462 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[June 1, 1916. 



facts : Plantation production has not bej^m to approach 

 its maximum. \ot only will existing plantations show 

 an increase next year, but hundreds of thousands of trees 

 just coming into bearing will add to the aggregate in 

 rubber production. In addition, thousands of small plant- 

 ings by natives all through the Far East will add their 

 product. As for white ants, they have been fought from 

 the beginning and are not a menace, as they are well 

 under control. Further, few trees have been overtapped, 

 and no danger is to be feared from this source. As to 

 reclaimed rubber, it is not "dead," but liy modern jjroc- 

 esses just as Hve as new rubber. 



One statement is perhaps correct. Tire prices, because 

 of higher labor, more costly cotton and compounding in- 

 gredients, may advance. 



We congratulate the New England banker-prophet 

 upon scoring one point out of four — 7^ per cent wrong 

 is better than the usual 100 per cent. 



ASBESTOS AND ITS EMBARGO. 



A N order in council by the government at Ottawa, 

 '^*' Canada, in March of this year, placed an embargo 

 on the shipment of asbestos from Canada to other 

 than British ports, but permitted shipments to the 

 allied countries, France, Russia, Italy, Japan, and Por- 

 tugal, on special licenses granted by the British con- 

 sul. The announcement of this order was received 

 with alarm by users of asbestos in the United States, 

 and a vigorous protest was at once filed. It was 

 shown that practically 90 per cent of all the asbestos 

 used in this country comes from Canada, and this shut- 

 ting off of supplies would cripple several important 

 industries. It was demonstrated to the government 

 at Ottawa that a great hardship would be entailed, and 

 the embargo has been modified to the extent of per- 

 mitting shipments of crude asbestos to enter the 

 United States if guarantees are given by the manu- 

 facturers and their customers that none of the crude 

 or manufactured material will be re-exported, except 

 as provided for in the original order. 



For the last few years we have been importing an- 

 nually from 60,000 to 76,000 tons, of a value of from 

 $1,378,000 to $1,678,000, and practically all of this came 

 from Canada, about 200 tons being imported from 

 Europe. In no year previous to 1914, has the total 

 domestic output amounted to 8,000 tons, while the av- 

 erage is less than 4,000 tons per year, and in 1913 and 

 1914 it was less than 1,300 tons. 



Rubber manufacturers are using steadily increasing 



quantities of asbestos, chiefly in packings and automo- 

 bile brake lining. The latter is a narrow asbestos fab- 

 ric impregnated with rubber and vulcanized. That it i^ 

 an important product may be inferred from the fact that 

 tlie 3,000.000 or more automobiles in this country, 

 an.I tlic JOO.ajO trucks, have certainly two. usually 

 four brake linings. The total length of such lining 

 needed for a single car is about ten feet. This of itself 

 would make about 37,000,000 feet — a tremendous pro- 

 duction. And when it is considered that such linings 

 wear otit in use, and must be renewed, it \x\\\ be seen 

 how important is this one branch of the asbestos-rub- 

 ber industry. 



The raw material is also used for clutch lining. 

 About 35 per cent of 1916 models of autouKjbiles have 

 dry disk clutches, and while the amount used for this 

 purpose is small, compared with that used for brakes, 

 still in the aggregate, this is, in itself, an important 

 addition to the business. 



There are, of course, other uses for asbestos in the 

 rubber trade. All manufacturers of mechanical rub- 

 ber goods use this inaterial, chiefly in packings. 



The action of the Canadian Government has brought 

 vividly to the minds of American manufacturers their 

 dependence upon imports of asbestos. Investigation 

 as to the resources of our own country as reported by 

 the United States Geological survey shows that in 1915 

 there was a great increase in the production of high- 

 grade asbestos in Arizona. The lower grade asbestos- 

 produced in this country comes mainly from Georgia. 

 Both Arizona and Georgia are capable of increasing 

 their output. Virginia, ten years ago, produced a small 

 quantity of low-grade asbestos and in 1911 Vermont 

 had a productive mine, largely of the chr\sotile va- 

 riety, in the same belt of rocks that contain the rich 

 deposits in Canada. For the last few years the mine has 

 not been in operation. Asbestos has also been re- 

 ported in the Casper Mountains and other regions in 

 Wyoming and there are deposits in Idaho of about the 

 same quality of material as that in Georgia. Califor- 

 nia has produced some low grade asbestos. 



However, as far as rubber manufacturers are con- 

 cerned, it is probable that they will continue to use 

 the Canadian product, submitting to the conditions re- 

 quired by the Dominion Government, which are prac- 

 tically the same as these manufacturers have agreed 

 to with the British Government with regard to the im- 

 portation of crude rubber and the exportation of rub- 

 ber manufactures. 



