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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[April 1, 1915. 



The India Rubber Trade in Great Britain. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



GENERAL COMMENT. 



RECENT political events culminating in tl ige of notes 



between America and the principal belligerents have had 

 the effect of soothing the irritations in our trade circles, to 

 which 1 made brief reference in my last letter, and rubber men 

 are again saying onlj pleasant things about America. Possibly 

 the case ma) be different in Berlin, but I shall not pursue the 

 topic except to remark that, however much the general Amer- 

 ican press may have on departed from professions of 

 neutrality, the international subscribers to The India Ri Bi I R 

 I i) have found nothing in its pages suggestive of bias to one 

 side or the othi -1 in the titanic struggle. The article 

 by the editor in the January issue, entitled "What Manufactur- 

 ers Want m Crude Rubber," has been read with interest on this 

 side, and with general agreement. 



Trade conditions generally remain much as they have been dur- 

 ing the last three months, those firms not engaged on Government 

 work reporting home trade as decidedly quiet. Deliveries in 

 regard to Government contracts are being kept well up to time. 

 In regard to waterproof clothing, inspection of deliveries at 

 Pimlico is reported as being almost as stringent as in peace time, 

 but, although there have been a few rejections, the bulk of the 

 work .lone has passed satisfactorily— a matter of congratulation 

 to the firms concerned, in these times of rush. The manufac- 

 turer's main difficulty has been in obtaining sufficient hands, 

 especially spreaders. With regard to men joining the colors it 

 ticeable that the list of firms in Lancashire issued at the 

 end of February whose men are not to enlist is considerably 

 ter than the original list. The new list comprises only 35 

 firms, against 80, and no rubber manufacturers occur in it. I 

 don't know what is the case at Birmingham, where exemption 

 was granted to the Dunlop company, so busily engaged in mak- 

 ing tires for the war offio 



i Iwing to the rise in food prices various classes of industrial 

 workers have agitated — and in most cases successfully — for a pro- 

 portii in wages; that is, an increase of 20 per cent. 



Naturally those of the clerical staff on moderate salaries feel 

 that they ought not to 1 i ked, though their claims have 



ins met with prompt recognitii n The Dunlop Rubber 

 Co., Limited, should, however, be mentioned as having increased 

 wages and salaries. Of course firms engaged on large Govern- 

 ment contracts are belter abb I do this than are those not so 

 unately situated. The treasury regulation regarding the issue 

 of new capital has caused considerable perturbation in certain 

 rubber plantation circles, but who is not being perturbed now-a- 

 regulation or other" Although in some cases the 

 treasury embargo has been withdrawn, this is not so with int. 

 rubber plantation issues, on the ground that increased production 

 at the moment a matter of necessity, no shortage 

 i suppl) for national purposes being apprehended. 

 RECLAIMED RUBBER. 

 in more than one quarter I hear that the sales of reclaimed 

 rubber an tisfactory in the matter of quantity than 



bas 1 isc of late. There are of course various ups and 



downs in the business, brought about by the war. Russian re- 

 claimed, which has had rable sale in Great Britain of 

 late e, while Amer- 

 ican reck. ined for Russia via England was too late to 

 get through owing to delay in obtaining the necessary permits. 

 Since Germany made Swedish wood cargoes contraband, Sweden 

 has retaliated by making rubber contraband and entirely pro- 

 hibiting its export. This has made it easy for British reclaimers 



to send their product to Sweden, but at the same time it has 

 cut off the supplies of waste rubber which some of our reclaim- 

 ers have been in the regular halm ol getting from Sweden. 

 Naturally, British and American products have, lor the time 

 at any rate, taken the place of the Russian, thus leading 

 to an accession of business for the former; and in this friendly 

 competition high freights have been against the Americans. An 

 increasing amount has come to England in the last few years 

 from a large French mill, but very little from Germany, where 

 reclaiming is carried on at the rubber factories for home use. 

 The aftermath of the war must assuredly bring to hand large 

 stocks of old tires, judging by the number 'if new ones that have 

 been made during the last seven months, but so far 1 have not 

 heard of any bulk of old tires from this source coming on the 

 waste market. Of course the modern band tire stock is not in 

 particular favor with reclaimers, who much prefer pneumatic 

 tires. Not only is there about double the amount of mineral in 

 the band tires, but in order to cure the vulcanite layer they have 

 a much longer vulcanization, with the result that they produce 

 a good deal of fine material when put through the rolls. Of 

 course band tires are by no means exclusively used in the war 

 area, large numbers of pneumatics having also been sent out. 

 Even if these do not in the bulk come back direct to England 

 but go into stock in France the effect will be much the same 

 with regard to prices ruling in the rubber scrap market. 



FIRES. 

 Two rather serious fires in the spreading departments of rub- 

 ber works occurred in February. The first was at the Aston 

 works of the Dunlop Rubber Co., Limited, Birmingham, a 4-storj 

 building being involved and much machinery seriously damaged. 

 The second was at the works of the Premier Waterproof & 

 Rubber Co., Limited, Manchester. Here the damage done was 

 even more serious, necessitating total suspension of the spread- 

 ing department, which was at the time busily engaged en int- 

 ernment work. Fortunately the warehouses adjoining the gut- 

 ted premises were unaffected. 



THE INDIA RUBBER MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION. 

 At the annual meeting held February 3, in Manchester, Mr. 

 James Tinto in the chair, the following officers were elected 

 for the current year : Chairman, James T. Goudie ; vice-chair- 

 man, Peter Bate (Castle Rubber Co., Limited. Warrington); 

 committee, P. A. Birley (Chas. Macintosh & Co., Limited) ; 

 J. H. C. Brooking (St. Helens Cable & Rubber Co.. Limited,, 

 Warrington I ; R. Eccles (F. Reddaway & Co., Limited); Vis- 

 count Grimston (St. Albans Rubber Co.); \\ . M. Henderson 

 (Ancoats Vale Rubber Co., Limited); David W. Moseley (D. 

 Moseley & Sons, Limited); F. T. Swanborough I Won Rubber 

 Co., Limited), and James Tinto (Irwell & Eastern Rubber Co., 

 Limited). Mr. R. Eccles took up the duties of treasurer in suc- 

 cession to Mr. W. M. Henderson The new chairman, who is 

 managing director of the Leyland & Birmingham Rubber Co., 

 Limited, will have his work cut out if he is to emulate the zeal 

 and attain the success of Mr. Tinto, who has held the position for 

 the last two years. A mere glance at the committee shows its 

 strength, but as there may be some to whom it does not appear 

 quite representative of the British rubber trade, I may say that 

 from the commencement of the association certain important 

 firms have always held aloof, their abstention including the North 

 British Rubher Co., Limited; Wm. Warne & Co.. Limited, and 

 the India Rubber, Gutta Percha u Telegraph Works Co., Limited, 

 Sil\ ertown. 



