July i, 1910.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



353 



The India-Rubber Trade in Great Britain. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



DESPITE the difficult situation caused by the continued high absence of a patent, and it was also remarked that an American 

 price of raw rubber, it cannot be said that there is any process or project «m» usually sold at a good profit. With re- 

 falling off in trade. Indeed, quite the opposite is the case. gard to the business of the company, which is shortly to enlarge 

 In one important works I visited lately there are more hands the field of its energies, a good deal would seem to depend 

 employed than at any period during the last 20 years, while over upon the demand for the extracted rubber. At present it is not 

 time is general, and all night work by easy to come to terms with the rubber manufacturers. Two or 

 state nQ means uncommon. I am told bv a three qualities are on offer, with prices varying according to the 

 prominent proofing firm that they are amount of resin present. As crude rubber is not yet bought 

 regularly working over time, and altogether there are no signs and sold by analysis in England, this method of doing business 

 of slackness. Government contracts have a good deal to do with has not jumped into favor at once. Of course when fine Para 

 the activity in some cases, this being a busy season, and a mere becomes cheaper — as is inevitable — the profits cf the Malaysian 

 matter of price not interfering with this class of business. company must decline, as working expenses can hardly, I im- 

 Hearing a rumor to the effect that if the price of rubber went agine, be reduced appreciably. As regards the process itself, 

 much higher a certain rubber manufacturer had decided to I gather that the main difference between the new plant and 

 close his works, I made inquiries and found that the matter had that which was formerly operated in one or two places in 

 been exaggerated. I was informed, however, that the question Europe is the great reduction in the loss of the volatile solvent 

 of limiting work to four days a week had been seriously con- employed. Of course the European extractors have also to pay 

 sidered by some of the firms, though in the present state of at a much higher rate for their raw material. The main result 

 activity it would need very concerted action unless individual so far of the new operations in the East has been to raise the 

 firms are to suffer by any such move. The recent fall of 2S. 6d. price of jelutong to about three times what it was formerly sold 

 or more a pound in the price of fine Para instead of the talked-of at, and as the new company has a virtual monopoly of the pro- 

 rise to 15 shillings [=$3.65] no doubt caused any negotiations duction it seems as if the price would remain up. This may not 

 ■of the sort to be suspended if not abandoned. suit the book of those who bought jelutong in the raw. because 

 The abstention from bidding at recent London sales was de- it was cheap and answered certain purposes. An important point 

 scribed in the financial press as the silly conduct of the manu- is that the coagulation is now to be carried out by an improved 

 iacturers who would soon be brought to their senses. That the method, though whether the improvement consists in an in- 

 action in London was merely an echo of what had occurred the creased quantity of rubber in the crude jelutong or in a higher 

 previous week in Liverpool, when only a few hundredweight grade of rubber is not stated. In a recent patent of V. Scholtz 

 •were sold out of 150 tons of African rubber on offer, was ig- the resins from bodies such as jelutong are extracted by hot 

 nored by the London critics. Of course the fall in price has carbolic or cressylic acid. 



proved very disappointing to the City company promoter, and I don't remember having previously given any details regarding 



the last few weeks have shown a decided setback in the issue the English Card Clothing Co., Limited, recently organized, 

 of new companies. The wild rush on the part of all and sundry Competition between several firms led 



to get shares has now subsided, and the revelations at the CARD clothing some years ago to the fusing of five 



, , , . .,, COMBINATION. .... , . , ... 



statutory meetings of three or four of the new companies will or six works, all situated in the West 



tend to frighten people off new issues. Riding of Yorkshire. The Halifax firm of Patchett, however, 



The man who looks with mixed feelings on the situation of remained outside, as also did the important Manchester firm of 



the moment is the rubber manufacturer who is prominently Horsfall & Bickham. The main production of all these works, 



connected with some plantation or other. In his works he is I may say, is the card clothing used on the rotary carding ma- 



considerably hampered by the necessity of notifying his customers chines of cotton and woolen mills, this clothing consisting briefly 



of an advance in goods, while at the meetings of his plantation of fine bent steel points inserted in a base of pure cut sheet 



company he points with exultation to the continued rise in rub- Para rubber, which rubber forms the surface of canvas formed 



ber. The fortunes that have been made are in the bulk of cases of two or more plies, which have been made adhesive by being 



by men quite unconnected with the manufacture. It is only coated with Para rubber on the spreading machine. Although 



in the last few months that employes in rubber factories have the rubber department forms only part of a card clothing factory, 



begun to speculate in 2 shilling shares, and not always with I think I am right in saying it is the most important part, not 



success. It certainly must be somewhat falling for a work's only as regards its details of manufacture, but at the present time, 



manager of long experience when he has at last invested in a at any rate, with regard to the expenditure. In this trade no 



plantation to find the shares falling every day. Cases of this cheap rubbers, reclaimed rubbers, or substitutes are used — nothing 



sort have recently reached my sympathetic ears, and of course to but fine Para — and the travelers in the commodities just men- 



the man who has made his investment there is nothing soothing tioned are always sent away with nothing to recompense them 



in the fact that raw rubber is getting cheaper. for time and expenses. The business done is nearly all with the 



This is one of the recent London flotations of more particular cotton and woolen trades, leather cards being found the most 



interest. Further, it is the first prospectus I have come across suitable for the strong flax fiber. But to speak more particu- 



itnited Malaysian quoting The India Rubber World in larly of the Yorkshire works — it may be mentioned that, as is 



rubber CO., support of some of its statements. The not uncommon in the case of combines, two or three works 



limited. f ac t that an American company had put have been closed, and the English Card Clothing Co., Limited, 



up a factory in Sarawak for the extraction of rubber from jelu- now consists of the following branch works: 

 tong has been already noted elsewhere in The India Rubber 



World, but this European flotation came somewhat as a surprise. -L oh " Whiteley & Sons, Brunswick Mills Halifax. 



_ ,, T , .,,,, . Charles Cain, Son X Greenwood, Croft Mills Uaiiux. 



Presumably London was considered the best place to get Joseph Syke5 Brothers Lindley, Huddersfield. 



£2,000,000, rather a large figure in connection with a process Wilson & Ingham Mirfield. 



which is not patented. Some of our papers commented upon the Samuel Law & Sons Cleckheaton. 



