February 1, 1917.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



293 



tires for exportation. Before the war tires for rickshaws for use 

 in China and other eastern colonies, were imported from Ger- 

 many, but for the last two years Japanese tires have taken the 

 place of those of German make. 



Certain companies in Japan had special orders from England 

 for automobile tires, and it is estimated that they made ten 

 times as many as they had expected. The manufacturers at 

 present want more orders for exportation than for the home 

 market, for the domestic price has been low for some time. 

 Previously crude rubber was imported from Singapore, but after 

 the prevention of exportation, most of the raw material came 

 from Ceylon. This Ceylon rubber is said to be superior in 

 quality to that of Singapore, but as the price is a great deal 

 higher, and as it takes a longer time for transportation, the 

 manufacturers prefer to import their material from Singapore, 

 and in some way, despite the law, they have succeeded in ob- 

 taining material from there since last April. 



Until the beginning of the war no rubber was imported from 

 Hawaii, but when the exportation from Singapore was stopped, 

 the manufacturers obtained some raw material from there. 

 Now that rubber is again being imported from Singapore, the 

 manufacturers get very little from Hawaii, although the rubber 

 goods business depends largely on this small supply, and would 

 be seriously injured if it were stopped, even temporarily. 



The finer quality of rubber required for certain goods is im- 

 ported from England. A few of the manufacturers get this 

 finer material from the United States, but as it is a good deal 

 more expensive than the English material, the majority of them 

 prefer the English market. 



THE EXPORTATION OF TIRES. 



The exportation of tires for last year amounted to 2,486,S69J4 

 pounds [$1,706,314.50], showing an increase of 1,630,177}^ 

 pounds [$1,663,179.50] over that of the preceding year. Until 

 the war began, European and American tires were used prin- 

 cipally, but since then the Japanese manufacturers have had to 

 supply them. At present orders from Russia are pouring in, 

 and the export for Russia this year is far in advance of other 

 years. The exportation of rickshaw tires makes up one-half of 

 the whole amount. These are made mostly by the Dunlop, the 

 Oriental Rubber, the Mitatsuchi and the Nippon rubber com- 

 panies. 



Automobile tires are manufactured mainly by the Kakinchi and 

 the Dunlop companies. The sizes of these tires differ according 

 to the countries from which the orders come. Sometimes the 

 manufacturers have to use meters instead of inches, and on this 

 account the work is rather complicated. The average sizes, 

 though, vary between 28 by 3 and 35 by 5. Manufacturers are 

 also receiving large orders for solid tires, and the demand for 

 these, as well as for the others, is rapidly increasing. 



ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES. 

 From an economic standpoint the Japanese unquestionably hold 

 certain advantages in the rubber industry of the world. They 

 are a frugal people, practicing every possible economy, so that 

 wages and the cost of living are remarkably low. Women occupy 

 about 75 per cent of the positions in labor, both in factories 

 and agriculture. As employed, at hand-made tires they receive 

 from 12;^ cents to 24 cents per day of 12 hours. The highest 

 wage paid to male superintendents and foremen is 64 cents, 

 whereas the average workman receives only 25 cents per day. 

 This in large measure explains the suprisingly low prices at 

 which rubber goods of Japanese manufacture are obtainable here. 



PICTURESQUE JAPANESE ADVERTISING. 



That Japanese manufacturers appreciate fully the power of 



attraction of illustrations in their advertising is indicated by the 



accompanying reproduction from a page in "The Gomu-Sekai," 



the Japanese rubber trade paper. This striking design heads the 



advertisement of druggists' sundries of Skinjiro Muneta, 20, 

 Kichome, Doshomachi, Higachiku, Osaka. 



SIAM'S IMPORTS OF RUBBER GOODS. 



A CCORDING to American consular advices, Siam's imports 

 ■»^ of rubber goods for the last three fiscal years ended 

 March 31, 1916, have shown the following variation: 159,115 

 pounds, valued at $119,507, for 1914; 143,506 pounds, valued at 

 $103,702 for 1915; and 157,931 pounds, valued at $127,507, for 

 1916. The imports for 1916 included 58,565 pounds of automobile 

 tires, valued at $51,978; 13,380 pounds of cycle tires, valued at 

 $14,551; 41,323 pounds of other kinds of tires, valued at $16,795; 

 and 44,630 pounds of all other rubber manufactures valued at 

 $44,183. 



SOURCES OF IMPORTS. 

 The sources of rubber goods imports for the fiscal year ended 

 March 31, 1916, were: From the United Kingdom, automobile 

 tires, $39,902; cycle tires, $4,941; other kinds of tires, $12,771; 

 and all other rubber manufactures, $11,155. From United States, 

 motor car tires, $872; cycle tires, $3; all other kinds of tires, 

 $134; and all other manufactures of rubber, $1,002. From Italy, 

 cycle tires, $395. From Japan, tires, $17; and all other rubber 

 manufactures, $2,584. From Singapore, automobile tires, $39,902; 

 cycle tires, $9,011; all other kinds of tires, $3,873; and all other 

 rubber manufactures, $27,791. From all other countries, $1,651 

 worth of rubber manufactures other than tires. 



Taking the totals of all rubber goods imported during the fiscal 

 year ended March 31, 1916, it will be noted that $80,591 worth 

 is credited to Singapore, a British port of transhipment; $40,226 

 to the United Kingdom; $2,011 to the United States; and $4,448 

 worth to all other countries. 



TIRE MARKET. 



The roads in and around Bangkok, the capital of Siam, are 

 favorable to the use of rubber-tired vehicles, and the use of the 

 automobile and bicycle is steadily increasing. The total number 

 of motor cars on the register up to April 1, 1916, was 875. 

 Rubber tires are used for horse-drawn vehicles, as well as for 

 the rickshaws drawn by the Chinese coolies. 



During past years American manufacturers apparently have not 

 displayed any active interest in Siam's needs for rubber goods, 

 but in 1916 an American concern established an agency for its 

 automobile and other tires, and American salesmen are said to 

 have taken fair orders for other kinds of rubber goods. 



The import duty on all kinds of rubber goods is 3 per cent ad 

 valorem. 



BEI.GIAK CONGO RTTBBER EXPORTS. 



The latest available statistics of the foreign trade of the 

 Belgian Congo are for the year 1915 and show that exports of 

 crude rubber amounted to 4,428,945 pounds, against 4,892,166 

 pounds exported the previous year. 



