April 1, 1919.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



393 



the scientific journal, is really entitled to be called applied chem- 

 istry. Perhaps, however, it may be argued that it is entitled to 

 be called applied even in the embryonic stage while awaiting the 

 stage at which the applier comes forward with confidence. 

 With regard to vulcanization, it is remarked that from various 

 published papers it appears that there is no standard state of cure 

 in manufacturing practice. When adjusting the condition of vul- 

 canization time, heat, percentage of sulphur, accelerators, etc., 

 the manufacturer has in mind the ultimate purpose for which the 

 goods are required. There is, therefore, in practice no one 

 optimum cure, but rather an optimum cure for each individual 

 article. This expression of opinion will, I feel sure, be generally 

 endorsed in the trade. It is stated that as regards vulcanization 

 with niter-aromatic derivatives and organic peroxides it would 

 appear that so far the results obtained are not comparable with a 

 fully vulcanized rubber manufactured with sulphur as the vulcan- 

 izing agent. I do not suppose that this statement will cause 

 much perturbation in the trade, as all work of importance lately 

 has been done to strict government specifications which enjoin 

 the use of sulphur. Items of progress which might fitly have 

 found mention are the greatly extended use, both in America and 

 Great Britain, of carbon black in the manufacture of solid goods 

 and the fact that such black is now used in a dustless form 

 which greatly facilitates its employment. The replacement of 

 lime by magnesium oxide as a mineral accelerator, the substitu- 

 tion of zinc oxide by lithopone, and the recognition by govern- 

 ment departments that there is no gain in buying an expensive 

 rubber if a cheap one will answer the purpose equally as well, 

 are other items of progress that seem to call for mention in a 

 review of 1917. 



MACINTOSH CABLE CO., LIMITED. 



An amalgamation has been effected between William Rickard. 

 Limited, electric cable manufacturer of Derby, and Macin- 

 tosh Cable Co., Limited, of Rice Lane, Walton, Liverpool. The 

 title of the new firm is the Macintosh Cable Co., Limited, with 

 registered offices at Ashbourne Road Mills, Derby. Rubber and 

 bitumen cables will be made at Derby, and paper-insulated, low- 

 tension and extra high-tension cables at the Liverpool works. 

 There is nothing very startling about this combination, as Chas. 

 Macintosh & Co., Limited, had a business arrangement with Mr. 

 Rickard for many years prior to taking over the two Liverpool 

 rubber works for specializing in insulation and rubber boots and 

 galoshes. 



TRADE NOTES. 



The retail shops seem rather anxious to get rid of their stocks 

 in view of lower prices becoming general, though the importance 

 to the purchaser of the reduced prices ticketed on the goods is 

 more apparent than real. Thus, the label on a mackintosli shows 

 the usual price to be 45 shillings ; sale price, 30 shillings, or even 

 lower, as the case may be. The usual price, however, is merely 

 the fancy price that the dealer hoped to get out of a long-suffer- 

 ing public and does not represent any genuine business value. 

 Although in the waterproofing line prices are bound to come 

 down, and indeed have come down, these are retarded by the 

 position of cloth. Cotton cloth is certainly down in view of the 

 expected increased supplies of the raw material from America, 

 but there has been no reduction affecting the cotton and wool 

 which are so largely used in the waterproof garment trade ; the 

 price of these, in fact has gone up. 



The further rise of 10 per cent in the price of pneumatic tires 

 on top of the 10 per cent of last year is presumably due 

 largely to the fabric, though it has been received with a good 

 deal of grumbling among motorists. 



A branch of the industry which has suffered eclipse during the 

 war is that dealing with sports' requisites. Now that our na- 

 tional games are getting into full swing again, and the rubber 

 works are no longer barred from putting labor onto non- 

 •cssentials, this branch is becoming active again. 



