SOS 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



August 1, 1921 



materials, analyzing the fabrics, standardizing the operations, and 

 maintaining an experienced organization in order to make the 

 most uniiorni and perfect product will be of no avail. A pneu- 

 matic tire is designed and built to contain air, or an inert gas, 

 under pressure, and there are no recommendable substitutes for 

 it on the market today. The greatest danger that befalls a tire 

 in service is miderinflation. Proper inflation is to the life of a 

 pneumatic tire what proper food is to the life of a living being. 

 Eighty per cent of the failures in tires can be traced to under- 

 inflation. Briefly the results of underinflation are early separa- 

 tion in all parts of the tire, rim cutting, abnormal development of 

 frictional heat, greater power and fuel consiuiiption, rupturing 

 of the fabric, splitting of tread, and abnormal strain through- 

 out the tire. 



The Society of Automotive Engineers and the Tire and Rim 

 Association, and all the large manufacturers of tires have agreed 

 upon standard pressures to be used in tires and these pressures 

 should be adhered to religiously in order to obtain the highest 

 mileage. Overloading is another abuse that is often imposed upon 

 a tire which causes an early breakdown of the carcass and finally 

 a blow out. Other causes for premature failures are : improperly 

 fitting rims, which cause rim cutting, thus exposing the fabric to 

 moisture and chafing; misalinement of wheels, which causes ex- 

 cessive tread abrasion ; running over curbs. Jeep ruts, stones, 

 nails and glass which causes breaks and cuts in the tread and 

 carcass ; sudden braking which causes tread abrasion and separa- 

 tion ; turning corners at high speed which causes excessive strains 

 on the fabric and later a rupture ; overheating which causes 

 separation : and sun exposure which causes checking. 



The ultimate desire of every motorist is to obtain the most miles 

 per dollar per tire with the advantages of riding on a cushion 

 of air, and the only way for him to obtain his desire and re- 

 tain these advantages is to use common sense in the use and care 

 of the pneumatic tire. 



INTERESTING LETTERS FROM OUR READERS 

 DYES IN TOY BALLOONS NOT POISONOUS 



RECENTLY The New York Herald printed the following state- 

 ment attributed to the New York State Health Department: 

 "Some of the dyes used in coloring toy balloons are capable of 

 causing a severe inflammation when brought in contact with the 

 skin while in a moist condition." 



In refutation of the threat against the toy balloon industry 

 implied by this misleading statement, the following conclusive 

 letter from a well-known authority is published. 



To THE Editor: 



DE.vR Sir: Replying to your favor of July 5, we have no objec- 

 tion whatever to your publishing our name in refutation of 

 the statement that the dyes used in the manufacture of toy balloons 

 are dangerous to children. 



The strange part about this is that it is partly true and lialf 

 the truth sometimes is worse than a direct untruth. If children 

 ate the dyes used in toy balloons, there probably would be some 

 ill effects, but the percentage of dye used in toy balloons is prob- 

 ably less than 1/lOth of 1 per cent, and furthermore, these dyes 

 are entirely insoluble either in saliva or aqueous solutions, because 

 they are either resinates or oleates of aniline colors, and it is 

 utterly impossible to imagine how a child sucking the toy balloons 

 could absorb enough to do even the slightest damage. 



We would like to find out who originally sent out this report, 

 and what evidence a man had to entitle him to make this statement. 



New York, N. Y. Toch Brothers. 



the sale should be prohibited. That this agitation against the use 

 of toy balloons is not justified by facts is clearly explained in the 

 following letter from a competent authority. 



To THE Editor : 



r^E.vR Sir : Replying to your letter of July 13, it is quite evident 

 ^-^ that the Bureau of Combustibles of New York City is emu- 

 lating the example set by the London County Council, of London, 

 England, which early in the year legislated against the use of toy 

 balloons filled with hydrogen gas on the grounds of fire hazard, 

 and the possibility of injury resulting if the gas should explode. 



We feel, and so, indirectly, said to the London County Council, 

 that the danger from these causes was really negligible for the 

 reason that toy balloons do not hold enough hydrogen gas to 

 start a conflagration, or to injure people, except under very 

 unusual circumstances. We have known of cases where toy 

 balloons inflated with hydrogen gas were either purposely or 

 carelessly exploded by means of cigarettes or matches, but have 

 never known of any serious accident or damage resulting from 

 such misuse of the balloons. 



Furthermore, until within the past year or two when the man- 

 ner of inflating toy balloons with hydrogen gas was greatly sim- 

 plified by the introduction of hydrogen gas cylinders, the per- 

 centage of balloons inflated with hydrogen gas was very small 

 as compared to the quantity made and sold. 



A concerted effort is now being made by London interests to 

 have the London County Council annul this arbitrary ruling, and 

 in our judgment the agitation w'hich is being started in this coun- 

 try against toy gas balloons is really unjustified by facts. If put 

 into effect, such rulings will be the cause of depriving kiddies 

 of a most enterteining form of amusement. 



New York, N. Y. Manufacturer. 



REGARDING SAPONIFYING AGENTS FOR WAXES 



To the Editor : 



r\EAR Sir; In The India Rubber World, May 1, 1921, Dr. 

 ^"^ Dannerth mentions the saponification of wa.xes, such as 

 carnauba, candelilla, beeswax, etc., that are converted into soaps 

 by boiling with alcoholic potash. 



If it is not practical to use alcoholic potash, or ordinary 

 potash to saponify these waxes, could monohydrate of soda be 

 used with as good results? What properties does potash contain 

 that are different from strong soda, such as monohydrate ? Is 

 there any difference in the action of the two alkalies on wax, 

 provided enough is used of each kind to make a saponification? 



Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Inquirer. 



In the experimental work of the chemical laboratory, alcoholic 

 potash is generally used for saponifying oils, fats and waxes 

 because experience has shown that the saponification proceeds 

 more readily when that agent is employed. Then too, the soap 

 obtained as a result of the potash saponification is a soft soap 

 and is therefore more desirable for laboratory manipulation. 



In the practical work of the factory, caustic soda or sodium 

 hydrate, as it is sometimes called, is found to saponify in a 

 satisfactory way. The product is, of course, a hard soap. 

 Commercial oleic acid saponified with caustic soda will yield 

 a common brown soap, which dissolves in water with relative 

 ease. The soap prepared from stearic acid and caustic soda is, 

 however, much more difficultly soluble in water. For that reason 

 the soap maker generally uses a mixture of the two acids when 

 making commercial soaps. It will be found that soaps in gen- 

 eral are soluble in 90 per cent denatured alcohol. — Frederic 

 Dannerth. 



DANGER FROM TOY GAS-BALLOONS NEGLIGIBLE 



The A'c'ci' i'ork .S'loi prints a statement from the chief inspector 

 of the New York Bureau of Combustibles that toy balloons filled 

 with hydrogen gas were dangerous in the hands of children, and 



The Ohio Rubber Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, is marketing 

 "Howard's Ideal" bathing garters, on which it has applied for a 

 patent. At one end of a straight strip of inch-wide rubber is in- 

 serted a double-headed bone button. Perforations about J^'i'ich 

 apart in the other end stretch over this button to fasten the garter 

 and at the same time make it adjustable. 



