380 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[April 1, 1914. 



asking far too much of the creosote in the smoke to rectify the 

 deficiency in the plantation output. As samples of the Wickham 

 rubber are stated to have been sold at 8d. per pound higher than 

 first grade crepe, any misgivings I may have may easily be 

 proved to have no foundation, and I shall await developments 

 with interest, the mattex being of course of the first importance 

 to the planting industry. 



RUBBER M.\NL'FAC1'URING DISASTERS. 

 After Hopkinson & Co. — Gorton; after Gorton — the Sirdar 

 Rubber Co., Limited. This is rather a tale of woe to have to re- 

 cord within such a brief period, and it might be usefully taken to 

 heart by those plantation shareholders who a few months back 

 were writing to the press about the huge profits being made by 

 rubber manufacturers generally. All the above and other firms 

 to a less disastrous extent were severely hit by the rubber boom 

 of 1910, though no doubt other adverse factors have been at 

 work. Much sympathy will be felt for Mr. J. M. MacLulich, 

 the moving spirit of the Sirdar company, a concern which he 

 formed in 1906 at Limpley Stoke, near Bath, to make the Sirdar 

 tires, which had since 1898 been made by other works for the 

 Sirdar company. The works at Limplcy Stoke, at one time oc- 

 cupied by Messrs. Wallington, Weston & Co., were soon found 

 to be too small for the Sird;ir Rubber Co., and a move was 

 made to Bradford-on-Avon, not many miles away, where the 

 Spencer Moulton Rubber Works had long been established. The 

 latter firm, though still specializing in railway buffers, has re- 

 cently entered the tire business, in which it has made great 

 progress. The liabilities of the Sirdar company are stated to 

 be i29,300, the loss for 1913 being £3,300. 



CEYLON AT THE LONDON RUBBER EXHIBITION. 



According to Ceylon advices, that island will be worthily 

 represented at the London Rubber Exhibition. The Ceylon 

 Court will be situated next the entrance and opposite the 

 Brazilian stand, occupying a space of 67 x 40 feet. Efforts are 

 being made in Ceylon to encourage planters to come forward 

 with exhibits, not only of rubber but also of fibers and other 

 articles within the scope of the exhibition. 



ENGLISH EXPORTS OF WATERPROOFED APPAREL. 



According to statistical returns, the total exports of English 

 waterproofed apparel have increased from the equivalent of 

 $3,045,000 in 1911 to $5,108,778 in 1913. In the last named year 

 Canada was the largest single customer, taking $1,410,715 or 

 about 28 per cent. France took 2 per cent. ; British South 

 Africa, 3l4 per cent; British East Indies, 2^ per cent.; 

 Australia, 4 per cent., and New Zealand, 3% per cent. The 

 remaining S654 per cent, was distributed among other countries. 



CAPITAL OF ENGLISH PLANTATION COMPANIES. 



According to recent statistics the total capital invested in 

 English plantation companies equals $314,791,250. The dates of 

 establishment were as follows: 



1908 $10,052,500 



1909 60,040.000 



1910 194,207,500 



1911 33,095,000 



1912 10,682,500 



1913 6.713,750 



Total $314,791,250 



In 1913 the new capital as shown belonged to 19 companies, four 

 of the most important of which represented about one-half of 

 the total. Their geographical distribution was as follows : 



Malayan Peninsula, 9; Sumatra, 3; Ceylon, 2; British North 

 Borneo, 1; Africa, 3; India, 1. 



HENLEY'S PAY GOOD DIVIDEND. 



The report of W. T. Henley's Telegraph Works Co., Limited, 

 London, for 1913 shows that the JS per cent, dividend, which 



has been paid since 1909, has now been supplemented by a 

 bonus representing 5 per cent. The increased profit thus dis- 

 tributed has been due to the manufacture of golf balls, particu- 

 larly of the company's specialty, the "Why Not?" ball. During 

 the years 1909 to 1913, in addition to the above liberal dividend, 

 an amount equaling $250,000 has been added to the reserve 

 fund. A sum of nearly $300,000 has been now carried forward 

 to new account. 



PROPOSED LONDON RUBBER WAREHOUSE. 



The first draft of a scheme for a limited company has been 

 issued in London for the erection of a modern rubber ware- 

 house, and for carrying on rubber warehouse business, .^n 

 option has been obtained on a plot of S'/i acres, near the 

 Victoria and Albert docks, at a price of $175,000, while a suitable 

 warehouse could be built and equipped for $287,500. Such a 

 warchou.se could accommodate 20.000 tons a year, leaving a 

 surplus space of 50.000 .square feet for renting or for additional 

 warehousing. 



NEW RUBBER WASHING WORKS. 



Economic Rubber Machines, Limited, is the style of a company 

 about to undertake the washing, crcping and drying of rubber on 

 an important scale at a new plant, Copperheld road, Stepney, 

 London, E. 



STOCKS OF LOW GRADE RUBBER. 



An English statistical return shows that the combined stocks 

 of all kinds of rubber at London and Liverpool have risen from 

 4,538 tons at the end of January, 1913, to 6,196 tons at the cor- 

 responding period of 1914. This increase of 1,658 tons is con- 

 sidered relatively small in view of the rapid growth of Eastern 

 supplies. Moreover, the increase includes some 500 tons of in- 

 ferior grade rubber of doubtful sale, as shown below : 



January January 

 31,1913. 31,1914. 

 Tons. Tons. 



Borneo 138 214 



Mozambique 168 238 



African 332 390 



Peruvian 200 270 



Manitoba, Ceara, etc 230 463 



Total 1,068 1,575 



EDINBURGH HOSPITAL GETS GIFT OF RUBBER FLOORING. 



At a recent mooting of the managers of the Edinburgh Royal 

 Infirmary an oflFer was received from the Rubber Growers' Asso- 

 ciation to supply, free of charge, 600 square yards of rubber 

 flooring to the institution. The flooring would be manufactured 

 and laid down by a local firm. 



SCOTTISH MOTOR EXHIBITION. 



This exhibition, which was recently held at Edinburgh, had 

 .ibout ninety exhibitors, of whom about fifteen were makers of 

 tires. Special notice was attracted by the exhibit of the North 

 British Rubber Co., Ltd., their stand h.'iving been specially de- 

 signed for the occasion. 



CLYDE RUBBER WORKS REMOVED TO RENFREW. 



The Clyde Rubber Works Co.. Ltd., announces its removal from 

 Glasgow to Renfrew, a short distance from the first named city. 

 With a view to meeting requirements, the works have been spe- 

 cially erected and are equipped with an up-to-date plant driven 

 by electricity. These increased facilities place the company in a 

 position to promptly meet the increased demands for its products. 



RUBBER EAR PROTECTOR. 



An invention patented in Germany consists of a hollow body 

 of rubber, extensible by internal meclianical pressure so that the 

 channel of the ear can be quickly closed and re-opened. This is 

 doubtless intended to protect the ear from the concussion of 

 explosions. 



