 

 plantation rubber, and to provide the organization for bringing 

 before the trade the results of work done, new methods and 

 uses, etc. 



Among the principal reasons for the appointment of the com- 

 mittee was the known fact that considerable variation occurs in 

 plantation rublier. wliicli has depressed prices. Greater uni- 

 formity in preparation would, however, only provide insufficient 

 remedy for this defect, which calls for some guarantee of quality. 

 The committee is of the opinion that most of the otlier grades 

 on the market could not successfully compete with plantation 

 rubber sold under a guarantee. 



The tests decided upon as a basis for the system of valuation 

 were suggested by Dr. Philip Schidrowitz and have been en- 

 dorsed as practical and scientifically sound by technologists, 

 manufacturers and buyers, it being agreed tliat a true value and 

 practical standard of quality can be ascertained by determining 

 the vulcanizing capacity and by tests of the vulcanized product 

 determining tensile properties, physical condition and stability. 

 While it is admitted that for different manufacturing purposes 

 rubbers of specilic qualities are required, it has further been 

 agreed that general commercial quality can be represented by an 

 index figure covering the three attributes mentioned above, pro- 

 vided that, as is intended, the rate of cure, compared with a 

 certain standard, be also given. The manufacturer will thus be 

 enabled to select the exact grade suited to his purpose. 



It is suggested to sub-divide all crude rubbers of various 

 grades on the basis of index figures of quality. For instance, all 

 rubbers showing an inde.x figure of 



500 and over being 1st grade. 



2n<l " 



3rd ■' 



4th " 



Sth •' 



(No. 1,000 would correspond witli a plantation rubber of higli 

 quality.) 



Some little time would necessarily elapse before manufacturers 

 would learn the application of the index figures to practical work, 

 but it is anticipated that no ultimate difficulty would arise 

 under this head. 



The report includes an estimate of the investment and annual 

 expenditure required to carry out this .scheme, based both on 

 a testing station only and a testing station and factory combined 

 as well as on quantities of 10, 20 and 30 tliousand tons, and in 

 all cases is shown as only a very small fraction of a penny per 

 pound on the rubber to be tested. The recommendation is made 



that a limited lial)ility company be formed witli a nominal capital 

 of £50,000 to carry on this work and that the shares in this com- 

 pany be divided among the participating plantation concerns. 



The publication of tlie committee's report marks a distinct 

 advance in the solution of the question of standardization. In 

 accordance with the recommendations of the committee the 

 report has been sent to plantation companies : consequently it 

 rests with them to decide whether they are prepared to guarantee 

 their rubber at a slight expense. 



FEDERATED MALAY STATES AND STANDARDIZATION. 



In his recent opening address to the Federal Council of the 

 Malay States, Sir .Arthur Young, the High Commissioner, re- 

 ferred to the increase in 1913 of the acreage alienated for 

 planting purposes to 83,900 acres, as compared with 61,300 for 

 the corresponding period of 1912. He added : "There is no halt 

 in our progress in spite of the long-expected fall in the price 

 of rubber. ... It will not be an uninixed evil if it en- 

 forces sounder and more economical methods of production. 

 The low price of plantation rubber may also encourage its more 

 extended use, in place of inferior substitutes or poor imitations 

 of the genuine product. 



"The necessity of standardizing Para rubber for export from 

 tlie Malay States is engaging the attention of the British authori- 

 ties, who are increasing the chemical staff of the Agricultural 

 Department with a view to the investigations being made as thor- 

 ough as ])ossible." 



RUBBER TESTING AT GROSS LICHTERFELDE. 



A CCORDIXG to tlic report of the Royal Material Testing 

 ■'* lUireau, Gross Lichterfelde, for the business year from 

 April. 1912, to March, 1913, the testing of rubber, which was 

 first undertaken in 1909, was carried on to an increased extent 

 during the year under review. This result was facilitated by the 

 acquisition of a suitable calender for the laboratory and the com- 

 pletion of the previous equipment of washing, mixing and vul- 

 canizing machinery. The bureau is now in a position to make 

 tests of the influence of various conditions of vulcanization on 

 the strength of rubber. 



Interviews took place with various officials from the German 

 colonies interested in rubber, and. as requested, a large number 

 of German rubber factories supplied the bureau free with the 

 necessary material for mechanical tests of as many commercial 

 qualities of rubber as possible. The object in view was such 

 alteration or extension of existing processes as might be found 

 necessary. 



During the year an increased number of appliances for the 

 testing of balloon materials w-ere used, particularly for diffusion 

 of gas. Other tests were carried out for the description of fiber, 

 strength and resistance to weather, sun light and damp. Others 

 were made of metallized fabrics, as to their weatlier resisting 

 qualities, resistance to breaking and bursting, and penetrability 

 to gas. 



In conjunction with the German Association of Electrical En- 

 gineers and representatives of the Insulated Wire Factories, the 

 bureau elaborated new and simplified methods of testing electric 

 wire. The control of the rubber covering of interior wiring w-as 

 undertaken, in conjunction with the United Insulated Wire Fac- 

 tories. Not only were samples of the finished product tested, 

 but samples were also received for testing India rubber in 

 the mass intended for use in calile covering. 



Among the treatises published were those of F. W. Hinrich- 

 sen and E. Kindscher on the "Theory of Vulcanization" and 

 "Studies on Rubber Analysis." 



Several important rubber factories in Germany and elsewhere 

 were visited by representatives of the bureau. .\mon.g these were 

 the Diamond Kuliber Co.'s works at Akron. 



