362 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[July i, 1910. 



THE COMING RUBBER EXHIBITION. 



THE International Rubber and Allied Trades Exhibition, 10,11, 

 will be held on June 28 in the Royal Agricultural Hall, 

 Islington, London. Not only is this building admirably equipped 

 for exhibition purposes — with spacious club, lecture and dining 

 room — but it is more accessible from all parts of London than 

 the building in which the first great rubber show was held. 

 The suitability of Agricultural Hall for exhibition purposes is 

 shown by the fact that for thirty-one years the Stanley Show — 

 of bicycles and accessories — has been held there. 



A matter of first interest in relation to next year's rubber ex- 

 hibition is that the management is to be the same as that under 

 which the notable success of last year's show was scored. 

 Again the president is to be Sir Henry A. Blake, G. c. M. c, 

 and the chairman of the advisory committee Colonel William J. 

 Bosworth. Mr. A. Staines Manders again is organizing manager. 



The show this year is to be under royal patronage, his 

 Majesty George V, while the Prince of Wales, having signified 

 his willingness to become Patron. This is to be taken as a 

 signal expression of the interest that the King takes in the 

 prosperity of the British empire and its colonies. 



From every source from which support was derived for the 

 exhibition two years ago evidences of greater interest in the 

 191 1 exhibition are being received. Naturally in the first in- 

 stance the exhibition was regarded by many as experimental, 

 but the great success achieved proved the wisdom of this 

 enterprise, and the practical results attainable. It appears, there- 

 fore, that not only a larger number of exhibits may be looked 

 for next year, but a greater variety of exhibits. In the 1908 

 show most of those participating were interested in planting, or 

 the production of forest rubber. The organizing manager is able 

 to announce already a very liberal amount of support from 

 the manufacturing interest. 



Most of the leading British rubber manufacturers have con- 

 sented to serve on the exhibition committee, and a number have 

 reserved exhibition spaces. The Central Union of German Rub- 

 ber manufacturers has officially approved of the exhibition and 

 recommended to the authorities that the German colonies be 

 well represented. In the line of this suggestion the Kolonial- 

 Wirtschaftlichen Komitee have appointed Professor Dr. O. 

 Warburg as commissioner. 



The plan of the exhibition, as last year, embraces plantation 

 rubbers of every description and illustrations of processes of 

 production; likewise wild rubber and processes employed in 

 connection with them. Included under these heads are gutta- 

 percha, balata, and the like. These exhibits will embrace botan- 

 ical specimens and all the various utensils and machines required 

 for the preparation of rubber, together with all of the requisites 

 for rubber estates, wild or cultivated. 



The manufacturers' section will be open for machinery, molds, 

 utensils, and so on, employed in making rubber goods of what- 

 ever class. Room will be provided also for chemicals and fillers 

 used in the rubber manufacture, including rubber substitutes and 

 reclaimed rubber. Fabrics and all other materials other than 

 rubber used in connection with this industry also will be included. 



A separate class will be opened for the literature of the rub- 

 ber and allied trades. The exhibition offices, from which detailed 

 information may be had, are at 75, Chancery Lane (Holborn), 

 W. C, London. 



An interesting exhibit in the way of Amazon rubber will be 

 a single ball (pelle) weighing a metric ton [= 2,046 pounds], 

 sent by the Alves Braga Rubber Estates and Trading Co., 

 Limited, of Brazil. 



THE GIIAYU1.E PRICE CONVENTION. 



On June 8 a meeting of shareholders of the Liverpool com- 

 pany was held to comply with the law relating to voluntary 

 liquidation of companies; preliminary to a reorganization of the 

 business, under the name New Liverpool Rubber Co., Limited. 



U"ARLY in the past month notice was given of an intended 



' convention of owners of guayule factories,, and of growers 

 of guayule on a large scale, to be held at Torreon on June 15, 

 with the object of discussing the best form of grading guayule 

 rubber so as to secure for it a price in proportion to its actual 

 value as compared with other grades of rubber in the world's 

 market. One proposal made was that a commission be named 

 which should fix a minimum price for the sale of guayule rub- 

 ber, producers being obligated not to sell at a lower price than 

 that named by the commission. There are now thirteen factories 

 engaged in producing guayule in Mexico and of these all but 

 four have their headquarters in Torreon. Respecting the pro- 

 posed convention, the communication which follows has been re- 

 ceived from the office of one of the Torreon companies : 



To the Editor of The India Rubber World: The conference 

 of guayule rubber manufacturers which it was proposed to hold 

 in Torreon on the 15th instant was called by a circular letter 

 from the Compania Guayulera de Torreon, S. A., one of the 

 smaller companies in Mexico. This circular letter states that 

 in their view guayule rubber has not been paid for in proportion 

 to the percentage of true caoutchouc contained, and that the 

 price has been unduly held down by speculation and by com- 

 binations or agreements of manufacturers. These ideas are not 

 so explicitly expressed as here given, but this is the insinuation, 

 especially with regard to combinations. All guayule manufac- 

 turers in Mexico were invited to attend the convention in the 

 offices of the above named company, with the object of forming 

 an agreement not to sell their product below a certain figure. 



We, and several others, declined the invitation on the ground 

 that it did not agree with our views ; that we did not believe 

 that an artificial price could be maintained in view of the com- 

 petition of other grades of rubber, nor did we believe that there 

 was any combination or agreement of buyers not to pay for 

 guayule rubber all that it is worth in open competition with 

 other grades. 



On the 15th instant no one appeared excepting representatives 

 of one or two unimportant factories, though we understand some 

 of the larger factories had signified their intention to take part 

 — that is to say, take part in this preliminary meeting which was 

 to discuss the plan of fixing the price. The date was postponed 

 to the 20th (today), and we are just advised by telephone that 

 only three persons presented themselves, these being, in one case 

 at least, minor employes sent to report. We understand that the 

 Continental company sent a letter saying they had not heard 

 from New York whether or not they would take part, and the 

 Madero interests did not even write, so that it looks as if the 

 matter is not to be taken seriously, though the local papers are 

 giving it some prominence. The three persons present at the 

 meeting decided to send out another circular letter, to call the 

 proposed convention on July 5. 



We do not attach any broad significance to this proposal, con- 

 sidering that it emanates from persons of little experience in the 

 trade, who, under the guise of remedying an evil, are merely 

 trying to squeeze the market. 



We ask that you do not, on the basis of this letter, say any- 

 thing condemnatory of the affair ; our attitude toward those con- 

 cerned is entirely friendly, but we think they are "barking up the 

 wrong tree." coahuila. 



Torreon, Mexico, June 20, 1910. 



* * * 



Mention has been made in various quarters that July 1 will 

 terminate the period for which a number of contracts were made 

 for the forward sale of guayule, at prices lower than the current 

 quotations for this product for some time past. 



It is stated that the plantations of Hevea in French Indo-China 

 already amount to about 1,500 hectares [=3,7°7 acres]. 



