THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



459 



vary according to the qualities of the goods, ball manufacturers 

 arc planning to tix prices uniformly. 



A domestic exhibition in commemoration of peace was held at 

 Ueno Park last summer. The Tokio Rubber Association ex- 

 hibited products of the members, the Mitatsuchi Rubber Manufac- 

 turing Co., Xihon Rubber Co., Kyodo Rubber Co., and many 

 other firms and dealers. These articles were well designed and 

 nicely made to attract the attention of spectators, but unluckily 

 the building took tire on August 21 and all exhibits were de- 

 stroyed. 



On May 22, the councillors' meeting was held, and regulations 

 concerning condolences for deceased members were decided upon. 



"The Rubber Times" ("Gomujiho-Sha") was recently organized 

 by about twenty officers of the Tokio Rubber Association. It 

 will be published monthly as the official organ of the association 

 to promote the mutual benefit of members. It is expected that 

 the first number will be issued on Januar>- 5, 1920. 



The general meeting and an appreciation ceremony to reward 

 124 faithful employes who have served one firm oVer ten years 

 without interruption, was held on January 11, at the Seiyoken 

 Hotel at Tsukiji. Tokio. Most of the veteran employes re- 

 warded are employed by the Mitatsuchi Rubber Manufacturing 

 Co., the Nihon Rubber Co., and the Meiji Rubber Factory, as 

 they are the oldest firms in Tokio and in Japan. Some of the 

 employes of the Mitatsuchi Company have served over thirty 

 years without interruption. 



JAPANESE JINRIKISHA TIRES IN SHANGHAI 



According to an investigation by the Shanghai Chamber of 

 Commerce, it was about 1903 that pneumatic jinrikisha tires ap- 

 peared in that city for the first time. They were made by the 

 Dunlop Rubber Co. (Far East), Limited. Until the Great War 

 this company monopolized the business except for a few German 

 imports made in 1912 by the Continental Caoutchouc & Gutta 

 Percha Co. After the outbreak of the war, some Japanese tires 

 were imported, and fierce competition ensued with the Dunlop 

 tires, the result being that at present all jinrikisha tires in Shang- 

 hai arc of Japanese make. ■ 



Exceptional conditions have rendered an extension of this 

 business difficult and unremunerative, but now that special tires 

 are being made for the Chinese trade, better results are hoped for. 

 There is more rain in Shanghai than in Japan, the rainy season 

 lasting about four months, from April to July, and shortening the 

 life of tires. 



Roads, except the principal thoroughfares, are mostly bad, 

 and some are pebbled, so that tire wear is excessive. Neither 

 owners nor pullers of jinrikishas keep tires in good repair. Jin- 

 rikishas are continually used during both day and night. A 

 seven months' guaranty is required. If the tires are damaged 

 within that time, they must be exchanged for new ones. Most 

 tires are damaged within seven months owing to the conditions 

 under which they are used, and the margin of profit is therefore 

 vcrv small. 



JAPAN'S PIONEER INSULATED WIRE FACTORY. 



IN THE PRODUCTION of rubber-covered wire for all electrical 

 needs Japan is steadily forging lo the front. One of the biggest 

 factors in the trade in the Orient is the Ftijikura Densen Ka- 

 htshiki Kaislia (Fujikura Insulated Wire and Cable Co.). 922 

 Sendgaya-Machi, Tokio. This concern was started in a humble 

 way in 1885 by the late Mr. Fujikura, the pioneer in insulated 

 wire making in Japan. He foresaw that his progressive country 

 would share largely in the rapid, world-wide expansion of 

 electric lighting, telegraph, telephone, and allied industries and 

 installed modern machinery, introduced up-to-date processes, and 

 constantly enlarged his staff of men skilled in chemical and 

 electrical research work. Much credit is also due T. Matsumoto. 



who succeeded Mr. Fujikura as president of the company, and 

 tc Kenzo Okada, known to many in the United States. 



The concern adheres closely to the standards of the British 

 Cable Makers' .Association and the Japanese government to in- 

 sure the maximum of efficiency in the products. Among the 

 specialties manufaclured is an ozone-proof vulcanized rubber 

 cable designed to withstand the action of ozone, which even on 



tlie best rubber-insulated cables will slowly break down the 

 dielectric coating" when the gas is produced on the surface or 

 the ends of the cables during the passage of high voltage 

 currents. 



Another product is the Fujikura patent okerite or mineritc 

 insulated wires and cables, said to be acid and flame proof, non- 

 hygroscopic, unaffected by sea and mine water, requiring no lead 

 covering, with high conductivity and low electrostatic capacity 

 as well as lieing tough and pliable even below the freezing point. 



FOREIGN CUSTOMS CHANGES. 



CANADA. 



C.\NADi.\N DUTIES levied on rubber imports from the United 

 States are as follows : Rubber tires, tire repair kits, tire 

 valves and stems, 42^4 per cent ad valorem. Rubber manufac- 

 tures, rubber engine packing, rubber mats, 42^ per cent. .Asbes- 

 tos manufactures, asbestos brake lining, 32;^ per cent. The 

 preferential rates, allowed for British goods, on rubber goods is 

 22J1. per cent. 



PORTUGAL. 



Portugal now permits the exportation of motor cycles and 

 motor car.s, with ihoir tires, to the Portuguese colonies. 



BRAZIL. 



Brazil proposes lo change the existing duty of 15 per cent ad 

 valorem on tires to one of 200 reis (11 cents) per kilogram on 

 solid tires and 600 reis ^25'; cents) per kilogram on pneumatic 

 tires. 



NEW ZEALAND. 



New Zealand now admits free of duty the impregnated card- 

 board discs, with rubber patch attached, that are a part of 

 vulcanizer outfits. 



HUNGARY. 



Hungary i)crmits the importation of India rubber, gutta percha 

 and "the goods thereof" without a previous license. 



In 1918 THE Dominican Republic imported RunnER products 

 to the value of $143,976, compared with $84,266 for 1917, the 

 United States supplying goods worth $137,804 and $76,479 in the 

 resepctive periods. 



