February 1, 1920] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



The Rubber Trade In Great Britain. 



Br Our h'cgutar Correspondent. 



MAMFACTiRERS ill the United Kingdom arc hoping that 1920 out by them in tlic research department of the North British 



will open with the resuscitation of The India Rubber Rubber Co. It was expected that the results of the investigation 



World, or rather a cessation of its suspended animation, would prove of benefit both in the design of laboratory testing 



We liave our own labor worries here of one sort or another, apparatus and as indicating the results which might be ex- 



but so far our trade journals have come out regularly. pected from an envelope under the ordinary condition of usage. 



Although the country is supposed to be on the verge of bank- A few previous experiments carried out at that National Physi- 



ruptcy there seems to be plenty of money for investment, as well cal Laboratory showed that the variation due to temperature 



as tor personal requirements. I hear that the Greengate Rub- amounts to about 7 per cent per degree centigrade The plotted 



ber Co.'s issue of new capital was quickly subscribed for, and curve of the North British results show a consistent increase 



there have been other concerns, including the St. Albans Rubber i„ permeability as the temperature rises. Thus the loss of hy- 



Works, which make the Grimston tire, that have done well in drogen in liters per square meter per 24 hours was as follows : 



this respect. The Eastern produce firm of Harrisons & Cros- . , 



field. Limited, who are largely concerned with plantation rub- ^'"'1,'.°'' °^ Temi)eratvire, HydroRen 



ber, have raised their capital to £2,525,000 and made an issue of 24 hours ^h"c' '"h'M"' 



400.000 shares of 10 per cent cumulative preferred ordinary 24 hSurl;.'.; i! i.'.':;;;;;; ;:;:::; il'lc I'H 



stock at £1 each, to be used for the general purposes of the 24 hours 25.0 C s.\9 



business. These results, the authors say, clearly illustrate the necessity 

 INTEREST IN COTTON MILLS CONTINUES. for the careful regulation of temperature when testing balloon 

 The speculative boom in cotton mills shows no abatement fabrics for gas tightness. They further show the increased loss 

 and the Chancellor of the Exchequer is considering where he of gas which must be experienced by airships in the summer 

 is to come in on the profits which are being made. With regard months and point to the desirability of adopting every available 

 to the price of cotton goods, which will certainly not be easier precaution to keep the interior of sheds at a low temperature, 

 in the near future, Mr. Ormrod, when presiding at the annual whether by ventilation, refrigeration or by protecting the roof 

 meeting of the Dunlop Rubber Co., mentioned that the price of by some heat reflecting composition. The gas loss from the 

 cotton duck is now 400 to 500 per cent over pre-war prices. No upper surface of a balloon fabric in sunshine, they say, must 

 doubt the new invasion of America by the Dunlop tire will re- lie very serious since the surface of the fabric will absorb a con- 

 ceive due notice in The India Rubber World, and I shall not siderable amount of heat. Variations in atmospheric pressures 

 comment on it here. are unimportant. 



RUBBER AND POLITICS. 



THE MACKINTOSH TRADE. 



The -Anti-Dumping Bill," to give it its popular name, will There is considerable demand for waterproofs and many de- 



probably not be heard of again, as its provisions are distasteful velopments are noticeable compared with the trade of five years 



to Protectionists and Free Traders alike. Quite probably it ag^. Greater warmth is a feature which came in with the war. 



will l,e replaced by a simpler measure dealing with the so-called jhus we have the mackintosh with a detachable fleece lining, 



"key industries" alone. This will mean that such few rubber tging adaptable for either summer or winter use. With regard 



goods as we import into this country will be able to come in to the high-class mackintoshes, lined throughout with white fur, 



without irksome formalities. Mr. Justice Sankey's ruling that p^f ^n the market by an important firm of London outfitters at 



the banning of imported goods by the Board of Trade is illegal ^ pri^e in the neighborhood of 14 guineas, I doubt if the sales 



has naturally made a big stir and much interest is centered upon .^i,, continue to any extent now that trench warfare is a thing 



the government's appeal to the House of Lords. Pending this qJ ^y^^ p^jj 



appeal, banned goods, interesting to rubber manufacturers, iiota- xhese coats are uncomfortably hot to walk about in, though 



bly zinc oxide and lithopone, will be allowed in, but importers f^^ standing about, or for driving in. when the weather is wet, 



are warned that if the government's appeal succeeds, the im- ^^ ^^.^j, ^^ ^^jj ^^ev form an important addition to one's ordi- 



porters will have to face the consequences of their action. „ary outfit. These coats do not seem to be very well known, 



I have not heard from any unbiased source whether the ziiic ^^ ^ proofer and maker-up of garments told me he had never 



oxide now being made in England is quite equal to that which ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^f p,,^ j^^ ordinary fur coat has, of course, a 



used to come from the Vicille Montague Co. on the Continent, ,„„„. ,,;fg (^oj,,. permitting), but the ordinary vulcanized mack- 



or whether it is only on a par with what used to be obtained i^t^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ 3„j -^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^^ t^^ combination of the 



from America, this latter never having been considered equal ^^.^ ^^.^^ ti^^^g,, ^^^^ ^^^ -^ ^^^ ^^^^ chinchilla variety at a guinea 



to the continental, though it had an advantage in price. Now ^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^ always remain an article of luxury for the 



that the use of lithopone as a substitute for zinc oxide has .^galthy. Another new feature is the triple-proof raincoat, i. e., 



become so firmly established, the latter is not likely to be in ^ rain-proof coat interlined with rubber, the main object being 



the same general demand as in pre-war days. _ An important greater warmth, this being the desideratum of both sexes, 

 point with regard to the present unrestricted import of zinc 



oxide and lithopone is that the government is not in a position TRADE NOTES. 



to restrict importation from countries affected by a collapse in The boot polish department of Wood-Milne, Limited, has been 



exchange, unless or until enabling legislation for the purpose disposed of to Margraves Eros. & Co., Limited, Hull. Now that 



is enacted by Parliament *'"^' ^^ ood-Milnc company has become such a large concern in 



ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR AERONAUTICS. ^^e tire world, it is not altogether surprising that business of 



A preliminary report „n the variation of the hydrogen per- '"= importance and of more competitive character should be 



mealiility of rubber membranes with alteration in temperature «'sPosed of to specialists. 



was made to the above government committee during the war It is announced that electric cables are to be made at Wool- 



by D. B. Forritt and W. S. Allen, the work having been carried wich .Xrsenal. \'arious schemes have been mooted for the use 



