THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



63 



Keg. United States Pat. Off. Reg. United Kinsdom. 



Published on the 1st of each month by 



THE INDIA RUBBER PUBLISHING GO. 



No. 25 West 45th Street. New York. 



Telephone— Bryant 2576. 



CABLE ADDRESS: IRWORLD. NEW YORK. 



HENRY C. PEARSON, F.R.G.S., Editor 



Vol. 59. 



NOVEMBER I. 1918. 



No. 2. 



SuBSCEiPTioNs: $3.00 per year. $1.75 for six months, postpaid, for the 

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Discontinuances: Yearly orders for subscriptions and advertising art 

 regarded as permanent, and after the first twelve months they will 

 be discontinued only at the request of the subscriber or advertiser. 

 Bills are rendered promptly at the beginning of each period, and 

 thereby our patrons have due notice of continuance. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS ON LAST PAGE OF READING. 

 FROM PLANTATION TO FACTORY DIRECT. 



MR. VAN DER MARK, addressing the Society of 

 Rubber Planters at Batavia, Java, thus pictures 

 the interests of planters and manufacturers : 



In the past, when Europe was the greatest consumer 

 of our product and the world trade was centered in 

 England, it was inevitable that all producers were 

 drawn to London. Circumstances, howeyer, have 

 made vast changes, many even now uncalculable, and 

 America is to-day the greatest consumer. In all prob- 

 ability the United States will keep the advantageous 

 position gained through the war and may be expected 

 to improve on it. This being the case, and we see no 

 reason for doubt, the European market for our product 

 will be principally a transito market. 



Any transito market between producers and consum- 

 ers is, in principle, expensive and unnecessary. It is 

 to the interest of producers and manufacturers to elimi- 

 nate all unnecessary links in the chain that binds them 

 together, especially, whenever a direct contact becomes 

 possible. The long, long way from the East through 

 the West to the East again is simply of interest and 

 advantage to the transito trade and middlemen always 

 profit at the expense of producers and manufacturers. 

 We have reason to believe that the revival of trade 

 between us and Japan, America, and Australia will not 



be temporary but from the nature of things perma- 

 nent and growing. 



We rubber planters will cease to be dependent o^l^ ' ^^t 

 Europe. ' ■^^ic^ 



Evidences, plain and numerous, are at hand that a '*'<*>J4fy_ 

 trade and center has been created which will carry 

 weight and will continue to develop itself. This de- 

 velopment will be healthy, not artificial, and opposition 

 from elsewhere will be powerless to retard it. The 

 difficulties confronting us will call forth higher energy 

 and make us and our position stronger. All over the 

 Indies preparations are being made to meet the 

 changed circumstances, and for us rubber planters the 

 time has come to obtain that position to which we have 

 lawful title. It is our duty, gentlemen, to prepare the 

 way and courageously attack self-interest and preju- 

 dice. We must get rid of our attachment to the old 

 ruts to which the past has accustomed us, and break 

 a new way, strong and powerful, for the attainment 

 of higher aims. 



The great interest we planters at Batavia have in 

 coming into direct contact with our buyers, who are 

 mostly all representing the manufacturer, cannot be 

 overestimated. If Batavia becomes a prime market, 

 you will meet the buyer personally, you can obtain in- 

 formation on many points at first hand, and you will 

 in a short time become familiar with all his demands 

 and qualifications. The buyer, on the other hand, will 

 be able to visit your plantation and his cooperation 

 will exercise an influence the results of which will be 

 uf utmost benefit to you. 



As an instance of the great advantage of direct con- 

 tact, I may mention the personal instructions given me 

 by one of the largest purchasers of rubber at Batavia, 

 which buys directly for the American manufacturers. 

 The letter was in relation to the desire of the Ameri- 

 can Government to save tonnage by baling the rubber 

 instead of following the old method of packing. The 

 airections given in the letter and later explained and 

 «;lucidated in conversation were so minute in all par- 

 ticulars that not a hitch occurred, and certainly to be 

 able to get matters of this kind at first hand is of the 

 greatest importance to planters. 



This is only one instance showing conclusively what 

 great interest you have in eliminating Europe and 

 establishing directly your connections with your larg- 

 est buyers. 



RUBBER GOODS IN ENGLAND. 



WHILE, on account of the war, the demand for a 

 great many manufactured articles has de- 

 creased, the dismal prophecies made for the sporting 

 goods trade have not been fulfilled. It was said that 

 the small number of sportsmen left at home would be 

 unable to take up much of the equipment on hand and 

 traders felt serious apprehension when looking at their 

 generously stocked shelves. But the woman chauf- 

 feur, conductor, letter-carrier, farmer and ammuni- 

 tion maker was followed by the woman sportsman 

 with her cricket clubs, the forming of which was en- 

 couraged in many instances by the big firms and com- 

 panies as a part of their welfare work. The women 

 and the boys under 18 whose wages far exceed the 

 pre-war earnings and who, therefore, are able and 



