52 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[November 1, 1911. 



000,000 pounds of rubber to the world's supply; and 

 that without harm or menace to anybody. Nobody 

 pressed to the wall, no competitor crushed, either 

 large or small ; in fact nothing crushed but a hitherto 

 worthless weed, and over $10,000,000 extracted from 

 it to add to the general wealth of mankind. Not a 

 particularly flagrant record. 



Incidentall}^ it might be added that during these 

 past three or four years the company has enriched its 

 stockholders to the extent of over a million and a half 

 of dollars. 



PARA RUBBER IN COVENTRY. 



ACCORDING to accepted theory, Para rubber, being 

 the Caoutchouc unit of value, sets the price for all 

 other sorts. If Paras be high the prices of all of the 

 lower sorts go up, if low they go down. In the past this 

 has been uniformly true, the exceptions being some kinds 

 such as pinky Madagascar, used for certain goods where 

 Para does not give as good a result. 



Within the last four months there has, however, been 

 the curious spectacle of Para going down and the less 

 valuable kinds either remaining as they were or showing 

 a slight rise. In some cases these poorer sorts seem to 

 be selling at a price that their value in comparison with 

 Para does not justify. For example, in 1908 the differ- 

 ence in price between Fine Para and Bengnelas was 52 

 cents ; today it is only 43 cents. Or to cite a still more 

 striking case: in 1908 the difference between Fine Para 

 and Caucho Ball was 35 cents; today it is 14 cents. 



There is but one possible explanation. The rubber 

 manufacturers of the world, having been once forced to 

 pay $3 for Para rubber and being again threatened by 

 high prices through corners, valorization, etc., are using 

 other rubbers in preference even at a slightly greater cost, 

 proving that, were the Amazonian output greatly re- 

 stricted, or even shut off, the rubber factories could still 



200 POUNDS OF SYNTHETIC RUBBER DAILY. 



AVERY good friend of ours writes a somewhat 

 caustic letter criticising the position that The 

 India Rubber World has taken that synthetic rub- 

 ber is an accomplished fact. His own belief seems 

 to be that for many years to come synthetic rubber 

 will not be made even in 50 pound lots, and that 

 within the present generation it will not be used com- 

 mercially even on a very small scale. 



Our friend is certainly entitled to his own opinion 

 and we wish it were as valuable as he seems to be- 

 lieve it to be. The facts, however, are really against 

 him. A prominent European manufacturer — one in 

 whose knowledge and integrity we have every con- 

 fidence — who is thoroughly familiar with synthetic 

 rubber as it is now produced, recently told us of a 

 European firm that is actually making something like 

 200 pounds a day and selling it to a well-known rub- 

 ber manufacturing concern for use in mechanical rub- 

 ber goods. The rubber is sold at 62 cents a pound 

 and usually gives satisfaction. It did happen, how- 

 ever, that certain lots for some reason or other did 

 not vulcanize, although such failures were only oc- 

 casional. 



The product is described as being almost pure white 

 in color, quite odoriferous, and exhibiting a tendency 

 to oxidize in the course of two or three months. 



The fact that such a production is going on need 

 not alarm either rubber manufacturers or rubber 

 planters. It will be a long time before a very large 

 product is reached no matter how successful the pro- 

 ducers may be. It is, however, exceedingly inter- 

 esting, and will eventually, in all probability, prove 

 of great value to the whole trade. 



RUBBER IS GROWING POPULAR. 



T 



HAT there is a very widespread interest in rubber, 

 and that it is increasing, no one at all alive to the 

 signs of the times can fail to appreciate. The daily 

 newspapers print far more than they did a year ago 

 concerning rubber, and if they call it gutta percha, melt 

 it, or get terms mixed, it in no way obscures the fact 

 that they are trying to give their readers what they want. 

 Short story writers in the Sunday papers ami in the 

 monthly periodicals use the rubber hunter, the planta- 

 tion boomer and thefactory manager as heroes for their 

 thrilling tales. The fact that the writers do not know 

 rubber either in the jungle or in the mill only adds to 

 the unconscious humor of their efforts. Several novels 

 center about rubber camps. In one the hero carries off 

 $1,000,000 worth of Fine Para while cannibals are holding 

 a feast in a neighboring thicket. A powerful man was 

 that hero — but, then, they usually are. 



Perhaps the most interesting phase of the general wish 

 to know more about gum elastic is shown by pedagogues. 

 A great majority of the schools in the United States and 

 doubtless the world over are on the hunt for rubber in- 

 formation. They besiege editors, manufacturers, stores. 



