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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[February 1, 1915. 



There is a present demand for pneumatic tires for the 

 foboche not only in Shanghai, but in Sotow, Nanking and 

 Tinja, where, following the example set by Shanghai, the old 



style iron tires on jinrikishas are being replaced with rubber 

 pneumatics. The annual demand for rubber tires and tubes 

 for foboche and jinrikishas should surely reach $600,000 in the 

 near future. 



The future demand being so promising, the question is how 

 the trade in pneumatic tires, with the merchant or consumer. 

 established. Being on the ground, the Dunlop Rubber 

 Co. (Far East), Limited, and the Michelin Rubber Co., 

 Limited, hold a good position, have a goodly number of cus- 

 tomers and will make every effort to develop their trade. It 

 should, however, not be difficult to introduce new lines, under 

 better conditions as to prices and terms, especially in regard 

 to the durability and guarantee. 



Suitable conditions would be the following: 



Quality. — The quality must be insured by an eight or ten 

 months' guarantee of durability, tires being stamped or num- 

 bered to facilitate guarantee records. 



Price. — A fair price for a rubber pneumatic tire (2 x 36) 

 would be 11 H. K. taels ($8.14) per pair, f. o. b. Shanghai; for 

 tubes, 4 to 4}/ 2 taels ($2.96 to $3.33), f. o. b. Shanghai. Should a 

 rubber tire guaranteed for eight months fail or become use- 

 less in the sixth month, the dealer shall refund one-fourth 

 of the full price, or exchange the damaged tires for a new 

 pair on payment of one-fourth of the original price. On 

 failure of the tire during any other part of the guaranteed 

 term, the dealer to estimate the allowance according to the 

 above proportion. 



The import tariff on rubber tires is 5 per cent, ad valorem. 



THE CRUDE RUBBER MARKET IN JAPAN. 



The sudden cessation of crude rubber shipments from 

 Singapore and British India on October 21, 1914, as a result 

 of the embargo laid on these exports by the British govern- 

 ment, resulted in a rise of about 75 per cent, in the price of 

 crude rubber in Japan, compared with the July quotation, and 

 a gradual slight increase in old rubber prices. The embargo 

 imposes great hardships on the Japanese rubber industry and 

 if continued for another month will result in the closing of 

 some establishments, the smaller concerns carrying but small 

 stocks of raw material. As a rule they use plantation rubber, 

 which is cheaper than other grades. 



As a result of representations made by Singapore to the 

 i ol mial Office in London, the embargo was removed on ship- 

 ments of gutta-percha and jelutong to Japan. An appeal was 

 made directly to the Colonial Office in London, and the Dunlop 

 Rubber Co. (Far East), Limited, were allowed to export 50 tons 

 monthly from Singapore and Colombo to Kobe, Japan, where 

 their branch works are located. As a result of the efforts of Vis- 

 count Inoue, Japanese ambassador to Great Britain, the ex- 

 portation from Singapore of crude rubber produced on plan- 

 tations owned by Japanese was allowed, but the quantity is 

 small and does not go far to meet the demands of Japanese 

 manufacturers. 



The Japanese consul at Batavia informed the Japanese gov- 

 ernment on November 28 that shipments of crude rubber 

 were being made from there to the United States and that 

 Japan could buy in that market. Nevertheless, the price of 

 crude rubber in Japan remains high, and manufacturers be- 

 ing short of stock, prices are raised to consumers and are 

 now sometimes twice the July quotations, or even more, 

 so that it is difficult to frame a list of the domestic prices of 

 crude rubber. According to a despatch from the consul of 

 Japan at Colombo, Ceylon, the government of Ceylon held 

 out hopes of a removal of the embargo as far as Ceylon is 

 concerned, if he was informed of the names and output of 

 the Japanese manufacturers interested. This would result 



in a material reduction in prices in Japan, but they will not 

 reach a normal level until the embargo on exports from 

 Singapore and Ceylon is removed. 



Crude rubber imports, from August to November, 1913 and 

 1914, were as follows: 



1914. 1913. 



Pounds. Value. Pounds. Value. 



August 109,480 $52,605 158,877 $113,849 



September 261,476 110,301 200,881 112,791 



October 322,318 129,660 254,946 134,544 



November Not known 47,272 229,569 104,570 



$339,838 '844,273 $465,754 



Quantities and values from January 1 to October 31, 1913 and 

 1914: 



1914. 1913. 



Source. Pounds. Value. Pounds Value. 



British India 343,264 $190,013 263,758 $192,806 



Straits Settlements... 1,480,686 621,181 1,312,517 750,439 



Dutch Indies 8,554 1,446 13,928 8,908 



Great Britain 202,314 144,288 405,818 380,595 



United States 11.054 7,509 138,932 99,551 



Other countries 2,582 1,796 84,484 79,685 



2,048,454 $966,233 2,219,437 $1,511,984 

 In explanation of the above statistics it may be stated that 

 the imports for October, 1914, were very large, foreign bills 

 of exchange were beginning to draw and large orders for 

 crude rubber were given. The imports for August and Sep- 

 tember were in most part from ships that had taken refuge 

 in neutral ports from German cruisers. The imports for 

 November, 1914, show a heavy falling off, the embargo on 

 exports from British colonies having just come into force. 



JAPANESE EMBARGO ON ACETIC ACID. 



Since the commencement of the war, the Japanese government 

 has placed an embargo on exports of various drugs, medical and 

 chemical supplies, etc. ; among the rest, on acetic acid, which 

 planters in the Far East use to coagulate latex. With Germany 

 and Japan, two of the chief sources of the acid, out of the market, 

 planters will have to find some more readily obtainable coagu- 

 lant, or one of home manufacture. The subject is already re- 

 ceiving considerable attention in Ceylon and other rubber planting 

 centers. 



RUBBER GOODS IN SIAH. 



Rubber goods imports into Siamfor the fiscal year ending 

 March 31, 1914, totaled 159,115 pounds, valued at $119,507. 



The imports consisted of 43,115 pounds of motor-car tires, 

 value $48,073; 10,816 pounds of cycle tires, value $12,926; 38,- 

 691 pounds of carriage and jinrikisha tires, value $18,988. and 

 66,506 pounds of other rubber goods manufactures, value 

 $39,520. 



Of the total rubber goods imports for the fiscal year 1913-14, 

 the United Kingdom and dependencies furnished $105,193 

 worth; Germany, $12,492; France, $198; Japan, $468; United 

 States, $741; all other countries, $415 worth. 



The United States, although furnishing only a small share 

 of the rubber goods imports, during last year supplied 76 

 motor cars to Siam, against 114 cars from all other countries, 

 so it is expected that in the import of automobile tires, at 

 least, a decided advance will be made during the current year. 



The import duty on rubber goods is 3 per cent, ad valorem. 



Robert Sandison, at one time on the staff of the English 

 branch of the Continental Tyre Co., has taken over the man- 

 agement of the Columb Tyre Co. (Far East). He is a director 

 of the Columb company in Java, which has the selling rights of 

 Prowodnik tires in the Dutch East Indies, and also has charge 

 of Prowodnik distribution in China and Japan. 



