February 1, 1916.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



253 



The India Rubber Trade in Great Britain. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



THE rise in price of rubber lo 4s. per pound is naturally a 

 topic of much discussion in trade circles, though one does 

 not hear so much about rigging the market as was the case 

 when the advance commenced. Shortage of the commodity in 

 hand and uncertainty as to the further effect of enemy sub- 

 marines have led to a rush of buying orders from manufacturers, 

 not only in this country, but also from America and Europe. 



No figures are available as to the amount of rubber lost at sea, 

 no details having appeared in the press, and it is quite possible 

 that the amounts referred to in trade circles are exaggerated. 



So far the rise in price of raw rubber has not been reflected in 

 the scrap and reclaimed markets or only to a trifling extent. Of 

 course the reclaimers are not grumbling at the altered state of 

 affairs, which will certainly lead to increased business. 



Though there has naturally been some increased activity in 

 plantation shares in the market, it has not amounted to anything 

 like a boom and very little speculation is being indulged in by 

 those who at one time were always discussing the subject. Ex- 

 tra taxation has limited the amount of money available for in- 

 vestment and then there is the excess profits tax on the com- 

 panies to check fabulous dividends. 



Naturally, with the advent of conscription, though in a some- 

 what modified form compared with continental countries, the 

 labor question tends to become more acute. The local tribunals 

 will shortly have to decide which particular employees of rub- 

 ber works are indispensable for the business, and their verdicts 

 are being awaited with considerable interest. 



No doubt we shall shortly have a general increase in the price 

 of rubber goods, but at the time of writing the only notification 

 I have to this effect is from The B. F. Goodrich Co., Limited, 

 of London, announcing that owing to the general increase in 

 costs they are reluctantly compelled to make a 10 per cent, ad- 

 vance on all mechanical, druggists' and cycle sundries from Jan- 

 uary 1. 



The greatly increased cost of freight across the Atlantic must 

 of course aflfect the American business, and will act as a set off 

 to our increased cost of labor and coal. 



The case of the Daimler Co., Limited, against the Continental 

 Tyre & Rubber Co. (Great Britain), Limited, is to be heard 

 before the House of Lords shortly. The divisional court and the 

 appeal court have held that the Continental is a British com- 

 pany with corresponding rights, despite the fact that all the di- 

 rectors and practically all the shareholders are enemy aliens, and 

 it is sought to have this decision upset. Considerable interest 

 is taken in the case within and without rubber circles. 



Many notices have appeared in the press regarding synthetic 

 rubber in Germany. From what I can gather the position is 

 much what it w^as three or four years ago when motor tires were 

 made of it — at a cost. 



The Bayer company is reported to be spending flOO.OOO on a 

 plant for the manufacture, but it is difficult to conceive how this 

 can pay when the natural product is again available in bulk. 

 The case is on the same lines as cracking petroleum for toluol. 

 This can be and is being done to supply a shortage, but at a cost 

 which would be entirely prohibitive except in war time. Still. 

 with regard to synthetic rubber, one cannot but acknowledge 

 the great discoveries which have been made by German chemists 

 in various fields, and the war is undoubtedly proving a spur to 

 greater activity in the laboratory. 



OH. SKINS. 



One of the latest developments is the trench stocking, which is 

 retailed at 4j-. llrf. the pair, c.liviously for use at the front. It 



comes into direct competition with last year's novelty, the trench 

 stocking made of thin waterproofed cloth similar to fishing stock- 

 ing material and intended to be worn in conjunction with woolen 

 socks and leather boots. 



Regarding oilskin stockings, it may be interesting to note that 

 the experimental work as to their suitability has been done by 

 Professor Delepine, of the Public Health Laboratory, Man- 

 chester University, the experiments in the manufacture of the 

 goods being carried out by Messrs. Storey, of Lancaster, the 

 original makers of oil baizes for table use. 



It will be interesting to see how the oilskin competes in prac- 

 tice with the more expensive rubber. Oilskin hats and hat covers 

 for ladies have come into favor recently. 



INDUSTRIAL POISONS IN RUBBER MANUF.\CTURE. 



The communication under this heading in the December issue 

 of The L\l)i.\ Rl'bber World has been read with much interest. 



.-Ml said and done the rubber worker who takes any care of 

 himself and is intelligently supervised has only one real enemy, 

 and that is carbon disulphide. It is satisfactory' to find that its 

 verv insidious and malevolent nature is now recognized in all 

 civilized countries and its use is mostly under government control 

 through the medium of factory acts. Very different was the state 

 of affairs at the distant period which my memory can recall 

 when the only precautions taken had reference to danger from 

 fire and not to the employees' health. 



The cold curing of waterproof cloth having been largely super- 

 seded by the dry-heat process, has left the dipping room, where 

 small articles were cold cured, the main theatre for reform, and 

 I must say that the present conditions in works I have visited in 

 Britain and in Germany show a vast improvement on those of 

 the "bad old days." 



The American report refers to the danger of carbon tetra- 

 chloride. In this case the toxic effect did not come into notice 

 in England until a lady of position died from the effects of its 

 application in a hairdressers' establishment, the result being an 

 inquiry and special regulation. Much the same may be said of 

 the new solvent tetrachlorethane, which after two or three deaths 

 of workmen has now been declared to be much more dangerous 

 than chloroform. 



These cases seem to suggest that a more humanitarian method 

 of procedure would be to have new chemicals for manufacturing 

 processes officially examined for toxic properties before they are 

 passed for use instead of waiting for inquests. I am all the 

 more inclined toward this opinion on account of a suggestion 

 in The Ixni.v Rubber World that now is the time for the in- 

 ventive mind to bring forth new compounding ingredients for 

 the rubber trade to replace those which the war has rendered 

 either unprocurable or unsuited to the modest purse. 



Returning to the report it is stated that the two most danger- 

 ous poisons are encountered in the acid or cold cure and in the 

 vapor cure. This is modified by saying that the sulphur chloride 

 itself is not really dangerous, being merely an irritant. This 

 then should absolve the vapor cure — where the chloride is vapor- 

 ized by heat and not by mineral acid — because carbon disulphide 

 is not used in the vapor cure as evolved and practised in this 

 country. 



NEWS IWRAGRAPHS. 



An explosion of naphtha vapor occurred on a foggy morning 



in December at the proofing works of Lindsay & Williams, 



Limited, Manchester, whereby one man was killed and another 



seriously injured. .\t the inquest the jury found that the ex- 



