April 1. 1917.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



419 



transported, new buildings erected, and to-day over 7,000 em- 

 ployes are at work, turning out goods exclusively for the use of 

 the government. 



PRODUCTS AND VOLUME OF BUSINESS. 



The principal products to-day are tires, solid and pneumatic, 

 for motor cars, trucks, motorcycles, aeroplanes and army field 

 ambulances. Besides these arc manufactured pontoon bags, life 

 preservers, protective masks (for use against asphyxiating gases), 

 balloon fabric, carriage cloth, insulated wire, a variety of accou- 

 trements for use in the army and navy, and hard rubber articles 

 for efectrical and medical use. 



At the time of the closing down of the Riga establishment the 

 output of 'pneumatic tires was 1,000 per day, but the principal 

 business was the production of rubber footwear. In 1914 the 

 daily production \yas nearly 100.000 pairs, and the total business 

 of th^ company was upwards of 65,000,000 rubles. Its main out- 

 let consisted of the 300 stores or branch establishments through- 

 in;t Russia, though its export trade was widespread and steadily 

 e.xtending. Indeed, so important was this department of the busi- 

 ness deemed by the Czar that he conferred on the director gen- 

 eral of the works the honorary title of "Councillor of Manufac- 

 tures," and later, because of services to the government, "Coun- 

 cillor of State." 



WELFARE WORK. 



In this connection it may be well tQ show how thoroughly this 

 great corporation is following modern methods in welfare work. 

 At the time of closing the works at Riga there were in operation, 

 for the benefit of the employes and maintained by the company, 

 scliool^. libraries, canteens, parks, hospitals with clinics, free med- 

 ical aid, lying-in hospitals, nurseries, lecture halls, and a casino. 

 The company built comfortable dwelling houses for its workers, 

 establi-.hed free savings banks, insured the lives of all workers 

 after ten years' service and provided accident insurance and sick 

 benefits. Not all these have yet been reestablished at the new 

 wxjrks at Moscow, but plans are being completed for doing so as 

 soon as the times will allow. Meanwhile, since the commence- 

 ment of the war. this corporation has maintained a hospital at 

 Petrcgrad, with 100 beds, for soldiers wounded in the defense of 

 Russia. 



Despite the heavy expenditures engendered by this removal, 

 the companv paid 10 per cent dividends in 1914 and 1915. 



"TREUGOLNIK" PROSPERINn. 



The Russian-.\merican India Rubber Co. "Triiugolnik" is in 

 receipt of numerous testimonials from the different ministries 

 and departments of the government testifying to the satisfactory 

 manner in which it is serving the cause in the interest of national 

 defense. The plant at Petrograd is being worked to its utmost 

 capacity, and almost exclusively on government work, supplying 

 all kinds of rubber articles used by the different departments for 

 war purposes. 



It is reported that this company contemplates increasing its 

 capital. Starting over SO years ago with a capital of 500,000 

 rubles, this has been increased at various times. Only last year 

 it was raised 9,000,000 rubles, and this latest report is that the 

 contemplat..'d increase will bring the capital stock up to 30,000,- 

 000 rubles, new shares being issued at the rate of 200 rubles for 

 each 100 ruble (nominal) share. The company manufactures 

 practically everything in rubber goods, and has been wnndcrfully 

 profitable to its shareholders. 



NEW RAINCOAT FACTORY IN AMSTERDAM. 



Despite the scarcity of building supplies, raw materials and 

 other difficulties incident to the war, a new establishment for 

 the manufacture of waterproof clothing, to be known as the 

 HoIIandia Factories, has been erected by Kattenburg & Co., 

 Amsterdam, Netherlands. The building is 262 by .58 feet, five 

 stories high, and about 1,000 persons will be employed, .^side 



from raincoats of rubber and waterproof cloth, for men and 

 women, certain other classes of garments for women will be 

 manufactured. Operations were recently begun with a large 

 stock of materials, and the rapid growth of the plantation in- 

 dustry in the Dutch East Indies gives reasonable assurance that 

 rubber for the principal product of the firm will not be wanting, 



CRUDE RUBBER SWINDLE IN HOLLAND. 



