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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[December 1, 1916. 



The Rubber Cargo of the "Deutschland" 



o 



L'R Iiiglily esteemed contemporary "Le Caoutchouc & la 

 (nitta-Percha," under date of September 17, publishes the 

 fcillowing : 



RUBBER CLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS. 



If we are to believe information coming from the United 

 States, the famous German commercial submersible boat 

 "Deutschland" has left Baltimore with a cargo made up 

 chiefly of rubber. 



This exportation of rubber is going to put in a rather pe- 

 culiar position the Rubber Club of .\merica, of which Mr. 

 Firestone is now president, and which has pledged itself to 

 the British Government — -to which now belongs the control 

 of rubber — that none of the rubber imported into the United 

 States will be re-exported to the "Central Empires." 



It is under this express condition that Great Britain allows 

 the supplying of the United States with rub>er and it is this 

 express condition that has been outrageously violated in the 

 case of the "Deutschland." 



It is quite evident that there are in America a suiificient 

 number of pro-German concerns, and even of unscrupulous 

 merchants, who, in the presence of an opportunity for excep- 

 tional profit, would not hesitate to violate a solemn pledge 

 and to furnish to the captain of the "Deutschland" all the 

 rubber he could take away. Nevertheless, the responsibility 

 of the Rubber Club is engaged, and we are curious to know 

 what measures the British Government will take concern- 

 ing it. 



Will it (the British Government) stop imports for a few 

 weeks? With a consumption that will exceed 100,000 tons 

 this year, our good Yankees would be slightly famished, but 

 they would learn to know that pledges must be respected. 



(D). 



While acknow-ledging the consistent fairness of "La Caout- 

 chouc & la Gutta-Percha," we still feel that there are many 

 circumstances of which they are not cognizant, else the above 

 would not have been written. The Rubber Club of America, 

 Inc., of which Mr. Firestone is the president, has not "pledged 

 itself to the British Government that no rubber imported into 

 the United States would be exported to the Central Empires": 

 first, because no such pledge was ever demanded or exacted 

 by Great Britain; and second, because the Rubber Club was 

 in no position to pledge itself to a demand of that character. 

 The Rubber Club from time to time adopted the practice of 

 explaining to individual rubber manufactu" ;rs and importers 

 the terms upon which they could secure the release of rubber 

 from the British Government as laid down by their rules and 

 regulations. As for the rubber that went to Germany on the 

 "Deutschland," it was sold by one who had signed an indi- 

 vidual guaranty and thereafter violated its terms, and over 

 whom, manifestly, the Rubber Club should have had no con- 

 trol. The shipment of rubber, as nearly as can be known, 

 amounted to about 100 tons. Actually it was about one-tenth 

 of one per cent of the rubber that had come into the United 

 States since the embargo was lifted and guaranties exacted. 



Although our contemporary has not yet mentioned it, it is 

 probable that further feeling will be developed by the second 

 "Deutschland" cargo, now on its way to Germany. This is 

 also a little over 100 tons of rubber, but it is rubber that was 

 bought in the Dutch East Indies, by parties not connected 

 with the American rubber trade, either as importers or manu- 

 facturers, and was a transaction which involved no guaranty 

 and for which the American rubber trade or The Rubber Club 

 of America, Inc., are in no way responsible. In other words, 

 .'Vmerican rubber importers and manufacturers individually 

 have lived up to their guaranties with wonderful unity and 

 good faith and we have no doubt that "La Caoutchouc & la 

 Gutta-Percha," now the facts are made apparent, will frankly 

 admit it. 



IN .ADDITION to the prominent speakers that were men- 

 tioned in the November issue of The Ixdi.\ Rubber World, 

 Bishop Frank Du Moulin, Bishop Coadjutor of Ohio, will 

 address the Rubber Club at the annual banquet to be held in 

 New York City January 8 in the grand ball room of the 

 Waldorf-Astoria. Many prominent men of national reputa- 

 tion have been invited to attend, including the President and 

 Vice-President of the United States; the Governor of the 

 State of New York and the Mayor of New York City; the 

 chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and several min- 

 isters and ambassadors of European and South American 

 countries. 



A new and pleasing tribute to the ladies will be the reserva- 

 tion of the boxes surrounding the ball room for their use 

 after the banquet, when the speeches will be made. 



RUBBER CLUB EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING. 



The executive committee of The Rubber Club of America, 

 Inc., held a meeting November 20, at the Whitehall Club, 17 

 Battery Place, New York City. Messrs. Firestone, Hodgman, 

 Cartwell, Bruyn and Pearson were present. The usual routine 

 business was transacted, two firm members dropped for non-pay- 

 ment of dues and the resignation of F. G. Burgess, Hodgman: 

 Rubber Co., Boston, Massachusetts, was accepted. The follow- 

 ing firm and associate members were elected : 



Firm ^^EMBESS. 

 New York Insulated Wire Co., New York City. 



Representative, L. O. Brewster. 

 Mitsui & Co., Ltd., New York City. 



Representative, Tamotsu Nagano or Sadatka Tishima. 

 The Goodyear Rubber Insulating Co., New York City. 



Representative, H. C. Green. 

 W. H. Whittaker & Co., New York City. 



Representative, Samuel H. Clark. 

 J. Spencer Turner Co., New York City. 



Representative, John E. Rousmaniere. ;. 



The Whitney Blahr Co., New Haven, Connecticut. 



Representative. M. E. Chester. 

 Victor Balata and Textile Behing Co., Brooklyn, New York. 



Representative Charles E. Aaron. 



Associ.ME Members. 

 United States: Rubber Co., New York City. 

 Representative. Ralph W. .Ashcroft. 



THE SPRECKLES RUBBER PLANTATION. 



John D. Spreckles, of sugar fame, is also president of the 

 Savage Tire Corporation, San Diego. California. As tropical 

 plantations are no new venture to him. he has lately acquired 

 large rubber plantations in Java — another bit of American fore- 

 handedness. 



The North British Rubber Co., Limited, Castle Mills, Edin- 

 burgh, Scotland, informs us through its Canadian branch that 

 a man giving the name of Mr. McKenzie is falsely representing 

 himself as being in the employ of the company. The coopera- 

 tion of the trade is requested in arresting this man, and any in- 

 formation that would assist in locating him should be addressed 

 to The North British Rubber Co., Limited, 43 Colborne street, . 

 Toronto, Canada. 



