246 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



L February 1, 1915. 



materials to about half this amount. Dress shields are imported 

 to the number of 100,000; garters, suspenders and hose sup- 

 porters to tin value ol about $30,000. and cloth material to the 



From Gaulois Tire Corporation, New York. 



Noon \ i \ Fri ni ii F u tory. 



value "i $150,000. Rubber boots constitute an important item in 

 the list of imports, amounting in value to $200,000. The exports 

 of rubber footwear from the United States to France lias reached 

 :.il annual value of $23,667. Tires and hose, constituting 

 the most important item in the French imports of manufactured 

 rubbi amounted last year to about $5,000,000 in value; 



for the year ending June 30, 1914, the I njted States sent auto- 

 mobile tires valued at $5,448 to France and other kinds of rub- 

 be] tires to the value of $15,284. Goods manufactured from 

 rubber and other materials, such as belting, hose, packings, etc., 

 were imported by France last year to the value of about $2,400,000, 

 articles of this class to the value 

 of $62,319 being supplied by the 

 United States. As against these 

 imports there has been devel- 

 oped a very considerable export 

 trade in a number of lines. The 

 value of the exports of elastic 

 materials, for instance, is about 

 $6,000,000 a year. Proofed gar- 

 ment^ are exported to the value 

 of nearly $2,000,000 and $100,000 

 worth of rubber boots are sold 

 abroad. Tires, hose and similar 

 materials to the value of about 

 $18,000,000 are sent to foreign 

 markets leaving a tire balance 

 of $13,000,000 in favor of France, 

 while belting, etc., exported 

 reaches a value of about $3,- 

 000,000. 



The depressed condition that 

 iled in most of the Euro- 

 pean markets during the first 

 part of 1914 was nol without 

 its effect on the French imports 



of rubber g 1- and, to judge from the meagre material at band. 



there has been a decrease in most of the import lines. Since the 

 commencement .if in .stihties there have been, of course, no ex- 

 ports but, all things considered, the industn bad done well up to 

 the end of July and had at least kept up the average of the pre- 

 ceding year, the decrease on one side being balanced by an 

 increase on the other. 



Pari-; is the chief seat of French export trade. Most of the 

 ling manufacturers have some form of representation there. 



and are thus able to get in touch with foreign buyers visiting 



the city, or can readily reach export houses serving the French 



trade ami conducting business especially with South America, 



Russia, ami what is known as the 



near-East, meaning the Balkans, Asia 



Minor and Egypt. 



While we may estimate the number 

 of leading firms acting as importers 

 Exporters, wholesale or large retail 

 distributers of manufactured rubber 

 goods in France as from 150 to 200, 

 it is possible that the actual number 

 is much larger and it is difficult to 

 draw the line in such an estimate. 

 Ili.i. in altogether in France about 

 50 large firms importing raw rubber, 

 all.. ut six being located in Havre and 

 an equal number in Bordeaux. All 

 have branches in Paris, Roubain, 

 Marseilles and a few other places 

 where markets for crude rubber are 

 desirable. 



fiance, in 1913. imported foreign 

 crude rubber to the value of $40. 

 345,100 and retains annually a considerable portion of the rub- 

 ber coining from her own possessions. The exact value of the 

 exports for 1913 is quoted as $24,405,000. so that about $16,000,000 

 worth of rubber was retained for borne manufacturing purposes. 

 Imports and exports of crude rubber fell off somewhat during 

 1914, and figures for the period since the war began have not 

 been made public. For the first eight months of 1914. the French 

 imports of unmanufactured rubber amounted to 29,932,744 pounds, 

 compared with 31.922.736 pounds for the same months the year 

 before. 



Havre and Bordeaux are the leading ports of entry for rub- 



Txtf.rior of a French Factory. 



ber in France, Havre taking precedence as regards Para rub- 

 ber. Of the total imports of rubber by way of that port in 1913, 

 7,146.839 pounds were Para rubber and 2,495,346 pounds came 

 from the French Congo. The following table gives the imports 

 at Havre in pounds since 1898 



1909 8,335,592 



1910 9,828,106 



1 <J 1 1 8,836,036 



1912 12.350,169 



I'M 3 9,859,459 



1898 5,3;4.XI4 



1899 4,091,737 



1900 5, ISO, Sin 



1901 4,940,508 



1902 4,294,560 



1903 4.104.96S 



1904 4,823,664 



1905 7,255,338 



1906 9,652,603 



1907 9,841.334 



1908 7,711,690 