.'\ ratlier ingenious scheme of some enterprising rascals has 

 been discovered by the Amsterdam police. Letters have' been 

 sent broadcast telling of the existence in Amsterdam of a lot 

 of crude rubber, not controlled by the Nederlandsche Overzee 

 Trust, which had been smuggled into the country. The persons 

 addressed are solicited to take shares in this rubber, and to for- 

 ward proportionate sums for expenses, commissions, etc. The 

 fact that some time ago a lot of 150,000 kilograms of crude rub- 

 ber was smuggled into Holland in shipments of tobacco gave 

 .some semblance of possibility to this story but this rubber 

 is now under control of the N. O. T., and under no circum- 

 stances will it be released. The police have sent out warnings, 

 l)ut as far as can be learned no arrests have vet been made. 



RUBBER COMPANY'S CONTRIBUTION. 



A press dispatch from Berlin of March 9, makes the announce- 

 ment that the first subscription to the sixth German war loan 

 was made by the Continental Caoutchouc & Gutta Percha Co., 

 of Hanover, and amounted to $2,500,000. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN JAPAN. 



Bv Our Regular CoircspO)idcnt. 



A CCORDIXG to the official statistics, 1916 imports of crude 



^*^ rubber into Japan showed an increase of 2,727,Si2 pounds, 



and $1,897,209 in value over 1915. This was due to double the 



lircvious home demand and a greatly developed export market. 



IMPORTS OF CRUDE RUBBER. 



19^15. 1916. 



Pounds. Value. Pounds. Value, 

 r rom — 



British India 1,114.441 $470,329 1,334,337 $743,582 



Straits bettlements ; 2,017,176 863,593 4,648.894 2,484 147 



Dutch East Indies ■. . , 299.774 113,083 174,600 82 609 



Great Lntam 352.164 196,865 351.150 240,188 



United States 98,430 58,819 92,248 67 415 



Other countries 21,565 13,109 30,153 5i064 



Totals 3,903.550 $1,715,798 6,631,382 $3,613,005 



IMPORTS OF RUBBER MANUFACTURES. 



19, 15. 1916. 



„,.,,, . , Pounds. Value. Pounds. Value. 

 Keclaimed rubber and unvul- 



canized rubber 168.060 $26,822 267,596 $42 256 



Denial rubber 15,527 29.003 21,570 49,975 



Soft: 



Rods and cords 55.910 22.941 111,399 47 792 



Plates and .sheets 72,641 18,656 81,609 27'390 



Tubes 49,004 15.120 140,694 43,662 



Belts and beltings for ma- 

 chines 28,490 10,3*6 45,670 21,170 



Threads, strips, - bands, 



rings and washers 36.S78 45,660 63,128 86.584 



Other soft goods 5,878 4,386 11,058 7,988 



Hard: 



Lumps, bars or rods, plates 



and sheets '. . . 7.777 7,868 12,560 11,776 



Other hard goods 1 1 ,,104 2,512 7,361 4,375 



Bicycle tires 37,348 40,735 7,779 10,460 



Insulated electric \\ire; 



(1) Armored with metals: 



Submarine telegraphic 



or telephonic cables 154,637 647,330 



Other armored cables 531.390 53,936 4,494 796 

 f2) Other: 



Flexible cords 40 31 72 32 



Other cords 4,693 2,440 26,264 10,723 



Rubber boots pairs 4,434 7,270 9,797 21,736 



Rubber overshoes pairs 21.500 11.454 31.240 19,307 



Woven beltings for machines 



and hose .: 173.984 94,984 202,607 144.891 



Waterproof tissues 24,740 16,637 15,808 13,212 



Elastic webbings, coids and 



braids... 26,592 55,074 



Insulating tapes 48,118 18,524 37.751 14,008 



Totals $610,584 $1,270,494 



