i 7 4 



perhaps worth while to criticise it, an- 1 to point out that it is just 

 as easy though a little slower to prep ire the rubber without as with 

 acid, that it is mere guess-work to st itc that the rubber is deterio- 

 rated by the use of acetic acid in coagulation as no manufacturer 

 has yet raised any objection to it and thai the acidised rubber of 

 the Straits has fetched higher prices than the non-acidised rubber 

 of Ceylon. 



It may be pointed out that acetic acid evaporates more rapidly 

 than water, and consequently in drying goes off the rubber as 

 readily as the water does. 



It is regrettable that writers often publish pure guess-work as 

 solid facts so often. Most misleading and too credulously accepted 

 statements are thus published in all kinds of papers. No facts have 

 yet come to light to suggest that the use of small quantities of 

 acetic acid are injurious to the rubber, and when they do, we can 

 do without its use. — Editor . 



From the " Times of Ceylon" 

 Monday, June 6th, 1904. 



Editorial. 



RUBBER MAY FALL TO 2s. 6d. A LB. 



The India Rubber World, a purely trade journal representing the 

 " Caoutchouc, Gutta percha, Asbestos and allied industries," to 

 quote from its title page, takes this paper to task for expressing 

 surprise at the fluctuations shown in the prices of fine Para rubber 

 kindly supplied us in tabular form by Mr. F. M, WOLFF, of Ham- 

 burg, and published by us as a supplement on Friday, 15th April 

 last. The article referred to is reproduced in full in another 

 column, so that our readers can see for themselves what this trade 

 paper says. We are told many things certainly new to us, and we 

 venture to think new to a good many others. We learn that the 

 fluctuations in the price of rubber are " often over a shilling a lb. 

 that no one could possibly " conceive of them as stable" which is 

 rather a disconcerting statement. Then wc are told that stock has 

 nothing to do with the price of Para rubber — "to say that the 

 stock in the United Kingdom determines the price is to put the 

 cart before the horse" says this trade oracle. Well, we have lived 

 under this unfortunate delusion for many years until our eyes have 

 been opened by this India rubber paper. We have always thought 

 that the stock of an article in first hands — which were the figures 

 given by us — had a good deal to do with the price. It seems we 

 were wrong. It is the price which determines the stock ; but we 

 will not labour the point. We refer our readers to the article itself, 

 which contains one interesting paragraph from a producer's point 

 of view, namely, that dealing with over-production. Figures are 



