May 1, 1912.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



387 



WENT DOWN WITH THE "TITANIC." 



/^UR usual letter covering the india-rubber trade in Great Bri- 

 '^ tain, which has appeared so regularly in our pages for many 

 years, is omitted in this number because of the fact that it is at 

 the bottom of the Atlantic, together with all the other mail — 

 many tons in volume — that went down with the Titanic. 



GERMAN VIEW OF THE SITUATION. 



IN dealing with the situation of the rubber trade, at the recent 

 general meeting of the Continental Caoutchouc and Gutta 

 Percha Co., of Hanover, Kommerzienrat Siegmund Seligman re- 

 ported the present condition of business as good, notable activity 

 having characterized the operations of 1912. Indications, more- 

 over, point to there being no lack of occupation in the immediate 

 future, prospects for a later period being equally favorable. 



At the same time he called attention to the fact that crude rub- 

 ber prices were 10-15 per cent, higher than at the beginning of 

 the year. He added ; 



"This is a by no means unimportant advance, for 

 which we have so far not been able to make up in our 

 selling prices. Whether it will be possible to establish 

 an increase is today hard to say. . . . On the whole, the 

 prospects are of such a nature that we believe we shall 

 be able to report a satisfactory result for the cur- 

 rent year." 

 Commenting upon the recent movement in rubber prices, the 

 "Gummi-Zeitung" quotes as an illustration the following London 

 quotations for fine hard Para : 



July 17, 1911 4s. ^Yzd. 



December 29, 1911 As. 2%d. 



March 13, 1912 4s. 9'4d. 



March 26, 1912 5.?. 2 d. 



While prices have since receded to some extent, the editorial 

 remarks on the situation as it stood at the end of March are 

 still none the less of interest ; 



"Thus prices of fine Para have again exceeded the 5 

 shilling limit, and medium sorts have risen in propor- 

 tion. The result is a general disturbance in rubber 

 manufacture and trading. ... Is this the beginning of 

 another advance? . . . 



"On the other hand, the situation is so strained that it 

 will be unavoidable, sooner or later, to advance selling 

 prices, from reasons which are apparent to everyone. . . . 

 The present position of the rubber industry cannot, there- 

 fore, be regarded as generally favorable. Even if dealers 

 and manufacturers are busy, there will not be a feeling 

 of encouragement until a proportion exists between cur- 

 rent prices of goods and the advancing quotations for 

 raw material.'' 

 According to various reports, some advances have been made 

 in their lists by German manufacturers, particularly in the form 

 of the upward revision of prices, where special depression had 

 existed. In bottle disks, for instance, an advance has been made 

 by some factories equalling about 3 cents per pound. This and 

 other advances, however, only constitute a reaction from the 

 recent low level of prices. 



While bottle disks do not of themselves constitute a very im- 

 portant article, they are -peculiarly sensitive to the fluctuations of 

 the crude rubber market, having been described as a seismograph 

 indicating coming movements. 



"CONTINENTAL" OF HANOVER FORTY YEARS OLD. 



The Continental Caoutchouc and Gutta Percha Co., of Han- 

 over, has been celebrating its fortieth anniversary, having been 

 founded oH October 8. 1871. During its first years it experienced 

 many ditfit^ulties, which at one time seriously threatened its 



Continuance. Its victory has been ascribed to the new force ac- 

 quired through the accession of Herr Adolf Prinzhorn in 1875, 

 and of Herr Siegmund Seligmann in 1876; both still members 

 of the board. 



One of the principles steadily adhered to by the company has 

 been that of placing in good years large sums to reserve account, 

 and making liberal allowances in valuing assets in any way of a 

 doubtful character. As a result of this cautious policy some of 

 the claims previously valued on a conservative basis, have turned 

 out better than expected and have realized a surplus beyond 

 the valuations. The declaration of a 45 per cent, dividend at 

 the recent meeting is the best proof of the successful methods 

 pursued by the company. 



THE NEW DIRECTOR OF THE BRXTSSELS BOTANIC GARDENS. 



M. H. Durand, the late director of the State Botanic Gardens, 

 Brussels, was a botanist whose detailed work was much ap- 

 preciated. It is to him that is due the Index Generum or "In- 

 dex of Species," in general use by botanic gardens and botanical 

 collections, as well as a comprehensive treatise on African £oia. 



His fellow-worker, Dr. Emile De Wildemann, has been named 

 by the Belgian government as his successor, this appointment 

 having given nmch satisfaction in technical circles. His earliest 

 work was in connection with the algae of Belgium and Switzer- 

 land, and subsequently with reference to the botanical features of 

 the Dutch Indies, the study to which his attention was specially 

 directed being that of the tropical Aora. Dealing with the large 

 quantity of materials, concentrated in Brussels by the missions, 

 which were traversing the Congo in all directions, Dr. De 

 Wildemann devoted himself specially to the determination of the 

 various species of African flora, in which studies he collaborated 

 with the late M. Durand. Amongst the numerous works he 

 published was a treatise in 1903 on the lactiferous Apocynaceae 

 of the Congo. Another work of his was "Extensively Grown 

 Tropical Plants," which has passed through two editions. 



Holding the diploma of Doctor in Natural Science, and being 

 a remarkable linguist, he has maintained close relations with 

 botanic gardens all over the world, and has frequently taken 

 part in scientific congresses. He has likewise been a regular con- 

 tributor to French rubber journals. 



At last year's London International Rubber Congress, Dr. De 

 Wildemann read a paper upon ".\frican Rubber \''ines : Their 

 Cultivation and Working." 



"TO BURST WITH A SICKENING THUD." 



At least six days in every week, some discovery is made in 

 the way of new rubber or rubber substitutes, that is going to play 

 havoc — not only with the rubber plantations, but with the old 

 original forests along the Amazon. A Western paper lately 

 published the following news item from Grand Junction, Colo- 

 rado : 



"The rubber plantation boom is likely to burst with a sickening 

 thud if the discovery made by T. E. Bailey, a ranchman near 

 here, pans out as he expects. Bailey has discovered a mountain 

 of what is believed to be mineral rubber. The mineral possesses 

 all the qualities of rubber, and there are millions of tons of it. 



"The rubber mountain is ten miles northwest of Grand Valley. 

 The mineral is black, very hard and very dense. It is without 

 grain or layer and is susceptible of a high polish. It is a non- 

 conductor of electricity and has other properties of hard rubber. 

 It has much the appearance of the rubber used in combs and 

 similar articles." 



Notwithstanding Mr. Bailey and his mountain of rubber, the 

 probability is that Fine Up-River Para will still command some- 

 what over $1 per pound, and the old-established plantations 

 in the Far East continue to yield their shareholders handsome 

 returns. 