Somewhat late in tlie season galoshes, which have been very 



scarce, are now appearing in the retailers' windows again. Under 

 existing conditions our home producers have a more extended 

 opportunity of doing business than they have had in the past and 

 no doubt the six firms in the Rubljer Shoe Manufacturers' Asso- 

 ciation will take full advantage of the situation. The chairman 

 of this association is Alexander Johnston, of the North British 

 Rubber Co., Limited, and in the course of a letter to the press 

 correcting some misstatements which had gained publicity, he 

 said that one firm alone in Britain was able to turn out 30,000 

 pairs of rubber shoes, boots, etc., per day. Presumably this is 

 his own firm. The figure seems a huge one, though I believe it 

 is exceeded by more than one American firm. 



RUBBER GOODS IMPORTED INTO SOUTH AFRICA. 



International competition for the South African market for all 

 kinds of imported products has undergone remarkable changes 

 since the middle of 1914. The following table shows how these 

 changes affect the importation of manufactured rubber goods : 



Countrv. ]9ii. 1917. 



United Kingdom £29,125' ,£321.700 



United States 2,760 151.843 



Germany 2,C-48 



France 37,379 



Italy 57,882 



Totals, all countries £34,533 £568,804 



'£1 equals $4.8665 United States currency. 



STRAITS SETTLEMENTS IMPORTS AND EXPORTS. 

 Reports of trade conditions in the Straits Settlements for 

 the year 1917 show that, in spite of the war and the resulting 

 limitations, the trade of the colony has increased yearly. This 

 is attributed chiefly to the rubber industry which is the principal 

 one in British Malaya, Singapore being today the world's 

 greatest crude-rubber market. Other causes for good business 

 are the favorable transportation facilities by the Pacific route 

 and the demand in the United States and other countries for 

 British Malayan products, in which rubber leads. 



IMPOHTS. 



1916, 1917, 



Unmanufactured — , '' ^ , ^ . 



Pounds, Value, Pounds, Value. 



Inferior gi.tta 28,125,440 $936,107 18,383.680 $692,341 



Gutta percha 2,074,240 354,250 3,214,400 645,005 



Para rubber 18,144,000 7,981,067 21,884,800 9,955,706 



Totals 48,343,680 $9,271,424 43,482,880 $11,293, 052 



Manufactured — 



Rubber goods and tires 1,149,435 1,061,528 



Totals 48,343,680 $10,420,859 43,482,880 $^12,354,580 



EXPORTS. 



1916, 1917. 



Unmanufactured— , » , , * , 



Pounds, Value, Pounds. Value. 



Inferior gutta 22.090,880 $822,021 11,668.160 $432,766 



Guttapercha 5.771,480 840,191 8.783,040 1,557,328 



Para rubber 132,867,840 74.308.447 216.366.080 118.447,759 



Totals 160,730,200 $75,970,659 236.817,280 $120,437,853 



EXPORTS TO THE UNITED STATES. 



1916. 1917. 



From Singapore — , '^ ^ , >■ ^ 



Pounds. Value. Pounds. Value. 



.Telutong 20.855,126 $1,001,078 10,108,209 $871,969 



Guttapercha 498,246 89,825 2,212,719 281,940 



Gutta jankar 45,733 5,398 



Gutta t-ial< 1,198,047 126,171 2,346.405 314,286 



Gutta, untreated 764,169 51.950 



Gutta, reboiled 280,416 36,241 304,659 30,008 



Rubber: 



Borneo 11,588 1,855 



Para 92,332.048 51,322,061 167,742,830 87,232,774 



Totals 115,175,471 $52,577,231 183,524,724 $88,788,325 



From Penang — 

 Plantation rubber 9,909,738 85,645,857 25,474,672 $14,103,936 



Totals, all sources 125,085.209 $8,223,088 208,999,396 $102,892,261 



It is predicted that the Straits Settlements will offer, after 

 the war, an excellent market for industrial machinery, build- 

 ing materials, motor cars, trucks, and accessories, cotton goods, 

 telephone and telegraph materials, boots and shoes, etc. Factors 

 of importance in both the retention and expansion of this trade 

 are good organization, personal representation in the field, and 

 individual and continuous effort. 



