THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



manufacturers will be called upon to pay a much greater amount 

 of tax than they have reimbursed themselves for. Strict com- 

 pliance with the regulations would in a great many cases 

 necessitate a considerable increase in the clerical staff of the 

 manufacturer and would require the assembling of a mass of 

 records, the checking of which would probably involve care and 

 time out of all proportion with the amount of tax collected. 



The Federal Excise Tax Committee will soon arrange for 

 a meeting of those interested, with a view to making a proper 

 presentation to the members of Congress. In the meantime, 

 everyone interested in the measure should write now to his 

 Congressman and to his Senators, telling of his experience witli 

 these taxes, the difficulty of handling them properly and re- 

 questing that they be removed as soon as possible. 



FIRM MEMBERS ASKED TO VOTE ON REMEDIAL RAILROAD 

 LEGISLATION. 



The Board of Directors has supplied all firm members with a 

 copy of Referendum No. 28 of the Chamber of Commerce of the 

 U. S. A. on the Report of the Committee on Railroads on 

 Remedial Railroad Legislation. 



This referendum contains recommendations pertaining to (1) 

 corporate ownership and operation, (2) corporate operation, 

 (3) adherence to the period of federal control, (4) consolida- 

 tion in a limited number of strong competing systems, (5) 

 railroad companies engaged in interstate commerce, (6) fed- 

 eral regulation of capital expenditures and security issues of 

 railroads engaged in interstate commerce, (7) federal regula- 

 tion of interstate rates, (8) rates in each traffic section, (9) 

 fund for strengthening general railroad credit, (10) federal 

 transportation board. 



As it is of immediate importance that an expression of the 

 opinion of the best business minds of the country be obtained 

 regarding these subjects, firm members are requested to register 

 their opinion with regard to the several questions asked in the 

 following ballot and return to the secretary of The Rubber 

 Association not later than July 15, 1919: 



BALLOT. 



I. The coinmitlee recommends adheience to the policy of 

 corporate ownership and operation, with comprehensive 

 regulation. 



Opposed. 



II. The 



rpor 



iiittee 



Opposed. 



lidhercnce to the period of fed- 

 eral conirrl as now fixed unless and until impossibility of 

 remedial legislation -'n this period clearly appears. 

 In favor. 

 Opposed. 

 The committee recommends permission for consolidation in 

 the public interest, with prior approval by government 

 authority, in a limited number of strong competing 



^commends a retiuirement that railroad com- 



iS in interstate commerce become federal 



corporations, with rights of taxation and police regulation 



Lserved for Sta 



'he committee recommends exclusive federal regulation of 

 capital expenditures and security issues of railroads en- 

 gaged in interstate commerce, with provision for notice 

 and hearirg for State authorities. 



VIII. The comn 



Opposed, 

 ommends federal regulation of 

 nterstate commerce. 



ee recommends a statutory rule providing that 

 ch traffic section shall yield an adequate return 

 value of the property as determined by public 



fav 



Opposed, 

 recommends a federal transportation board 



X. The CO 



promote development of a national system of rail, water, 

 and highway transportation and articulation of all Irans- 

 ixjrtation facilities. 



In favor. 



Opposed. 



Signature of Firm Representative. 

 SEATTLE WHARFAGE CHARGES TO BE REDUCED. 



The difficulties encountered in weighing and sampling crude 

 rubber imports at Seattle, Washington, are being investigated 

 by the Traffic Committee. It is expected that satisfactory ar- 

 rangements will be worked out in the near future, both in con- 

 nection with the weighing and sampling by local weighing 

 companies at Seattle and in connection with the absorption of 

 handling charges by steamship companies and railroad com- 

 panies jointly which will result in the owner of the freight 

 paying only the legal wharfage charge of 25 cents per ton, which 

 is covered by the tarifif. 



SECRETARY VORHIS RESIGNS. 



H. S. Vorhis, for several years secretary and treasurer of The 

 Rubber Association, has resigned to enter other business, and 

 A. L. Viles, formerly manager of the Traffic Division, has been 

 elected general manager and secretary of the Association. An 

 officer of the Guaranty Trust Co. will act as treasurer. These 

 changes become efifective July 1, 1919. 



IX. The committee lecommends payment into a fund of a share 

 of the excess earned by any railroad system under appli- 

 cation of the above statutory rule over an equitable mini 

 mum return upon fair value of property, this fund to be 



SCKAP RUBBER riVISION MEETING. 



The Scrap Rubber Division of tlie Xational Association of 

 Waste Material Dealers held a meeting at the Hotel Astor, New 

 York City, June 17, 1919, Herman Muehlstein, the new chair- 

 man of the Scrap Rubber Division, presiding. 



Mr. Cummings, for the classification committee, reported in 

 reference to a conference which had been held with a committee 

 from the Rubber Reclaimers Division of the Rubber Association 

 of America in connection with the proposed changes in the 

 scrap rubber circular and the advisability of adopting certain 

 trade customs. 



One of the suggestions which had been made to the Rubber 

 Reclaimers was that they eliminate that clause under "Rejec- 

 tions," which provided that a reclaimer could charge one-half 

 cent per pound for handling rejected material. It has been the 

 contention of the Scrap Rubber Division of the Association 

 that such a charge was exhorbitant in cases where the material 

 was not sorted or rebaled. The reclaimers have consented to 

 change their paragraph covering rejections to read as follows: 

 " 'D' Rejections: Upon his request all rejections shall be 

 returnable to the seller within thirty days from the time notice 

 of rejection is received by him and upon payment by him of 

 one-half cent per pound to cover cost of sorting and rebaling 

 or if not assorted, the actual cost of handling, not to exceed 

 one-half cent per pound. If shipping instructions are not fur- 

 nished within the above-mentioned thirty days, the purchaser 

 shall be at liberty to make such disposition of the material as 

 he may see fit. The above does not apply if rejected material 

 is purchased by the mill." 



Another concession made by the rubber reclaimers was to 

 insert under "Claims" as a trade custom the following: 



(A) All claims, including claims for overtare, shall be re- 

 ported promptly in writing, and in no event, later than thirty' 

 days from arrival of goods at consumer's station. 



(B) Claims for short weight shall be reported within ten 

 days from date of arrival at consumer's mill. 



A few other suggested changes are to be made by the Rubber 

 Reclaimers Division, while the Scrap Rubber Division of this 

 association voted in favor of making several changes, all of 

 which will be embodied in the new circular to be issued within 

 the next week or ten days. 



