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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[January 1, 1917. 



The India Rubber Trade in Great Britain. 



By a Special Correspondent. 



AT the moment the trade is busy on all kinds of waterproof 

 goods, not only for use at home, but also for the soldiers 

 on the Continent. The wet season has caused a great de- 

 mand for trench capes, waders, trench coats, trench boots, ground 

 sheets, cap covers, cj'cle capes, scouts' suits, cyclists' overalls, 

 motor hood cloths, and there continues to be a steady demand 

 for gun breech covers, gas mask goods, respirator tubes, tires 

 and numerous other articles for military use. Practically every 

 rubber house in the Kingdom must be working on at least one 

 class of government orders. In some quarters difficult}' is being 

 experienced in meeting the heavy requirements but, generally 

 speaking, good deliveries are being made against existing 

 contracts. 



LEATHER BOOTS PREFERRED FOR THE .\RMV. 



Rubber boots are proving unsatisfactory at the front. British 

 soldiers who have had three pairs report that all have been 

 destroyed by barbed wire. Good leather boots are necessary. 

 Some of the Canadian troops have high-legged boots with 

 buckles up to the legs which are giving good service. 

 RUBBER PRICES. 



Rubber companies are issuing new price-lists which show an 

 advance. General mechanical rubber goods show an increase of 

 10 per cent from November 6, 1916, making the total advance 

 since April, 1915, about 30 per cent. Hose, rubber belting and 

 packing have advanced IS per cent from the last previous price- 

 lists, making for these articles a total advance of 35 per cent. 

 Tire prices are substantially unaffected. It is generally under- 

 stood that all fabrics for the rubber trade will now have to be 

 quoted from 12J^ to 25 per cent up, according to the class of 

 yarns from which they are manufactured. 



British manufacturers are steadily building up a trade in many 

 lines of goods formerly manufactured in Germany and they 

 would probably be doing much more than they are in this direc- 

 tion were their facilities not so heavily taxed with government 

 orders and scarcity of male labor. 



Our manufacturers do not have to look for business just now, 



it comes to them, and here is where their troubles begin. Once 



the business is obtained, first comes trouble in securing materials 



to execute the orders, and then comes difficulty in getting out the 



goods owing to the government demands for men all over the 



country. 



NEW USES FOR RUBBER. 



Hardly a day passes without bringing a demand for some 

 use of rubber previously unheard of, and this is generally in 

 connection with the war. For example, orders were recently 

 placed with manufacturers for bags and coverings for listening 

 posts. These bags and coverings are to be used for protecting 

 very delicate instruments used in detecting movements of the 

 enemy below, above and on the surface of the earth. It seems 

 to be reasonable to affirm that no other commodity is so rapidly 

 extending the range of its usefulness as rubber is, and, no doubt, 

 many of the new uses of rubber the war has developed will con- 

 tinue in peace time. 



HOT WATER BOTTLES. 



The demand for rubber hot water bottles is large and buyers 

 for concerns trading in this class of goods are receiving many 

 offers from American and Canadian manufacturers who are 

 generally to be represented by people unknown to the trade here 

 and apparently unfamiliar with the rubber business. 



The trade does not consider the American and Canadian-made 

 bottles as durable as those of British manufacture. It is hard 

 to say whether or not there is any serious basis for this belief, 

 but it is certain that there is a feature in American-made bottles 



which our manufacturers could well afford to imitate. This is 

 a projecting semi-circular flap extending about half an inch from 

 the bottom of the bottle and perforated. The great advantage 

 to be seen in this is that it faciHtates hanging upside down for 

 complete drying, an improvement that is sure to be much ap- 

 preciated by the user. 



RULINGS ON IMPORT RESTRICTIONS. 



In connection with the restrictions on the importation of cer- 

 tain goods, the following rulings have been made : 

 PROHIBITED. 



Cotton bias bindings for use on rubber and canvas shoes. 



Elastic of rubber and cotton, if cotton exceeds 50 per cent of 

 the total weight. 



Garlock packing. 



Rubber-faced cotton fabric. 



Bicycle-tire valves. 



Canvas, solution coated, used in the manufacture of boots and 

 shoes. 



Fabrikoid. 



"Omo" sheeting [cotton fabric coated with waterproof solu- 

 tion]. 



IMPORT ALLOWED BY GENERAL LICENSE. 



Balls, tennis. 



Cotton duck for belting weighing 11 ounces and upwards per 

 square yard. 



Goods consisting wholly or mainly of rubber. 



Rubber-covered rollers for clothes wringers. 



NOT PROHIBITED. ■ 



Bakelite heads for umbrella handles. 



Ebonite fork separators for use in connection with electric train 

 lighting. 



Elastic of rubber and silk. 



Elastic surgical trusses. 



Gummed cloth tape. 



Hard ebonite tubes for use in connection with electric in- 

 sulating. 



Hose, garden hose, mainly of rubber. 



Inner-tubes for motor cars. 



Paragon tape for insulating joints in electric wires and cables. 



ADVERTISING CONTINUES. 



Despite the fact that the private use of motors has been greatly 

 curtailed by various government orders, advertising for both 

 automobiles and tires continues in our papers. 



The North British Rubber Co., Limited, and the Dunlop Rub- 

 ber Co., Limited, are both conspicuous advertisers; the latter is 

 especially in evidence both in newspapers and magazines. Most 

 of the tire advertising very naturally emphasizes good records 

 made by the various tires under the exceptionally rigorous condi- 

 tions of war service. 



American tire manufacturers such as The B. F. Goodrich Co., 

 the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., and the Firestone Tire & Rub- 

 ber Co., are also remarkably active in advertising their wares. 



The Michelin Tyre Co., Limited, has been running a very in- 

 teresting advertisement in "The Times" entitled, "Endurance 

 Will Gain the Victory," and illustrating four ways in which 

 Michelin is participating in the war: (1) aeroplane and army 

 tires; (2) 3,000 employes under the colors; (3) the Michelin 

 hospital; (4) the Michelin shell factory. 



A very human trait is exhibited in nearly all motor and tire 

 advertising, and that is the desire on the part of the advertiser 

 to let the public know how much he is doing for his country. 



