Vug u si 1 . 1915.1 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



625 



THE BRITISH ARMY AND RUBBER. 



T -1 1 1 1'. British soldier is today pretty thoroughly waterpi 

 * from cap to shoes He is protected against damp and in- 

 ent weather bj rubber and rainproof garments, and in rain- 

 soaked trenches wears rubber boots or waterproof fool 

 The standard army cap covers are khaki colored cotton cashmere 

 of single texture prooi and fashii ned to be close fitting to shed 

 water. The standard motorcycle suits an made oi woolen cash- 

 mere, double textun Sometimes olive sateen is used. 

 Trench capes that have proved to be so necessarj in this modern 



i are usuallj made of stout twill khaki, proofed si 

 texture. Others are mad* of cotton-warp cashmere and dyed 

 cotton cashmeres, single texture proofed. Trench waders are 

 .t.iund to be > ei \ necessary and the standard equipment is made 

 of khaki Indianas, double texture proof similar to the pro 

 used in good fishing stockings. It by chance the soldier hap- 

 pens to be a cavalryman, he is provided with a saddle cloth 



made up of double-warp khaki wigan -the government standard 

 cloth and dye, double-texture proof. For watering his horse 



there is a folding rubber bucket made id' durable gray twills 

 or wigans. While in camp, troughs are provided fur watering 



the horses ami are made of very heavy and strong material 

 with good proofing. The usual fabric is double-warp wigan, 

 double texture proof. The standard ground sheets are of khaki 

 double-warp wigan, single texture proof. Others are made of 

 khaki sateens and gray wigan, single and double warp. The 

 sleeping hags are made of brown canvas duck and brown twills, 

 proofed double texture together. The officers' mackintoshes call 

 fur a material like cotton-warp cashmere or fawn beaverteen, 

 proofed double texture. Stout twills of double texture are some- 

 times specified. The officers' hold-alls are made of khaki 

 wigans or stout twills that are proofed double texture. Stretcher 

 cloths are of brown canvas duck or common twills double-tex- 

 tured together, but not verj well proofed. The ambulances are 

 protected by covers made of dyed motor-duck twills, drills, or 

 wigans. The proofing is double texture of hard motor proofing. 

 In some cases rainproof ducks such as yarned, dyed ducks are 

 used. In the hospitals where bandages and surgical dressings 

 are necessary the white jaconet, proofed very lightly, is used for 

 a variety of purposes, such as bandages, bed sheetings, and oper- 

 ating room purposes. The lied sheetings are of the number one 

 and two qualities, bleached, usually single proofed: but sometimes 

 they are double-texture proofed where a special sheet is de- 

 sired. Another quality is made up of single-warp wigan. and 

 still another of double-warp wigan. single-texture proofed and 

 double-faced with white and red rubber. Batiste cloths are 

 sometimes used in place of jaconet and bed sheetings. Il has 

 been found that batiste is better because it is cleaner and can be 

 washed. These are usually made of scoured line cambrics or 

 bleached cambrics, and proofed with a very fine coating of rub- 

 ber on both sides with highly polished surfaces which are soft 

 to the touch. 



EXPORTS OF RUBBER GOODS FROM AUSTRALIA. 



During 1914 the State of Victoria, Australia, exported £90.917 

 worth of rubber manufactured goods, compared with £76,788 in 

 1913: showing an increase of £24.129. Of these exports, in 1914. 

 £76.388 worth were of Australian manufacture, while in 1913 the 

 export of rtobber goods of Australian manufacture amounted to 

 £150,531 : showing for 1914 an increase in value of £25.857. 



H. A. Wickham, t.. whose enterprise the rubber planting 

 industry in the East owe- its origin and early development, 

 and who has held various important appointments in the 

 service of the British government, has since the outbreak 

 of the war become attached to the Red Cross division of the 

 Army Service Corps. 



NO TIRE SCARCITY IN FRANCE. 



In commenting on the tire situation in France, the London 

 "( i mmercial Motoi I I contains the following paragraph : 



"It is evident that there is no shortagi .aid pneui 



, tm the unlimited monthly contracts which, were 

 formally given to all thi have now 



withdrawn and repla orders foi determii 



tities of casings and bands. Ibis implies a big reserve stuck in 

 the hands oi tin arm} aul 



It also contain, tin statement that late orders for trucks have 



n e\ idently being to 

 gradually convert the inch-size tires on American trucks to 

 millimeter standard-. 



RUBBER AND COTTON COMMERCE AT HAVRE. FRANCE. 



Havre is the second ]"irt m importance of France and. together 

 with Bi irdeaux, handles large quantities of crude rubber and rubber 



manufactured g Is. as well as considerable quantities of raw 



cotton. During 1914. 11.455 metric tons (metric ton = 2,2(>4<i 

 pound- i ul" crude and reclaimed rubber were imported through 

 Havre, while in 1913 these exports amounted to 18,367 tons; 

 showing a decrease of 6,911.6 tons. During 1914 Havre exported 

 4,978.6 tons of crude and reclaimed rubber, against 8.496.3 tons 

 in 1913: showing a decrease of 3.517.7 tons. While the exports 

 of manufactured rubber through this port amounted to 861 

 metric tons in 1913, they only amounted to 571.8 tons in 1914: 

 marking a decrease of 289.2 tons. The war, which affected the 

 second half of 1914. accounts for these decrea 



Havre's most important trade is in raw cotton, the imports of 

 which fur the crop year 1913-14 reached 1.075.167 bales, as com- 

 pared with 1.056.000 bales imported during 1912-13. Most of this 

 cotton was imported from the United States. 



THE RUBBER TRADE WITH SPAIN. 



German publications report that Great Britain's efforts to cap- 

 ture Germany's rubber trade in Spain have met with total fail- 

 ure, partly on account of the strict rules British merchants have 

 adopted and partly for the reason that the majority of the British 

 traveling men sent to Spain are unable to speak the language of 

 that country. Before the war at least one-third of the rubber 

 goods used in Spain were supplied by German merchants and 

 manufacturers, who feel hopeful that this proportion will be re- 

 established at the close of hostilities. 



A Russian decree which became operative in March last 

 provides for the temporary increase of rates of duty on goods 

 imported into that country other than those coming from 

 France. Italy and Portugal, between which countries and 

 Russia rates of duty are fixed by treaties. Differential rates 

 are re-introduced in respect to various classes of goods im- 

 ported over tl'.e European land frontier, these being in most 

 cases 20 per cent, higher than the corresponding rates for 



g 1- imported by sea. Rubber is included in the list of 



goods on which specially increased rates are charged. 



The commerce in rubber shoes between the United States 

 and Smyrna, Turkey, in 1914, consisted in the import into 

 Smyrna of $150 worth of rubber footwear and the export of 

 old -hoes to the value of $554. In 1913 there were $1,071 

 worth oi old shoe- exported. 



A new rubber sole patented in Germany is provided with a 

 galvanized sheet iron edge, vulcanized with the sole and serving 

 to attach it to the shoe ..r boot. [German patent No. 630.084.J 



Replete with information for rubber manufacturers. — Mr. 

 Pearson's "Crude Rubber and Compounding Ingredients." 



