48 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[October 1. 1918. 



any rale it is useless to expect a reply of value liy return inail. 

 The subject of artificial asphalts is attracting much attention at 

 the piescnt time, though not specially in connection with the 

 rubber industry, and \\c seem to be on the eve of developments 

 likely to prove of considerable commercial importance. 

 NEW WATKRPROOFING WORKS. 

 The Fabric Rubber Co.. Limited, has been registered with a 

 capital of £25,000, the directors being U. F. Frankenburg, S. T. 

 Rowe. and H. Standring. These names will at once suggest to 



British readers familiar with the proofing trade that I. Franken- 

 burg & Sons, Limited, is in it. This is the case, the new works 

 being really an of!shoot of the well-known Salford firm for the 

 manufacture of goods mainly for government requirements, 

 though the company will continue in business after the war. The 

 premises consist of the new buildings recently erected by the 

 waterproofing firm of Ferguson Spicer and Co. at Fadswaite, 

 near Manchester, the change of ownership having been effected 

 before the latter firm had occupied the new premises. 



Miscellaneous Foreign Notes. 



FRENCH NOTES. 



BITBBER AT THE COLONIAL AGRICULTURAL CONGRESS AT PARIS. 



FURTHER details concerning the decisions made at the Rub- 

 ber Section of the Colonial Agricultural Congress, mention 

 of which was made in a recent issue of The Indi.\ Rubbek 

 World, have just been received. 



At the second sitting the principal question discussec' was 

 that of the creation of a crude rubber market in France. Tlie 

 unanimous opinion was that at the conclusion of hostilities, a 

 market for crude rubber should be established either at Paris 

 or at one of the large ports. 



With regard to the creation of a Technical Bureau for Rub- 

 ber at Marseilles, the Section considered that such an organiza- 

 tion was a valuable accessory to a rubber market and further 

 requested that : 



(1) French shipping companies lower their freight rates on 

 imports to correspond with charges of foreign compaiiies; 



(2) The facilities of the large ports be improved in order 

 to decrease costs of transit, maintenance, storage, etc. 



(3) Railroad companies regulate their tariff from the ports 

 so as to favor bpth the importation of rubber into France and 

 its exportation from the country. 



At subsequent sittings. Hevea cultivation in Cochin China 

 was the main topic. In a recent issue of the "Annales des 

 Planteurs de Caoutchouc de ITndochine," the exports from 

 this colony during the year 1917 amounted to 977,879 kilos, or 

 a total of about 1,006 tons, when 28,190 kilos of dry rubber, 

 which could not be shipped for lack of freight, is included. 



After some preliminary discussion the Section expressed the 

 desirability of passing liberal laws regarding the alienation of 

 rubber lands in Cochin China and recommended that all possible 

 measures be taken to hasten the issuance of concessions. It 

 further suggested that the utmost should be done, particularly 

 in Indo-Ghma> to complete and develop roads to facilitate the 

 opening up of the immense territories suitable for rubber culti 

 vation. Final! v the need for the speedy creation of laboratories 

 for research in the principal colonies, especially in Indo-China. 

 was urged. . 



At the final sitting, the need was shown for a more favorable 

 fiscal policy with regard to wild rubber in Africa, so as to 

 give local producers a better chance against competitors in 

 other parts of the world. 



CONSUMPTION OF RUBBER DURING 1917. 



During 1917 French rubber manufacturers consumed a total 

 of 19,731 tons of rubber, comprising 4,432 tons of Para and 

 other Brazilian grades: 8,549 tons of first latex crepe, and 

 smoked sheet: 4,501 tons of brown plantation crepe, and 2,247 

 tons of Congo rubber and similar sorts. At the same time 

 French colonies produced a total of about 7,000 tons of rubber, 

 including 1,000 tons of plantation rubber from Indo-China: 

 3,000 tons of French West African sheets and strings; 1,200 

 tons of French East African Upper Congo black; 700 tons of 

 Congo red; 600 tons of inferior grades and 500 tons of rubber 

 from vines and similar plants. 



Of this quantity the local industry used only 3,247 tons, in- 



cluding approximately 1,000 tons of Indo-China plantation rub- 

 ber, so that 3,753 tons of African grades were yet to be placed. 

 M. lung, president of the Rubber Syndicate, considers that if 

 the French rubber men would substitute the African rubber 

 for brown crepe, the whole output of the French colonies 

 could be utilized in France. He advocated that efforts should 

 be made towards this end, both by the manufacturers and pro- 

 ducers, the former by employing the rubber, and the latter by 

 improving their product. 



IRISH TRADE IN RUBBER GOODS. 



Recently published returns of Irish trade during 1916 show 

 that the imports of rubber goods totaled 2,978,752 pounds, value 

 $3,901,966, against 2,818,928 pounds, value $3,076,156, in 1915. 

 Gutta percha imports were 32,256 pounds, value $14,434. There 

 was a decrease in the figures for electric cables, which fell from 

 2,650,704 pounds, value $2,275,610 in 1915, to 1,688,176 pounds, 

 value $1,754,497. Exports of rubber goods are given as having 

 amounted to 1,906,240 pounds, value $2,497,046. The quantity 

 of electric cables exported was 173,376 pounds, value $180,187. 



ITALIAN ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS OF RUBBER, 

 CABLES, ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS, ETC. 



It is announced that on July 3, 1918, the above association was 

 formed by fourteen Italian firms, which employ about 20,000 op- 

 eratives and have an output valued at several hundred millions 

 of lire per annum. (A lira = $0,193, par.) 



The object of the association is the development of the rubber 

 and electric-conductor industries in Italy by the study of all 

 questions afifecting their expansion in Italy and abroad. 



Senator G. B. Pirelli is the president, while the vice-presidents 

 are Comm. Ing. V. Tedeschi, of the S. A. Ing. B. Tedeschi, of 

 Turin, and Ing. Romola Pola, of the Societa Piedmontese Indus- 

 tria Comma e Afifini, of Moncalieri. 



SUCCESS OF DANISH RECLAIMING COMPANY. 



The "Berlingske Tidende," published at Copenhagen, Denmark, 

 commenting on the expansion of the Dansk Afvulkaniserings- 

 fabrik A/S, at Kjoge, states that these works employed only 10 

 men in 1908, but now employ over 200. It seems that this factory 

 is the only one in Denmark going ahead at full capacity day and 

 night, and it is claimed that the plant, due to a special method of 

 devulcanizing. has supplied all the Swedish and Norwegian rub- 

 ber factories during the war. Six tons of old galoshes have been 

 imported per day. 



SOVIETS NATIONALIZE RUSSIAN RUBBER INDUSTRY. 



A Russian official dispatch has been received in London, an- 

 nouncing that all important industrial enterprises within the 

 jurisdiction of the Soviet Government have been nationalized 

 by a decree of the Government Council, .\mong the industries 

 which are now in the hands of the Government are the rubber, 

 metallurgic, textile, electrical, explosive, wood, tobacco, glass, 

 and leather trades. 



Municipal undertakings, whether in use or in the course of 

 construction, will come under the provisions of the order. 



