Deci mber 1. 1914 ) 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



121 



Shut those early days the number of rubber factorii in 

 Belgium and its general interest in this line of manufai 

 have steadily increased, so that it lias at present, or, i 

 properly, had before the opening of the European conflict, 

 12 considerabli factories 3 in Brussels; 3 in Liege on 

 them the plant of Engleberl & i rred to above; 1 in 



i thi i ■ lonial !'■• o., Limited; 4 in Menin — in- 



Examining Rubber at the Antwerp Market. 



eluding the Michael-Jackson Co. and Defauw Freres, and 

 one in Alost. 



These factories turned out a great variety of rubber goods, 

 including hard rubber products and. latterly, rubber footwear. 



In addition to the companies mentioned abo\e there are 

 two others which for several years past have been engaged 

 in the reclaiming of rubber, and there were many other small 

 work shops making rubber stamps and waterproofing cloth- 

 ing, bringing the list of Belgian 

 rubber factories, all told, probably 

 up to thirty. It is safe to say that 

 at least 4,000 workmen were en- 

 gaged in the different Belgian rub- 

 ber factories before these works 

 were compelled to close down. 



The enterprise of the Belgian 

 rubber people was shown to a 

 marked extent by the very fine ex- 

 hibit they made at the rubber show 

 held in New York in the fall of 

 1912, their display including some 

 85 classified rubber samples, pro- 

 vided by the Antwerp Chamber of 

 Commerce. Their exhibit at the 

 London rubber exposition held 

 last July was notable. It w; 

 ferred to in the August number of 

 The India Rubber World as fol- 

 lows: 



"Numberless pages might be de- 

 voted to this exhibit without ap- 

 proach to justice in the description. 

 It is doubtful if anything more 

 beautiful, more comprehensive in 

 its character or more informing 

 generally than this Belgian exhibit 

 has ever been seen at a commercial show. Perhaps some 

 idea of its size may be conveyed to those who ha i 



icultural Hall by the statement that tl in exhibit 



filled the entire entrance as well as King George's Hall; and 

 possibly the pictures here shown may afford some si 

 idea of its character." 



But probably to the American trade the most interesting 



phase of the rubber industry in Belgium is the crude rubber 

 market, situated at Antwerp. It would be very interesting, 

 if there were space, to describe the development of Antwerp 

 port, but it can only bi mentioned here that 

 LUthorities of the city intended to creati at Antwerp the 

 t harbor in the world and up to 1909 had spent $45,- 

 000,000 to effect this purpose, with the expectation of spend- 

 ing over $50,000,000 more, i work by 

 1920. While the number oi vessels i at Antwerp in 

 the years 1911 and 1912 was not much third of those 

 entering tli porl oi Hamburg, the Antwerp tonnage for these 

 two years exceeded the Hamburg torn tut the on* 

 ture of Antwerp commerce of inten i to the readers of this 



papei i n erci in crude rubber. Its imports of this 



artii I hiring the last 20 years from 724 tons to 



7,703 ton Hen is a tabl< gi ing the annual imports for 

 the last 21 years 



The Imports of Crude Rubber at Antwerp from 1893 to 1913. 



1893 .. , .tons 724 1900 ..../ 



1894 1,393 1901 .... 



1895 1,406 1902 .... 



1896 1,115 1903 .... 



1897 1,679 1904 .... 



1898 2,014 1905 .... 



1899 .1402 1906 .... 



Ten to fifteen years ago nearly all the rubber imported 

 into Antwerp came from the Com -tatc. For instance, 



of the total in 1901 — 5,849 tons — 5,417 tons was Congo rubber 

 and only 432 tons came from other sources. Hut during the 

 last few years Antwerp has received increasing quantities of 

 rubber from the Belgian plantations in the Far East. The 

 table given below showing all the sources of Belgium rubber 

 importations for the last three years will be found inter- 

 esting : 



Section- of the Belgian Exhibit at the London Rubber E 



I'mpi'i ts ' Rubber int< i Bel 



Chief Sou Supply 



From 19H 



ian Congo I 



l <■> h '11 



Straits Settlements 857 



British Indies 



xhibitiox. 



1911-12-13 and the 



1912 1913 



4.530 3,590 



[1,080 



{ 495 505 



47 87 



