Kebrl-ary 1, 1912.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



233 



THE NORTH BRITISH RUBBER CO., LIMITED. 



' I 'O stand foremost in a great industry in a great empire is 

 ■*■ no small achievement, but tliat is what the North British 

 Rubber Co.. Limited, has accomplished. It is the largest rubber 

 manufacturing concern in the British Empire. An illustration of 

 liow this great result has lieen accomplished may be found in 

 the new laboratory, recently established by that company — which, 

 by the way, is the third complete laboratory the company has 

 built and equipped inside the last ten years. 



This new laboratory, which occupies an entire buiUiint;, and is 



Rese.vrch Chemical L-\bi)r.\tory. 



supplied witlj its own power and ligliting plant, includes si.x dif- 

 ferent departments, namely : Research Chemical Laboratory, 

 Routine Chemical Laboratory, Physical Lalioratory, Electrical 

 Laboratory, Experimental Department, and Mechanical Labo- 

 ratory. 



In the Research Chen'.ical Labcratory, a view of which is given 

 in the accompanying cut, there is the most elaborate apparatus en- 

 ablmg the company to carry on a vast variety of investigations 

 of value to the factory. Where goods are to enter into chemical 

 uses, their utility is here thoroughly tested. Some manufacturers 

 are content to make their grods as well as tliev convenientlv can. 



B.\1-\NLE R( 



)0.M. 



send them to n:arket and trust to luck. If no fault is found, well 

 and good ; if there are complaints the goods are taken back and 

 new ( nes sent in their place. But this is not the North British 



system. Before any goods leave its factory, in fact before any 

 goods whatever are made for shipment, they are subjected to 

 every possible test, so that when they leave the factory they leave 



Physic.\l L.\bur.\tory. 



with t.K- ! .... I ,_. ,\.r.^^ I. ...I t.iey w nl do the work for which 

 they are intended. 



In addition to t.ic I\cse;ircl. L;.b.iraio.\. , v.hee ncA- c'<peri."cnts 

 are oeii.g constanuy tricu, tnere is tlio K,:,uti.ie Labj;-;.tory, where 

 .-11 the factory supplies, crude rubber, chemicals, etc., are subjected 

 t.i a thorough examination before put into factory use. 



In the Physical Labcratory the specific gravity of finished goods 

 is tested. 'Phis laboratory has become exceedingly important 

 since the demand for rubber balloon and aeroplane fabrics. Every 

 piece of this fabric is tested for hydrogen leakage. To weigh 

 hydrogen requires very delicate scales. The balances which the 

 two young men in the accompanying picture are watching will 

 Wiigh to 1/10,000 part of a gramme. 



Mech.\nical Labcr.atorv. 



In the Electrical Laboratory, an iiUistrrtion rf which is also 

 shown, the dialectric strength of the company's various products, 

 in connection with the electrical industry, is tested. The apparatus 

 used here is capable cf a pressure of 20,000 volts. It goes without 

 saying that this has to be used with extreme care. You can 

 judge of the power of this apparatus when you reflect that the 

 average electric pressure in house lighting is only about 200 volts. 



The Experimental Department is in reality a small model fac- 

 tory, complete in every particular. Here new compounds are 

 tried, and finished samples turned out before being taken up on 



