January 1, 1919.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



215 



way of waste rubber collection is that the articles are scattered 

 in units all over the country, and of course if delivered by indi- 

 viduals at some central depots it would certainly get over the im- 

 portant item of cost of collection. It is probable, however, now 

 that peace is in sight, that we shall not hear any more of the 

 project. 



TIRE SPECIFICATIONS IN AMERICA. 



The specifications for pneumatic tires and tubes adopted by the 

 Motor Transport Corps and given in the October number of The 

 India Rubber World have been read with much interest on this 

 side. The allowance of sulphur being 8 per cent, calculated on 

 the rubber present, is generally considered an improvement on 

 the 5 per cent usually enforced in European specifications for 

 government rubber goods of much the same quality. The lower 

 limit of sulphur, where it is rigidly adhered to, generally means 

 either that an amount of time is necessitated for the cure, which 

 is detrimental to the rubber, or that various accelerators have 

 to be used. 



Those manufacturers who saw the specifications for waterproof 

 garments in which oil substitute and reclaimed rubber were al- 

 lowed up to a certain figure, and who thought that this sort of 

 thing was general, will note that substitutes and reclaimed rubber 

 are barred by the specifications under notice. Reclaimers who 

 were inclined to be jubilant over the waterproof specifications 

 have had their spirits somewhat dampened, as many of them hold 

 that tire covers can contain reclaimed rubber to advantage. This 

 bar to its use certainly cannot fail to harden the hearts of those 

 responsible for specifications in Europe just at a time when signs 

 of yielding to the seductive influence of reclaimers were ap- 

 parent. No doubt a prominent factor in the prohibition of re- 

 claimed rubber is the impossibility of estimating its amount by 

 analysis, though for the matter of that it is no easier to say 

 whether the "best wild or plantation rubber" has been used 

 throughout. 



The clause which states that if mineral matters containing 

 sulphur are used, a sample of the unvulcanized rubber must be 

 submitted for analysis, is presumably connected with the now 

 general use of lithopone, which contains sulphur both as sul- 

 phide and sulphate. The clause is one which might be copied 

 elsewhere with advantage as tending to reduce the complications 

 and tediousness of analysis. 



FRENCH EXPORT PROHIBITION LIFTED. 



The "Journal Officiel," Paris, for October 29, 1918, announces 

 a ministerial decree permitting henceforth the exportation from 

 France, without special authorization, of rubber goods, other than 

 sheets, vulcanized or not, and drainage tubes and gloves for 

 surgical purposes. 



BRITISH GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF RUBBER. 



In view of the changed conditions, the whole question of gov- 

 ernment control of the output and selling price of plantation rub- 

 ber has been reconsidered by the Council of the Rubber Growers' 

 Association (Incorporated), and the following resolutions have 

 been agreed to : 



In view of the cessation of hostilities, the gradual introduction 

 thereupon of peace conditions, and in view of the long delay that 

 experience has shown to be inseparable from attempts to put into 

 practical working any scheme of government control, this coun- 

 cil instructs its representative on the government committee deal- 

 ing with the matter to withdraw all proposals for the government 

 control of the rubber-producing industry, but trusts that he will 

 continue to remain a member of the advisory committee and give 

 his valuable help tn the industry. 



In view of the indication by various bodies in the East of their 

 approval nf the control of the rubber output, and of the opinion 

 of this council that control, on a voluntary basis, is most desirable 

 if it can he made effective, the Output Control Committee be re- 

 quested at once to draw up a scheme and submit it to the Coun- 

 cil, when, if approved, an endeavor can be made to obtain suf- 

 ficient support to it to make it effective. 



The representative of the Rubber Growers' Association has 

 placed its views before the Government Committee, and it is 

 understood that no further immediate steps will be taken by that 

 committee in the direction of establishing any government con- 

 trol of the rubber-growing industry.— '"Financial Times," London. 



THE TIRE TRADE IN JAPAN, CHINA, AND HAWAII. 



Clincher types are most easily obtained in Japan, but straight- 

 side types may be secured through American companies. The 

 one tire factory now established in the Empire is building clin- 

 cher tires exclusively, but, seeing the probability that in the 

 future straight-side tires will be demanded, has equipment ready 

 to build this style on short notice. Under present conditions, 

 clincher tires assist in selling a car, as most dealers in Japan 

 desire cars fitted with clincher rims and shipped without tires. 



The bulk of the replacement business in Japan falls to the 

 Dunlop company, allied with the British company of the same 

 name, working with British and Japanese capital, and maintaining 

 a large factory at Kobe, which makes soft bead tires only, but 

 produces many other kinds of rubber goods. Its business ex- 

 tends throughout the Far East and as far south as Singapore, 

 and it does an immensely larger trade in jinrikisha tires than 

 in auto tires, as there are only five or six thousand autos in all 

 China and Japan, while there are hundreds of thousands of 

 jinrikishas, practically all of w'hich are provided with pneumatic 

 tires. 



Black tops for autos meet the demand in Japan, although an 

 option of either black or khaki is appreciated. The climate gen- 

 erally does not go to extremes of hot or cold, so the materials 

 used in standard production in the United States will meet every 

 requirement. , 



Although the first autos appeared in China in 1901, there are 

 less than 3,000 in the whole Republic to-day, the reason being 

 the impossible roads. At the present time most of the auto tires 

 used in China are standard American makes, but several of the 

 leading European tire makers were represented in China before 

 the war, and will doubtless go after the business again when 

 conditions become normal. Tire prices in China are high as 

 compared with those in America, being affected by freight, duty 

 and exchange. 



In the Hawaiian Islands there are more autos than in Japan 

 and China combined, and sales are increasing rapidly on account 

 of the phenomenal prosperity the Islands have been enjoying 

 for several years past. The market for tires is identical with 

 that in the United States for an equal number of cars, say about 

 6,000. ("Motor Vehicles in Japan, China and Hawaii." Special 

 Agent Series No. 170. United States Department of Commerce.) 



A ROYAL RUBBER OFFICE IN HOLLAND. 

 The Minister of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce has es- 

 tablished a Royal rubber office, which is located at 100 Zeestraat, 

 The Hague. G. I. de Vries, former chief of the rubber depart- 

 ment of the Netherlands Overseas Trust Co., is the director of 

 the new office. The activities of the Royal office for bicycle tires 

 have been transferred to the new office ; the former tire office 

 goes out of existence. L. C. Steffelaar, director of the former 

 tire office has been honorably discharged. The advisory com- 

 mittee of the former tire office will henceforth act in connection 

 with the Royal rubber office. 



NATIONALIZATION OF THE RUSSIAN RUBBER INDUSTRY. 



The whole of the rubber manufacturing industry in Russia 

 has now been nationalized and is controlled by a body styled 

 the Administrative Department of State Rubber Works, un- 

 der a decree issued by the Russian National Economic Coun- 

 cil, says the "India Rubber Journal," which adds that no 

 private trade connections abroad are to be permitted, and 

 that all such contracts already made are cancelled. 



