December 1, 1919.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



181 



2 ^hillillgs a pound for first latex crepe. This price leaves to 

 the plantations in so far as they arc not overcapitalized, a good 

 profit, for the cost of production is only from yi to 1 shilling a 

 pound. The production for coming years is estimated at 300.0CX) 

 tons for 1919 and 340,000 tons for 1920. The consumption, too, 

 should increase in proportion since without considering the pos- 

 sibilities for new means of utilizing rubber, a greater extension 

 of the automobile industry as well as of airplanes and balloons 

 is to be expected. 



Germany possessed before the war an important market for 

 middle-class rubber in Hamburg. Since 1911 the future business 

 in actual goods had become possible and it was planned to extend 

 the market by establishing a time exchange for rubber. It is im- 

 possible to continue these efforts on account of the lack of money 

 and ships in Germany will have to turn to foreign markets for the 

 supply of its rubber needs. Probably Eugland will be ready 

 to deliver the crude material under favorable and easy terms 

 the more because there is rather an abundance than a lack of it. 



The London market will be strengthened in its contest with New 

 York if the Central Powers could be counted on as customers. 

 On the other hand, too harsh conditions would drive German 

 buyers to other markets like Amsterdam, Antwerp and especially 

 New York and to the further perfection of the working up of 

 old rubber, rubber substitutes and artificial rubber. 



A RUBBER SUNDRIES ASSOCIATION. 



The Central Union of the German Surgical Rubber Goods 

 Trade was formed on October 11, 1919, at Frankfurt am Main. 

 It includes three sections : wholesale dealers, retail dealers, and 

 exporters, and hopes to take in all firms engaged in the business. 

 The president is A. Ederheimer, of the house of Gebriider Weil 

 in Frankfurt, and the manager is Dr. Frnst Mosbacher, also of 

 Frankfurt. The ofiice is at 42 Hochstrasse in that city. 



BELGIUM'S RUBBER COMMERCE. 



Belgium in the first seven months of 1919 

 5,525,715 pounds of rubber valued at $2,877,084 at normal ex- 

 change, and exported 244,196 pounds worth $175,096. She also 

 imported rubber tires valued at $2,580,153, and other manufac- 

 tured rubber goods valued at $720,018. 



ANTWERP RUBBER AUCTIONS RESUME. 



Proof that the Antwerp rubber market is once more in full 

 swing is shown by the list of lots sold at auction by the well 

 known commission house, Grisar & Cie., on November 11, Armis- 

 tice Day. They amounted to 1,415 tons of Congo rubber of all 

 grades, with a small quantity of other African rubbers and were 

 offered chiefly by the noted firms, Societe Coloniale Anversoise, 

 Bunge et Cie. and Credit Colonial & Commercial, which was 

 formerly L. & W. van der Velde, with a few lots from Osterrieth 

 & Cie. and Willaert Freres. The bulk of the rubber is made up 

 of red Congo Kassai and upper Congo, equateur black and red, 

 though a little lower Congo appears. The quality indicated by the 

 valuation ranges from 2.75 francs to 5.70 francs a kilogram, 

 but for the great mass of the rubber ranges between a little be- 

 low and a little above 4.50 francs a kilogram, or around 40 cents 

 a pound. 



RUSSIAN RUBBER FACTORIES AT WORK. 



At the present time three of the national rubber factories of 

 Russia, formerly known as the Treugolnik," the "Bogatyr'' 

 undertaking and the "Kautschuk," are actually working and 

 turning out mechanical rubber goods. They have received exten- 

 sive and firm orders from the railways, the sugar industry, the 

 Commission of Health and other services. Their stock of raw 

 material will presumably suffice them for one year on a severely 

 restricted scale. 



The position as regards fuel is bad. The "Treugolnik" factory 



has had its stock of fuel commandeered by other works, such as 

 the electrical power station. In this large factory, intended to 

 employ 18,000 workers, there are now only 4,500. Rubber is 

 being used for shoe soles as a substitute for leather. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN AUSTRALIA. 



Special Corrcspoudcnce. 

 D UBBKR M.\NLFACTURE in this part of the world is steadily in- 

 *^ creasing its output and broadening its market. There are 

 three rubber factories in Australia and these are in a very satis- 

 factory position financially, and in regard to the quality of their 

 goods and the standard of their output. 



The pioneer is the Barnett Glass Rubber Co., the year of 

 whose formation dates back to the 'seventies. It is to-day in a 

 healthy condition, testifying to the perseverance of Mr. Barnett 



The Barnett Gla.ss Rubber Co.. Limited. Melbourne. 



Glass, the founder, and his coworkers, through the many vicis- 

 situdes that have been the lot of the rubber industry here in 

 .Australia. While the Barnett Glass company was making a be- 

 ginning in manufacturing waterproof goods the Perdreau Co., as 

 rubber merchants in Sydney and soon after as an incipient 

 manufacturer in Melbourne, was also helping to start the rubber 

 industries of .Australia. 



The Dunlop Co. of Australia, which had its inception in Mel- 

 bourne as an agency of the British Dunlop company in the late 

 nineties, also began to manufacture on a small scale. Its fac- 

 tory last year employed 3,500 hands, imported 70 tons of rubber 

 a month, and turned out more than a thousand different kinds of 

 rubber goods. Tires are of most importance, as is the case with 

 all the Australian manufacturers, and the company also makes 

 a special conveyor-belting. 



It has been the desire of manufacturers here to supply, regard- 

 less of expense and inconvenience, any rubber article that the 

 market may demand, and in this they have been successful. At 

 the outbreak of the war they readily came to the country's aid 

 and accommodated themselves to making the particular rubber 

 goods necessary for carrying on the war. The result was that 

 the Department of Defense has no anxiety regarding these arti- 

 cles and were sure that any demand would be supplied. 



The use of plantation rubber is being largely extended here, 

 and satisfactory results arc obtained. The need for scientific 

 research is fully recognized by manufacturers, and in order to be 

 in position to manufacture any of the many rubber articles in 

 existence it is obvious that much experimental work is neces- 

 sary. 



The lot of the rul)bcr manufacturers in Australia is not an 

 easy one. for difticultics and obstacles are many. The character- 

 istic resourcefulness, determination and enterprise of the Aus- 

 tralian manufacturer was never called into play more than in 

 the establishment and successful carrying on of the industry. 

 One of the handicaps is that the home market is limited, mak- 

 ing the initial cost so great that a long interval must elapse 

 before a reasonable profit is obtained. .Added to this is the 

 distance from the continent whence the raw products must be 

 obtained, and the high price of labor. These factors make 

 competition with importers diflicult and the exportation to other 

 countries scarcely possible. 



