November i, 1909.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



49 



Some Rubber Interests in Europe. 



THE INDUSTRY IN PORTUGAL. 



UNDER the heading "A Doubtful Bargain," La Chronique 

 Coloniale (Brussels), comments as follows on Compagnie 

 du Caoutchouc, of Lisbon, the reorganized rubber manu- 

 facturing company in Portugal : 



"Our readers are aware that this recently organized company 

 lias acquired for a consideration of 700,000 francs [=$135,100] in 

 fully paid up shares of stock, the assets of the Compagnie du 

 Caoutchouc, Monopole du Portugal, in liquidation, which latter 

 concern owned the monopoly right for the manufacture of rubber 

 g;oods in Portugal during a term of 10 years. In this connection 

 we would state that the said monopoly right expired 18 months 

 ago, and that the new company will consequently not derive any 

 benefit from the same. 



"This would not in itself be a serious matter, were it not for 

 the fact that manager and chief accountant, vexed by annoyances 

 to which they had been exposed, have recently left the service 

 of the company for the purpose of establishing another works in 

 competition with the same. 



"This cannot fail to prove a serious injury to the interests of 

 the Compagnie du Caoutchouc, inasmuch as no one is m"re thor- 

 oughly acquainted with the trade and its requirements than the 

 company's former manager, who is, moreover, an exceedingly 

 capable man. The trade, furthermore, practically ignores the 

 company, since it has been accustomed to deal only with the local 

 representative or representatives of the same, who will retain 

 their custom whatever happens. 



"These facts are not likely to serve as a balm for healing the 

 sore spots of the stockholders of Monopole du Portugal who were 

 fleeced in the manner known to our readers." 



TRIBUTE TO THE LATE SENATOR DR. TRAUN. 



The Centralverein Deutscher Kautschukwaren-Fabriken has 

 published the following tribute to the late Senator Dr. Traun, 

 signed by Louis Hoff, president, and Dr. Soetbeer, secretary : 



"Senator Dr. Heinrich Traun, of Hamburg, senior member 

 of the firm of Dr. Heinr. Traun u. Sonne, formerly Harburger 

 Gummi-Kamm Co., departed this life on September io. His 

 fellow citizens who conferred upon him the highest position of 

 trust in the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, all of his fac- 

 tory employes, and the entire rubber manufacturing industry, join 

 his relatives in mourning the death of this excellent man. He 

 not only developed his own factory into one of the most prom- 

 inent rubber works in the world, but also had the common in- 

 terest of this branch of industry very much at heart and did 

 his best to further it. He was one of the founders of the 

 Verein Deutscher Kautschukwaren-Fabriken ( Association of 

 German Rubber Manufacturers) organized on September 17, 1895. 

 and was shortly afterwards elected a director of the same, re- 

 taining this office even after the association was consolidated with 

 the Vereinigung Deutscher Gummiwaren-Fabriken (Association 

 of German Rubber Works) under the name Centralverein 

 Deutscher Kautschukwaren-Fabriken (Central Association of 

 German Rubber Works), until his election as Senator compelled 

 his resignation. He was a man of great foresight and extensive 

 experience, of strong character, and kind hearted. He will con- 

 tinue to live in our memory as a noble and commanding 

 personality." 



It is announced that the Hamburg firm of Traun, Stiirken & 

 Co., importers and exporters, will continue as before the death 

 of the principal member, Herr Senator Dr. Traun. Their busi- 

 ness was largely the importation of crude rubber from German 

 East Africa, though not confined to this region. 



The firm Heinr. Ad. Meyer, of Hamburg, mentioned in con- 

 nection with the career of the late Dr. Traun, in the last India 



Rubber World, is still maintained, importing ivory from German 

 Africa. 



DISTINCTION FOR A RUBBER MANUFACTURER. 



The late director of Continental-Caoutchouc-und Gutta-percha- 

 Compagnie is now Herr Dr. Professor Prinzhorn. The confer- 

 ment upon him of the degree of doctor of engineering was re- 

 ported recently in these pages ; his new title of professor is a 

 recognition from the government of his services in the develop- 

 ment of the india-rubber industry. 



RUBBER GOODS PRICES IN GERMANY. 



In connection with the meeting held on July 7 last in Berlin, 

 the opinion is expressed among rubber goods manufacturers 

 that it would be advisable to hold a further meeting in the near 

 future, for the purpose of discussing the situation of the rubber 

 industry, in view of the high prices asked for crude rubber, and 

 of debating the measures to be taken by the manufacturers to 

 meet prevailing conditions. At the instance of Director General 

 Hoff ( Harburg-on-the-Elbe) and Kommerzienrat Seligmann 

 ( Hanover) invitations have been sent out to attend the proposed 

 meeting, to be held on November 5 at the Hotel Kaiserhof in 

 Berlin. 



THE GUAYULE INTEREST. 



CRUDE RUBBER PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES. 



DURING the past month the production of guayule rubber 

 on a commercial scale in the United States has been defi- 

 nitely commenced. Mention has been made in these pages of 

 the Texas Rubber Co., incorporated April 10, 1907, under the 

 laws of Texas, with $100,000 capital, to operate a guayule fac- 

 tory at Marathon. Texas, which factory has just begun opera- 

 tion. Mention has been made also of the Big Bend Manu- 

 facturing Co., incorporated August 27, 1907, under the laws of 

 Delaware, with $25,000 capital, which latter company was the 

 successful bidder for all the guayule shrub existing on the state 

 school lands in Texas, under the law of 1907. It is understood 

 that control of these two corporations has been gained by Mr. 

 William H. Stayton. who recently resigned the presidency of 

 the Continental Rubber Co. Mr. Stayton is a former United 

 States naval officer who, on leaving the service, became a mem- 

 ber of an important legal firm in New York, in which connection 

 he was led to study thoroughly the rubber situation. 



Texas is the home of the guayule shrub as well as Mexico. 

 It may be recalled that the first scientific study of the plant 

 Parthenium argentatum was made north of the Rio Grande by 

 an American scientific expedition. A large amount of the guayule 

 rubber produced in Mexico thus far has been the result of the 

 investment of United States capital, and altogether there would 

 appear to be no reason why guayule should not be successfully 

 produced in the United States. 



GUAYULE RUBBER BY A NEW PROCESS. 



Mr. E. Delafond, civil engineer, whose excellent work in 



connection with guayule has long been known, is producing 



rubber from this shrub by a new "pliysico-mechanical" 



process, at the "La Victoria" works, hacienda de Sierra 



Hermosa. at Catorce, state of San Luis Potosi. Mexico. An 



analysis, by Jose de Morales, chemist, is as follows: 



Pure caoutchouc 88 P er cen '- 



Resin 7 per cent. 



Moisture -_^_ P er cent - 



Total 100 per cent. 



Mr. Delafond, by the way. is experimenting with the cul- 

 tivation of guayule, it is said, with excellent results. 



