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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March 1, 1917. 



The Rubber Trade in Great Britain. 



By a Special Correspondent. 



NOT for several years has tlic winter been so severe and I'KTROI CONSERVATION, 



inclement. The rivers have been frozen, and the snow Tire people are worrying over the new rulings of the Petrol 



deep and lasting. This has caused a heavy demand for Committee which has refused to renew all full duty motor spirit 



galoshes, and, at the present time a scarcity which is very dis- licenses unless the holders are engaged in work of national im- 



couraging to dealers. The streets have been in an e.xccrablo con- portance in which continued use of the motor car or motorcycle 



dition for weeks, and the run on overshoes is extraordinary. is essential. Licenses now in force hold good until March 31 



Indeed, one dealer reports having sold over 1,000 pairs in a single for motorcycles and till April 30 for private cars. On February 



day. Many dealers sold their entire stocks and could not restock, 7 the use of petrol for char-a-liancs was prohibited. It is feared 



but others were able to get Canadian or United States goods. t'lat this action will completely abolish pleasure motoring, and 



The latter, though 50 to 75 per cent higher in price (at the retail curtail the use of motor cars by business men to a great extent, 



shops) than British made overshoes, do not wear so long, because 1" such case the tire industry must naturally suffer, 



the Americans sacrifice durability for appearance. It must be niTNr.op'S PROSPEROUS YEAR, 



confessed that the imported shoes are more attractive. However, the tire business is not yet in the dumps, if one may 



Rubber footwear manufacturers have been and are now running consider that the net profit of the Dunlop Rubber Co., Limited, 



their works to the utmost capacity, mainly on government orders. for the year 1916 was £432,400, the allocations £227,000, and the 



Trench boots, overshoes and overboots are absolutely essential to carry-forward £82.900. And besides this the company paid divi- 



our brave men at the front. Whilst our manufacturers have been dends of 15 per cent. The company found great difficulty in main- 



so engaged, it has been necessary to import civilian galoshes, and taining its labor force. The scope of the company's business 



hundreds of thousands of cases of these have come from Ameri- had been widened, they had paid greatly enchanced wages, salaries 



can manufacturers, who are also capturing the foreign trade and working expenses generally, without raising retail prices, 



which our manufacturers cannot supply, whilst their whole output WORKlxr, OX'ERTIME 



is taken up for war requirements. When the war is over and the All the tire concerns report good business, the government 

 government war orders cease, our manufacturers will have a orders more than making up for any falling ofiE in civilian de- 

 strong fight to get back the business which has been captured by ^and. Not only the tire factories but many in general lines 

 foreign competitors. ^re working to double capacity by employing double forces. A 

 MECHANICALS EXPORTS SUFFER. ' specially notable case is that of the Midland Rubber Co., whose 



Tlic same situation is noted in the export of mechanical rubber works remain inoperative but six hours in the week. This stop- 

 goods and asbestos packing to Latin-American countries. As an page is from noon till six at night on Saturdays. The works 

 example, it is stated that the importations of rubber and asbestos are running contiiuiously, Sundays included, the rest of the time, 

 packing and mechanical goods by Brazil and Argentina during the COMMERCI \I F\IRS 

 five years immediately preceding the^war were: .p,^^ g^i^;^,, i„d^„tries Fair is to be held at the Victoria and 



1909 243.766 15,«2"^' Albert Museum, and at the Imperial Institute Building from 



\l\1 :::■".•" ■;•■.:• fsi'llt ll'llt February 26 to March 9. In view of the risk of interference 



1912.......'.' 353,'779 20,'452 with the output of munitions of war, it has not been possible to 



' "' include in this fair certain trades which otlierwise would have 



Of this trade Great Britain supplied some 45 per cent, Ger- ^^^^^ invited to participate. The rubber trade is one which is 



many following with 40 per cent, Belgium with 5 per cent, and j^^^ excluded. The trades represented are the same as a year 



the United States with less than 3 per cent. Since the war the ^g.^^ namely toys and games ; earthenware and china ; glass ; 



position has been entirely changed : of German exports there re- f^ncy goods ; stationery and printing. A new and important 



main scarcely any, while the United States, profiting by the situa- development in this matter is the adoption of the fair principle 



tion, has increased its trade with Argentina and Brazil by some ^y the municipality of Glasgow, on the same dates when the fair 



200 and more per cent. .^^jl, [,g [,p,j ^^^^^^ j]^^ f^ir ;„ Glasgow, which is to be held under 



PROOFING TRADE GOOD. the auspices of the Board of Trade of that city will be confined 



The proofing trade has been excellent also. This is particularly ^^ textiles; ready made clothing; boots and shoes; foodstuffs; 



the case with those works where government orders are being a,,^ domestic chemicals. Over 100,000 invitations to attend both 



filled. Especially busy arc those who are proofing fabric for faj^s have been sent out to buyers in these trades, 



balloons and aeroplanes. This class of fabrics requires the high- MOTORCYCLES SOLD WELL. 



est quality of workmanship and material. Then the orders for y„ ^^ f],^ petrol curtailment, a side light on its effect is in the 



trench capes and ground sheets for the government have monop- matter of motorcycles. Operatives in many lines of industry 



•lized the entire capacity of the works. Complaints are not rare ^ave been earning larger Wages, and the consequence has been 



that while the government practically commandeers the whole ^ wonderful increase in the sales of motorcycles, many ordi- 



output, there are doubts about renewals when present contracts n^ry workpeople buying them to save tramcar fares. Now that 



are completed. their licenses are refused renewal, and they are unable to get 



Fears are entertained that cloth for proofing may become petrol for motive power, the machines must remain useless, un- 



scarce. This may not be unfounded, but with the large impor- iggs some substitute is obtainable. Here is a chance for some 



tations of cotton, it would seem that such scarcity could not be of your American inventors to come to the rescue, 



because of want of raw material. The lack of labor in the The general opinion is that the war cannot last through the 



textile works due to enlistments has greatly aflfected the output. present year, and with this in view plans are being discussed for 



This may be relieved to some extent in the Manchester district readjustment of wages. The Chamber of Commerce recommends 



by the agreement between the labor unions and the Federation the following: 



of Master Cotton Spinners Association whereby during the ^j, regards the remuneration of employes, the principle of pay- 

 continuance of the war the rules may be relaxed to the extent ment by results should, as far as possible, be adopted by employ- 

 that females and youths may work in some branches. ers and employed. 



