December 1, 1918/ 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



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



Vol. 59. 



DECEMBER 1, 1918. 



No. 3. 



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TABLE OF CONTENTS ON LAST PAGE OF READING. 



WAR SERVICE AND PEACE SERVICE. 



THE present War Service Committee of tlie American 

 rubber trade represents a perfection of organiza- 

 tion of which few industries can boast. In its personnel of 

 more than one hundred men — leaders in rubber manufac- 

 ture, in crude and reclaimed rubber, and in the distribu- 

 tion of the rubber products — it embraces every division of 

 the industry. The committee, notable because of the 

 accomplishments of its members in the normal fields of 

 endeavor, is especially distinguished by the work it has 

 done in putting the whole industry upon a war basis. It is 

 no exaggeration to say that no half dozen industries com- 

 bined ofifered so many perplexing problems or so many 

 troublesome details, all of which were solved and adjusted 

 with eminent fairness and in record time. With peace in 

 sight the trade is faced with problems of even more 

 gravity than those presented by the war, for upon their 

 right solution depends its future. 



It took from four to six months to put the rubber in- 

 dustry on a war footing. Now that it is thoroughly 

 GO organized, and accustomed to working for the general 

 CT) good, it will be its own fault if many troublesome cus- 

 toms and handicaps of the past again come into exist- 

 _ ence. For example, individual initiative would not be 



hampered nor manufacturers injured if many partially 

 obsolete types of goods were dropped, others standard- 

 ized, and specialties given over to those who created 

 them. 



There is also in sight the very vital readjustment of 

 labor and wages that will come as a part of the recon- 

 struction. The cost of living will not become less for 

 a time at least, and war wages are likely to be demanded 

 and the strike threat freely employed. 



It has been hinted also that international free trade 

 may be one of the peace articles finally agreed upon. 

 If Germany were democratized and repentant, it is hard 

 to imagine Belgians and French weeping over the graves 

 of the mangled babies, and buying German-made nip- 

 ples. Nor can we conceive of British householders us- 

 ing German garden hose with its constant suggestion 

 or flame throwers and poison gas. Even with custom 

 houses abolished on all borders it would be years before 

 German goods of any sort would find buyers. The re- 

 sult would be that the United States woula become the 

 dumping ground for everything German; for not hav- 

 ing suffered in any such measure as our Allies, we would 

 forget more easily. As in the past, the shopper would 

 not know or care as to the origin of rubber goods pro- 

 vided they were attractive and reasonable in price. 



On the other hand, for three years markets formerly 

 supplied by England, France, Italy and Belgium be- 

 came our own because of the war. It might, therefore, be 

 unfair and impolitic to erect a tariff wall about our own 

 country and still try to get the lion's share of the world's 

 trade. It was just that temptation that led Germany 

 down into the pit. 



From the beginning, questions of many sorts are 

 likely to fall to the War Service Committee for con- 

 sideration. This is no surmise, for the Government has 

 already indicated that upon just such committees will 

 fall certain details of reconstruction. Many problems, 

 however, are international in their scope and cannot be 

 settled by any one country, no matter how strong or 

 wise. If a league of nations is formed, scores of eco- 

 nomic questions will be settled and some of them pos- 

 sibly to the disadvantage of the rubber trade. That is, 

 unless it is alert in forecasting conditions and timely 

 in its representations. 



Looking at the matter broadly every country will be 

 faced by similar problems. That decisions may be made 

 after full knowledge and fairly, an international rubber 

 committee created from the membership of existing rub- 

 ber organizations representative of all the allied nations 

 is therefore needed. America, the biggest, the best- 

 organized, should take the lead in forming such a com- 

 mittee, calling conferences, and taking up questions in 

 advance of the time of solution. The rubber industry, 

 potentially one of the most important, should have its 

 place, if not at the peace table, at least in the adjust- 

 ment councils that settle after-war conditions. Such a 

 committee might decide that the "right of self-determin- 



