38 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[October 1, 1915. 



prices. There are factories in Holland that turn out rubberized 

 fabrics, but the belief here is that no Netherlands factory can 

 manufacture and sell at the prices at which the garments are 

 being offered. 



The tremendous importance of this year's agricultural crop to 

 the nation is causing the different farming centers to take 

 special precautions to guard against the possibility of its destruc- 

 tion by fire. It is hoped that this movement will be beneficial to 

 the rubber industry. Large orders for hose are expected. 



A feature of the present condition of our mechanical rubber 

 goods trade is that most manufacturers and jobbers have no 

 men to send out to solicit trade, while on the other hand con- 

 sumers are little disposed to purchase on account of poor busi- 

 ness conditions and the fact that no one solicits their orders. 



Ihe sugar beet crop promises to be a fairly large one, and 

 the sugar industry should offer a good market this year for 

 rubber mechanical goods unless the economy policy continues to 

 govern everything. The brewing business that has always been 

 a very large purchaser of mechanical rubber goods is very in- 

 juriously affected by present conditions. Beer has become so 

 expensive that people can no longer purchase it as they used 

 to. However, in view of the government's "mobilization'' of 

 metals, as we call it here, the brewers can hardly expect to get 

 any metallic pipes and they will most certainly have to use 

 hose. This ought to be good for the rubber industry, or at least 

 for those who have suitable hose for sale. 



Rubberized cuffs and collars are selling well, both to the mili- 

 tary and to the civil population. This line is providing good 

 business to rubber manufacturers able to produce it. Rubberized 

 gaiters and rubberized garments are much used by the men in 

 the trenches, and rubber hose is playing an important part in the 

 trench warfare. 



It is current in rubber circles here that large German rubber 

 manufacturers and dealers in crude rubber have made contracts 

 in neutral countries where they are collecting large quantities of 

 crude rubber for importation to Germany immediately upon the 

 reestablishment of peace. The object is to guard against a 

 boom in rubber prices, possible freight shortage and other causes 

 of delay. The government is said to have granted special per- 

 mission to make foreign payments in such cases where the in- 

 terest of the nation's industries is concerned. 



Serious efforts are being made toward bringing about a com- 

 mercial alliance with Austria-Hungary. Since the beginning of 

 the war our allies have fought side by side with us on most of 

 the battle fronts, and many believe that we should be united at 

 least commercially after the war. The Dual Monarchy con- 

 sumes far more rubber goods than it can produce and, although 

 Germany has been furnishing a large percentage of the surplus 

 demands of our ally, France, Great Britain, Russia and Italy 

 have been selling millions of marks of rubber goods in Austria- 

 Hungary. We believe that this should no longer be and that 

 the Teutonic allies at war should be closer together in peace 

 and should combine to supply their needs as far as possible. 



Latest reports state that certain Belgian rubber factories have 

 partially resumed operations. They had been closed down since 

 the outbreak of the war. 



At the general annual meeting of the Central Association 

 of German Rubber manufacturers, which was held in Berlin 

 recently, it was stated, regarding the financial position of 

 the association, that the balance in hand amounted to 13,- 

 735.50 marks ($3,269.05), as compared with 21,339.92 marks 

 ($5,079), balance on hand January 1, 1914. The association 

 contributed 10,000 marks ($2,380) for relieving the families 

 of those killed or injured in the war. During the year the 

 association's membership increased from 46 to 68 members. 

 It was voted that a large portion of the available funds be 

 invested in the national war loan. Tire standards were also 

 discussed, and there was a vote of encouragement to the 



movement for tire size standardization. A customs tariff 

 treaty with Austria-Hungary was advocated. 



Another item of rather peculiar interest I wish to mention 

 before closing. Our troops on the Eastern front have suffered 

 much from vermin, and, curiously enough, the rubber industry 

 has been foremost in relieving their sufferings from this source. 

 Our druggists' sundries manufacturers have been doing an ex- 

 tensive business m hard rubber vaporizers and sprayers of all 

 types and sizes. 



Professor Harries, of the Kiel University, well known as the 

 original producer of synthetic rubber and for his writings on the 

 subject, has been promoted to the University of Gottingen. 



Your German contemporary, the "Gummi-Zeitung," recently 

 lost one of its oldest and most faithful collaborators in the death 

 of Mr. August Foerster, who passed away at Blasewitz, near 

 Dresden, at the age of 78. Mr. Foerster has been contributing 

 to the "Gummi-Zeitung'' for the past 20 years. 



A TIRE DEALER CONVICTED OF FRAUD. 



A tire dealer in Germany who operated a tire vulcanizing 

 shop together with a small business in old rubber, in the course 

 of business came into possession of a tire casing which was in 

 perfect condition except for a large hole. As he knew the tire 

 was not old he shipped it to its manufacturer's claim depart- 

 ment claiming guaranty money, alleging that the tire belonged 

 to one of his customers who had only used it a short time when 

 it "blew out," causing an accident that nearly resulted in the 

 customer's death. The claim department of the tire manufac- 

 turing company, however, had a very efficient card index system 

 which enabled them to discover that the tire in question had 

 already been subject of adjustment, some three months previous. 

 The company sent a representative to visit the dealer and receive 

 his complaint and then filed an accusation with a public prosecut- 

 ing attorney. The tire dealer was brought to trial and compelled 

 to admit that the tire had come into his possession as "old rub- 

 ber." He was sentenced to four weeks in jail and $25 fine. 



In the course of the trial it transpired that the tire company 

 was in the habit of indexing and carefully marking in secret 

 characters each tire returned for a refund on guaranty. The 

 marking was done in such a manner that not even the repair 

 man, who went over the tire carefully both inside and out, was 

 able to discover the minuscule markings. 



DANISH CABLE INDtTSTRY. 



Denmark is one of the largest operators of submarine 

 cables in the world. Danish cables connect all parts of the 

 globe. -Most of these cables were manufactured in Copen- 

 hagen. 



According to the Norwegian Consul-General at the Danish 

 capital, the Danish cable industry has more than proved its 

 value in the present world crisis. Insulated wire and cables 

 were among the first articles placed on the embargo list by 

 the warring nations. Before the war Germany was the great- 

 est supplier of cables to Norway and Sweden, where electric 

 power, and consequently cables, are extensively used. The 

 Danish Cable & 'Wire Manufacturing Co., of Copenhagen, 

 which was already supplying the needs of Denmark, has been 

 able to cover all the demands of the Scandinavian countries 

 since the outbreak of the war. 



A wedge-shaped cushion, the sides and bottom of which are 

 smooth, is covered on top with a sheet of rubber sponge that 

 absorbs the perspiration of the invalid and prevents bed sores. 

 [German patent No. 629,124. Toni Doutrelepont.] 



Replete with information for rubber manufacturers. — Mr. 

 Pearson's "Crude Rubber and Compounding Ingredients." 



