December 1, 1911.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



129 



The India-Rubber Trade in Great Britain. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



SECRETS IN 

 KUBBER MANUFACTURE. 



THE leading article on this subject, in The India Rubber 

 World of October 1, in its statements and deductions em- 

 phasizes the opinion I have frequently expressed, though 

 I am not prepared to say that the business is even more of a 

 secret industry today than it was twenty years ago. When the 

 writer of the article expresses some 

 surprise at this, in face of the "constant 

 interchange of ideas among foreign and 

 domestic managers and superintendents," and "their inspection 

 of each other's plants," he is, of course, referring to American 

 procedure, because in Europe, generally, there has been nothing 

 of this "give and take" business. The English or German manu- 

 facturer does not discuss points of manufacture with his com- 

 petitors, nor does he. except in verj- special instances, allow 

 strangers to inspect his works. Apropos of this point, I am told 

 that the ease with which foreign manufacturers could formerly 

 obtain permission to visit and thoroughly inspect American 

 rubber works is not reflected in present-day procedure, permis- 

 sion being now by no means readily given. I have often heard 

 English manufacturers express their surprise, as well as their 

 gratification, at the facilities afiforded them of gaining additional 

 trade experience at American factories, but I have never heard 

 that it has caused them to be less exclusive with regard to their 

 own factories when they have returned home. \\"i\h regard to 

 the statement that "as far as the world at large is concerned, the 

 manufacture is wholly secret," if this holds good it is merely the 

 result of indifference. The main facts of the manufacture are 

 to be found, nowadays in several books devoted to the subject, 

 and there is no excuse for anyone who wishes to inform himself 

 remaining in a state of ignorance regarding same. Trade secrets, 

 however (among which I include apparently trivial details of 

 manufacture), are not to be found in these books. Dozens of 

 instances of what I have in mind might be cited, but it does not 

 seem worth while taking up space with them. The matter, of 

 course, is of importance with regard to the attempts which are 

 being made to standardize rubber analyses. Personally, I was 

 never optimistic as to the benefits to be expected from the co- 

 operation of the manufacturers, one or two of whom were elected 

 on an International Committee formed in London a few years 

 ago. As these manufacturers were not chemists, their co- 

 operation could only have been of benefit, so far as they let 

 themselves go on the details of their factory procedure. With 

 regard to the trade generally, I understand that hardly any 

 replies were given to a set of queries duly drawn up, and 

 addressed to the several manufacturers. In America, also, much 

 the same thing was the experience of the Rubber Section of the 

 American Chemical Society, with the result that the projected 

 good work is in danger of being abandoned. This is not, as far 

 as I am concerned, a case of being wise after the event, because 

 I expressed pessimistic views at the inception of these schemes 

 for progress and reform. Human nature will not be altered at 

 the beck and call of this or that individual or committee, and it 

 may as well be recognized that the difficulties induced by the 

 exclusiveness of manufacturers are of such magnitude, as will 

 not be easily overcome by those who essay light-heartedly to 

 undertake the task. 



In conclusion. I may perhaps be allowed to refer to the im- 

 portant subject of the washing of wild rubber, treated in another 

 leading article in the same issue. The writer ignores altogether 

 the existence of a feeling among individual manufacturers that, 

 by special processes of their own, they can wash and dry rubber 

 in a way such as will give a product superior to that obtained 



by their competitors. Possibly, such a contention would, if 

 closely investigated, be found greatly exaggerated. However, 

 such methods exist and come under the category of trade 

 secrets. The writer of the article says that it is not a fact 

 that the trade knows what they are getting when they buy raw, 

 unwashed rubber. Well, I cannot endorse this as a result of 

 conversations with large buyers. The point they make is that 

 they do know what they are getting when they buy rubber in 

 the raw, and that they do not know when they buy it in the 

 washed or semi-washed state. Whether or not they have any 

 grounds for doubting the statements made to them with regard 

 to washed rubbers, I have no idea, but it is a fact that in a 

 good many quarters skepticism is rampant. 



As was the case a year ago, Mr. Rawson, chairman of the 

 Endurite Company, Limited, at the annual meeting in October, 

 had a good deal to say with regard to 

 THE RE-FORMING jj^^ present position and prospects of 

 the Premier Re-forming Company, Lim- 

 ited, of which he is the promoter and consulting engineer. In 

 the prospectus the experts used a somewhat cryptic statement 

 to the effect that the re-formed rubber was in appearance in 

 every way equal to new rubber. Hoviever, it appears that this 

 assertion is not considered satisfactory or convincing by such 

 large consumers as have habitually in their tender forms ex- 

 pressly barred the use of old rubber. The continued existence 

 of this bar has led to the Premier company putting down plants 

 to enable them to supply ordinary goods made from new rubber, 

 where such are stipulated for. In this respect, therefore, they 

 are ordinary rubber manufacturers and have to meet the close 

 competition that exists. The Premier company, it appears, have 

 made great progress in their sales of re-formed rubber goods, 

 and all they want is an increase of business to pay dividends. 

 This is a platitude which no doubt finds an echo in the breasts 

 of many of us. It is interesting to hear that re-forming has 

 already got beyond the stage of moulded goods, and that inner 

 tubes are now in the market and are giving every satisfaction. 

 Further experiments are in progress for the re-forming of 

 wrapped goods made from the highest quality of rubber. The 

 fact that the Premier company now has 483 customers, the 

 majority of whom have sent repeat orders, ought to finally dis- 

 sipate the erroneous impression that still exists in some quar- 

 ters that re-formed rubber is no good. The new rubber goods 

 are to be supplied by a new company, the Walthamstow Rubber 

 Company, with a capital of £20,000. This company acquires a 

 license to manufacture the new L. A. P. tire for taxicabs at a 

 royalty of Iftr. per tire. This tire, which is said to have given 

 very satisfactory trials, has no inner tube and does not contain 

 any fabric. It will be seen, then, that new rubber goods and 

 re-formed rubber goods are to be made in the future side by side 

 at the Walthamstow works and will be supplied to the public, 

 the former by the Walthamstow company and the latter by the 

 Premier company. 



About two years ago the A. R. Syndicate, Limited, was 



formed with an authorized capital of £10,000. Of this, 9.000 



ANOTHER SYNTHETIC f"% P^id ^^ shares Were issued to the 



RUBBER GONE vendors, the only other shares issued 



WRONG. being to the value of £7. On June 11, 



1910. the shareholders were asked to subscribe to further shares at 



par, but the response being so small, the directors did not proceed 



to allotment. It should be said that the syndicate was formed 



on the basis that the vendor was to bear all the expense of 



demonstrating the value of the process. This condition is said 



