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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[October 1, 1919. 



The Rubber Trade in Great Britain. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



THE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS arising from the external debts con- 

 tracted by all the countries recently at war — leaving 

 America out of consideration — have come somewhat as a 

 shock to those who had not anticipated anything of the sort. In 

 the case of raw rubber the idea was that the European coun- 

 tries would send rush orders for large quantities and that the 

 price would jump. The reality is that there is very little money 

 anywhere to pay for imports and the arrangement made whereby 

 long credits are allowed to the new states by the British Gov- 

 ernment is not considered an ideal one by the taxpayer who 

 will have to shoulder any losses that accrue. 



The fact that all import restrictions were removed on Septem- 

 ber 1 is not hailed with glee by manufacturers generally, despite 

 the precautions which are to be taken to prevent the dumping 

 of goods from a foreign land at a cost which is beneath the 

 price at which they are sold in their own country. Those who 

 wanted a tariff on all imported goods which are being made in 

 this country are especially dissatisfied, though the consumer, of 

 course, looks at things in a different light. At the time of 

 writing it is too soon to say how the protection to be afforded 

 to "key industries" will affect the rubber trade but it will not 

 be a matter of great concern because, except in a few articles, 

 we have always been an exporting rather than an importing na- 

 tion in rubber goods. With regard to the profiteering bill, we 

 may expect to see some reduced prices in the retail shops, espe- 

 cially in country districts and at the seaside where a good deal 

 of profiteering has been going on in rubber goods. 



A prominent proofing firm tells me that as regards its pro- 

 duction probably the annual import of goods does not exceed 

 $1,000, so there is nothing to fear from foreign competition. On 

 the subject generally he expressed himself as in favor of com- 

 petition as being conducive to progress. Makers of sand shoes 

 and gymnastic shoes who have had in the past a good deal of 

 competition from America and Germany, are wondering what 

 Germany will do in the way of exporting on the removal of re- 

 strictions. Their goods were cheaper than ours, but not better, 

 while as regards goloshes, it is reluctantly recognized that we 

 are still in the position of having to meet a better article, if 

 public preference is a safe guide. 



NAPHTHA STORAGE. 



Developments of some interest are now taking place in regard 

 to this matter, which is closely connected with the storage of 

 petrol and benzol in motor garages. In small rubber works it 

 has been customary for the solvent naphtha to be drawn direct 

 from the cask or drum as required, thus often leading to the 

 inclusion of some water and sediment. In the larger works 

 cast iron longitudinal tanks are used, capable of holding many 

 thousands of gallons. These tanks have riveted covers and a 

 sloping bottom where the water and sediment collect. A float 

 attached to an index scale shows the volume of solvent in the 

 tank at any time. The naphtha is either drawn off by a cock 

 above the water line by hand or is pumped to the dough-mixing 

 rooms. In this system there is a certain, though only small 

 loss by evaporation and the tank contains an explosive mixture 

 of air and vapor. At least this is what is generally stated, 

 though I should have thought that the amount of vapor present 

 would have been above the explosive limit. I have never heard 

 of the explosion of a naphtha tank due to the ignition of this ex- 

 plosive atmosphere by lightning, though it is spoken of as possi- 

 ble. In the Bywater system of hydraulic storage the method 

 adopted is to displace the liquid in storage by water, thus leaving 

 no space for evaporation. No pumps are used, labor costs being 

 thus reduced to a minimum as the water does all the work. 



Briefly stated, the hydraulic system consists of a steel tank in 



which the liquid is stored. On delivery into the tank the liquid 

 displaces a like quantity of water, which, being registered 

 through a meter, measures the volume of solvent entering the 

 tank. On the solvent being drawn off through another meter the 

 water reenters the tank, to take its place. Plans have been 

 worked out for utilizing the system in proofing factories, the 

 naphtha being raised to the necessary level and run by piping 

 to the several floors, a meter being fixed at each point of de- 

 livery, thus checking the exact amount taken by each machine. 

 Although the hydraulic system has been adopted mainly for 

 the storage of petrol for motor purposes, it has also been in- 

 stalled by two of our largest proofing works, the capacities being 

 10,000 gallons and 6,000 gallons. As the storage tank is usually 

 sunk into the ground there is no tendency to float on swampy 

 ground as it is always full of liquid. 



Reverting to what I said about not having heard of the ex- 

 plosion of a naphtha storage tank, it may be of interest to say 

 a word in regard to what appeared in the papers recently. This 

 was to the effect that a certain casualty was due to the ex- 

 plosion of a naphtha tank at the rubber works of I. Franken- 

 burg & Sons, Limited, of Greengate, Manchester. In reality 

 this was not the explosion of a storage tank. The tank in ques- 

 tion was a small service tank in one of the spreading rooms, 

 the naphtha in which got alight from some unascertained cause, 

 possibly the bursting of an electric light globe. 

 NEW WORKS. 



Potter's Asbestos Co., Limited, Littleborough, Lancashire, is 

 about to build a rubber works which will give employment to 

 1,000 hands. A housing scheme is to be put in hand by the 

 local district council in order to provide for the influx of work 

 people. Littleborough is only a few miles away from Rochdale, 

 where the important asbestos plant of Turner Bros, is situated, 

 and there is no regular rubber works in the district. 



It is understood that Redfern's Rubber Works, Limited, Hyde, 

 near Manchester, has decided to erect a new factory at Crewe, 

 the well known railway center of the London & Nortli Western 

 Co. 



The Standard Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers, Limited, has 

 been formed with a capital of £125,000, to take over the rubber 

 manufacturing business carried on at Alperton Mills, Wembley, 

 near London. 



The British Westinghouse Co., located in Trafford Park, Man- 

 chester, is to be known in the future as the Vickers Electrical 

 Co., Limited. It was reported recently that Vickers, Limited, 

 had obtained a controlling interest in Glovers Cable Works, 

 situated only a few hundred yards from the Westinghouse 

 works. 



MAGNESIA. 



In the course of one or two legal actions regarding the sale 

 of magnesium carbonate, it was made evident by the varying 

 statements of experts that there is still a good deal to be found 

 out about the molecular constitution of the basic magnesium 

 carbonate, so largely used in the rubber trade. Judging from 

 the remarks of some chemists and their constant reference to 

 the Pharmacopia, it seems that the large tonnage used in the 

 rubber trade is not generally recognized and it is no doubt cor- 

 rect to say that no other industry uses it on a like scale. Out- 

 side purely legal questions as to the validity of contracts there 

 has been a good deal of evidence given as to the difference be- 

 tween light and heavy carbonate of magnesia and also as to 

 the presence of certain impurities, such as sulphate of soda. 

 Despite the fact that analyses may show practically identical 

 figures in the case of light and heavy, it requires very special 

 pleading on the part of counsel to contend that they are the 



