636 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[September 1, 1915. 



Growth of the Rubber Industry in Japan. 



By a Resident Correspondent. 



Till-; earliest rubber manufacturing enterprise in Japan 

 was the Mitatsuchi Rubber Co., established in 1880, at 

 n», bj -Mr. T. Taski, for the manufacture and repair 

 of divers' outfits. Vulcanization processes were but little under- 

 m charge. They learned from English books that 



ment support during the Chinese-Japanese war [1894-5]. It 

 was not, however, until 1900 that European machinery and 

 methods were generally introduced. This was done by the 



'M$? * 



pe of Japanese Rubber Factory. 



results were obtainable by means of dry heat and proceeded to 

 build a furnace arranged for burning wood under a pan tilled 

 with sand and provided with a close-fitting cover. The goods 

 were placed in the sand and cured, with extreme irregularity. 

 owing to the erratic temperature of the furnace.' Seven years 

 latei < second rubber company was established, near Osaka and 

 Kobe i"! the manufacture of rubber water bottles by the cold 

 cui e pi i icess 



Bicycle Tire Shop. 



Meiji Rubber Works of Tokio — organized in 1892 as The Tokyo 

 Rubber Co. — under the instruction of an English expert. In that 

 year four new rubber companies were established at Tokio, 

 bringing the total number of Japanese rubber factories 

 up t ' > ten. 



In 1908 English capital became interested in rubber manufac- 



ture in Japan and The Dunlop 



Rubber Lo, (Far East), Limited, 

 and The Ingram Rubber Co., estab- 

 lished factories at Kobe. Since 

 then rubber companies have rapid- 

 ly increased in number, due to the 

 distribution of practical rubber 

 workers from the older concerns. 

 The lines of manufacture now in- 

 clude tires, belting, hose, mechani- 

 cals, footwear, molded shoe soles, 

 proofed cloth, druggists' sundries and 

 dipped goods. 



The development of the indus- 

 try since its establishment in 1880 is 

 shown by the following tabulation, 

 which does not include the small toy 

 balloon factories or repair shops, of 

 which there are many in various 

 parts of the country. 



RUBBER COMPANIES IN JAPAN. 



Mixing Mill in Japanese Rubber Factory. 



Vulcanization by steam was introduced in 1892 by the Mitat- 

 suchi company, which a year later also began the manufacture of 

 ebonite and suction hose.. The industry expanded under govern- 



The following table gives the yearly imports of crude rubber 

 since 1910 and of seven other years since 1886, when this com- 

 modity was first imported in any quantity : 



