356 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



I.I i i.v i, 1910. 



the comfany for -'5 years, and 52 employes who have been with 

 thenl *"• *o years. 



A VISIT TO A RUBBER FACTORY. 

 Ax interesting event was a visit paid on May 4 to the works 

 of the North British Ruhber Co., Limited (Edinburgh), by 

 about 40 members of the Maatschappij van Nijverheid (Society 

 for Promotion of Industry) of Amsterdam, who had left home 

 mainly for an inspection of these works. The visitors were 

 headed by then president, Mr. Ch. E. H. Bossevain, and were 

 received by Mr. A. C. Baker, the general manager, and Mr. 

 Alexander Johnston, the superintendent and general works man- 

 ager. In connection with this visit the management of the 

 compay issued an attractive souvenir in the shape of an illus- 

 trated booklet descriptive of Edinburgh and the rubber factory. 

 As indicating somewhat the extent of the rubber works, it may 

 be mentioned that the visitors were shown in the stores raw 

 material valued at $1,500,000. 



ARTIFICIAL RUBBER IN GERMANY. 



The Neuestc Nachrichten, of Munich, Germany, for May 1, 

 contained the following : 



"At the general meeting of the Farbenfabriken, F. Bayer, of 

 Elberfeld, it was decided to declare and immediately pay a divi- 

 dent of 24 per cent, and distribute a bonus of 213 marks 

 [=$40.69] per share. A report read at the meeting stated that 

 the long continued researches for the production of artificial 

 eaoutchous had been successful. It could not at that date be 

 stated when the new product would be put on the market. In 

 view of the fact that raw rubber can be obtained at a com- 

 paratively low figure, it will be necessary to overcome many 

 obstacles." In other words it will be necessary to lower the 

 cost of production considerably. 



RUSSIAN EXPORTS OF RUBBER. 



The figures herewith, for which we are indebted to the Gummi- 

 Zeitnng, indicate the exports under the headings given from 

 Russia during the calendar year 1907, American equivalents being 

 given for the Russian weights and values: 



Pounds. Value. 



Waste rubber 11,054,664 $618,72873 



Rubber footwear 4.098,672 1,970,692.82 



Other rubber goods 1.358.604 523,015.46 



BETTER TJUNL0P BUSINESS IN GERMANY. 



The Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Co., A.-G., at Hanau a/M., in 

 tlte business year 1909, made gross profits of 1,074,534 marks, 

 comparing with 870,460 marks in the preceding year and 829,846 

 marks in 1907. The net profits (including carry over) were 

 299,238 marks, against 233,018 marks in 1908 and 105,526 marks 

 in 1907. The capital stock figures at 3,000,000 marks [ = $714,000]. 



SWEDEN. 



The Kautschuks-& Guttaperchavaru-Aktiebolaget Kuntze & 

 Comp.. at Stockholm, manufacturers of and wholesale dealers in 

 rubber goods, at the annual meeting on May 14, adopted a reso- 

 lution to distribute for 1900— as for five years preceding— a 

 dividend of 10 per cent, on the capital stock of 300,000 kroner 

 [=$80,400]. 



GREAT BRITAIN. 



ROM Tyre and Rubber Co., Limited, registered in London 

 December 11, 1908, with £5,000 capital, has been acquired by a 

 new company, The Rom Tyre and Rubber Co. (1909). Limited, 

 registered in London April 10, 1910, with £50,000 capital. The 

 new company purposes combining with the manufacture of pneu- 

 matic tires the planting of rubber, cotton, and other crops in 

 the Gold Coast Colony. 



1 he North British Rubber Co., Limited, have been granted 

 a warrant by the authorities of Edinburgh for constructing a 

 subway at Viewforth to connect their Castle Mills with the 

 recently acquired premises of the Scottish Vulcanite Co. [See 

 The India Rubber World, March 1, 1910— page 207.] 



THE PAN-AMERICAN CAPITAL. 



A NOTABLE event was the dedication of the new building 

 ** of tlu International Bureau of American Republics, at 

 Washington, on April 26. The desirability of a permanent home 

 for the Bureau had long been recognized, and contributions 

 toward a building fund had been made by the United States 

 and the Latin American republics, but the sum was not regarded 

 by the director of the Bureau as sufficient for such a building 

 as was needed. This was the situation when a gift of $750,000 

 by Mr. Andrew Carnegie made it possible to plan a stately and 

 artistic building ample for the purposes of the Bureau, and this 

 has been completed and is now occupied by the Bureau. 



This institution, the outgrowth of the first International Ameri- 

 can Conference, called by Mr. Blaine in 1889, has been of great 

 service already in the promotion of a better understanding be- 

 tween the various American republics and a closer relation 

 between them. With the passing of misunderstandings has come 

 progress in the industries and commerce, and increasing wealth 

 and intelligence. Mention of this institution is particularly fitting 

 in The India Rubber World, on account of the fact that india- 

 rubber is produced in nearly every one of the republics repre- 

 sented in the Bureau. Their combined production amounts 

 probably to two-thirds of the total for the world. 



The Bureau of American Republics not only affords the official 

 representatives and likewise private citizens of the various re- 

 publics an opportunity for intercourse, but an important special 

 library is maintained, and a Bulletin published which has per- 

 formed a valuable service in disseminating information regarding 

 the various countries of North and South America. It would 

 be well for every business man, particularly if engaged in inter- 

 national trade, to become familiar with the Bulletin. 



THE ALLEGED OUTRAGES IN PERU. 



CONDITIONS in the rubber producing districts of the upper 

 Amazon, and particularly above Iquitos, continue to re- 

 ceive public attention in England, in connection with the affairs 

 of the Peruvian Amazon Co., Limited. Some months ago a 

 lengthy article in the important London weekly paper Truth was 

 in the nature of a serious indictment of the company named, 

 with respect to the treatment of the natives employed in rubber 

 gathering by the company's agents. [See The India Rubber 

 World, November 1, 1909— page 44.] The charges made in Mr. 

 Labouchere's journal were at once denied categorically from 

 the Peruvian legation in London. Inquiries regarding the matter 

 were at once made in the House of Commons, regarding condi- 

 tions in Peru but without eliciting any definite statements. 



During the past month some interesting correspondence has 

 been made public from the offices of the Peruvian company. 

 For instance, the Dean of Hereford made a public address in 

 which he asserted that the treatment of the company's employes 

 had been "abominable and horrible." On receipt of a letter 

 from the company's solicitors, the very reverend gentleman 

 offered his apologies for having made such statements, while 

 "misinformed on the subject." The secretary of the Peruvian 

 company has made public a copy of a letter addressed from his 

 office to the British government, stating that the very employes 

 against whom the accusations had been brought had written to 

 the chief authorities at Iquitos asking for a judicial inquiry. 



The British patent (No. 27.567—1908) issued to G. Capelle, 

 of Belgium, relates to reclaiming rubber. Vulcanized or 

 unvulcanized rubber is regenerated by mixing it with the 

 product obtained by distilling rubber under reduced pressure, 

 or in vacuo, or with the product obtained by polymerizing or 

 condensing the distillate from rubber, whether obtained 

 under normal or reduced pressure, or in vacuo. Soda may be 

 added to reduce the amount of free sulphur. 



