62f> 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



the use of rubber tires, but regulations cannot relieve the machin- 

 ery of these vehicles of the heavy strain and vibration caused by 

 rigid tires at such speeds, and it is not likely that there will be 

 any permanent developments in steel-tired motor vehicles for 

 road use. Steel tires must do the work under present conditions, 

 but after the war, when conditions again become normal, the 

 great majority of users will go back to resilient rubber tires which 

 insure economic operation such as can never result from the use 

 of rigid tires. 



TR.MiE. 



The demands of the army and navy are so large that most of 



our rubber manufacturers, as well as manufacturers in many other 



lines, do not have time to worry about the civilian, foreign and 



domestic, trade that has been lost through the effect of the war. 



FOREIGN TR.\DE. 



Our foreign trade with neutral countries has become more and 

 more limited, as a result of embargo, blockade, and contraband 

 restrictions. Our trade with nations at war with us is naturally 

 at a standstill since the beginning of the war. The success of 

 our submarine merchantmen in landing dyestuffs in your country, 

 however, has given us renewed confidence in overcoming these 

 handicaps. 



SHIPBUILDING. 



Shipbuilding has been very active for the last year and is con- 

 suming much mechanical rubber goods, though practically all in 

 substitute qualities. 



MAM-I-.\CTin<ING. 



The building trade continues to be stagnant and manufacturing 

 industries that are not working for the war departments have 

 very little to do. 



.■\GRICULTURE. 



Agriculture was never so important to us as it is today. The 

 fact of the matter is, we feel that our salvation is to be 

 found in our agriculture as much as in our arms. The shortage 

 of food is acute in many sections of our country, but the coming 

 crops promise to be plentiful and there are no immediate reasons 

 to be over-an-xious regarding the future. 

 L.\BOR CONDITIONS. 



Labor conditions have now settled down to something like the 

 normal. Female labor is largely taking care of lines of manu- 

 facture where male labor was formerly employed. Many in- 

 dustries have imported foreign neutral labor, mostly from Scan- 

 dinavia and the Netherlands, and more than half a million 

 prisoners of war are being employed. 



The employment of prisoners has in fact largely limited the 

 trade our manufacturers of machinery and rubber mechanical 

 goods expected to do with the farmers ; there being no real 

 shortage of cheap labor, our agriculturists have not taken so 

 readily to modern machinery as one could have expected them 

 to. To be sure, more machinery is now used in our agriculture 

 than formerly, but this is perhaps more due to the intensive 

 development and the phenomenal growth of this industry since 

 the outbreak of the war than to any other causes, shortage of 

 labor included. 



ORGAXIZI-XG FOR .AFTER THE W.\R. 



Our leading industries are all seriously preparing for the com- 

 mercial and industrial struggle that is sure to follow this war of 

 blood. 



Up to date nothing definite has been developed in our rub- 

 ber industry, but our chemical manufacturers have formed a 

 gigantic syndicate. This combine, which is for a period of SO 

 years, has for its object the safeguarding of the world-wide pre- 

 eminence of our chemical industry. It will also enable its mem- 

 bers to more easily bear their losses in foreign countries, which 

 are estimated already at much more than $25,000,000. 



The new chemical combine has a larger capital than any other 

 of our numerous syndicates or "kartels." Sums varying between 

 $50,000,000 and $100,000,000 have been mentioned as constituting 

 this capital. The following firms constitute this chemical com- 

 bine: Badische Anilin und Soda Fabrik ; Leopold Casella; 

 Chemische Fabriken Weiler-ter-Meer ; Kalle & Cie; Farbwerke 

 Hochst; Farbcn Fabriken Bayer: and .^ktiengescllschaft fiir 

 Anilin-Fabrikation. 



SECRET I'.-\TENTS. 



Until a few years ago the Imperial Government recognized 

 what was known as secret patents, claims and specifications of 

 inventions which were filed with the patent department, but not 

 published, yet protected the inventors' rights. The growing of 

 liberal business interests, however, in time disposed of this rather 

 undemocratic institution. But now all are beginning to recog- 

 nize the advantages of this discarded system, which will probably 

 soon be reestablished. 



The keen commercial competition that is sure to follow the war 

 makes necessary the protection of our national industries, and 

 secret patents are well designed for this purpose. The composi- 

 tions of the products we will place on the world markets after 

 the war can well be determined by analyses, but these will be of 

 little value as long as processes of manufacture can be kept 

 totally secret. 



LIMITATIONS ON RITSKER WASTE TRADE. 



The Imperial Government has given to the following con- 

 cerns the exclusive right to deal in rubber waste: H. Herz- 

 heimer, Florsheim: Martin Jacobsen. Berlin: F. H. Mayer & 

 Co., Lubeck ; Friedrich Walther Miiller, Dresden; Eugen Perle, 

 Breslau : Gebriuler Salomon, Hanover, and S. Salomon, Minden. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN JAPAN. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 

 /~\ N account of greatly advanced cost of many compounding 

 ^^ ingredients, 24 Japanese rubber manufacturers in Osaka, 

 Kobe and other towns consulted together and advanced the prices 

 of their manufactures 20 per cent, this advance to take effect 

 the 1st of February. Tokyo manufacturers did not confer as an 

 association, but each manufacturer raised his prices from 10 to 

 30 per cent because of these same reasons. 



EXPORTS TO GREAT ERIT-MN SMALLER. 

 Japanese manufacturers have received orders from Australia, 

 British India, Straits Settlements, China, England, Russia and 

 the United States. Among the goods which have been exported 

 are tires, air pillows, rubber toys, shoe-heels, clothing, etc. Be- 

 cause of the British prohibition regarding rubber toys, Japanese 

 exports of this line declined some 20 per cent from the pre- 

 vious year. In the matter of tires Japan sent to Great Britain 

 last year, tires to the value of 513,518 yen [$256,759], and the 

 first four months of this year 310,000 yen [$155,000], since which 

 time none have been sent to Great Britain. These rubber tires 

 were mostly manufactured for the military service, by the 

 Dunlop Rubber Co., Limited, Kobe, Far East, which is a branch 

 of the Dunlop Rubber Co., London. At the same time exports 

 of valves for bicycles, motor cars and air bags which had been 

 largely exported to England were also discontinued, and to 

 further complicate matters. Great Britain placed export duties 

 for export of iron and its manufactures, so that rubber machin- 

 ery cost so much as to prohibit Japanese manufacturers from 

 purchasing. 



CHANGES AND ENLARGEMENTS. 

 Notwithstanding these untoward conditions, considerable en- 

 largements have been made in Japanese rubber factories. The 

 Azuma Rubber Works (Tokyo), burned last winter, was rebuilt 

 on a new and larger scale in March. It manufactures rubber toy 

 balls, rubber soles and heels. The Teikoku Rubber Co., Limited 



