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part of the manufacturers to take advantage of the altered situation 
in order to enhance their profits. 
- It is understood that the members of the Rubber Manufacturers’ 
Association were unanimous with regard to the rise, and that only 
two of the firms who are not actually members of the Association 
have declined to fall into line with the majority. Standing aloof in 
a case of this sort implies the possession of a large stock of raw 
rubber bought at lower prices than now prevail, or else it indicates 
a desjre to take advantage of the situation in order to make an in- 
creased connection without taking much thought as to the profit and 
loss account. Of course, this is a matter entirely for individual 
firms concerned : and if they think they know their own business 
best, others have no legitimate ground for cavilling. 
Cotton enters largely into mechanical rubber goods such as hose, 
beltings, packings, etc.; and at the time of the last advance in prices 
this material was put forward vfith rubber as a partial cause of the 
advance; at the present time, however, rubber alone, will have to 
bear the brunt, as the revival in the Lancashire cotton trade pres- 
ages considerably easier prices for the textile materials so largely 
used in the mechanical rubber trade. 
No doubt, in spite of our contention that the rise of price in rub- 
ber goods is amply justified, there will be many who will grumble 
at it. To these we would put the straight question. What is the 
alternative? Seeing that the trade is not carried on from Bentha- 
mite motives, and that, therefore, working at a loss is out of the 
question, a continuance of old prices means the reduction of quality. 
I here is nothing else for it. Now, this way of getting out of the 
difficulty has been tried often enough in the past, and has to a large 
extent brought discredit upon a reputable industry. We believe it 
is now being generally recognised by engineers that good rubber is 
the cheapest in the long run, and since the more general employ- 
ment of chemical analysis by purchasers, it has become less common 
for the cheap compounds of the unscrupulous manufacturer to find 
a sale than it was, say, ten years ago, We are not, of course, sug- 
gesting that goods should be made of pure rubber, nor are we con- 
demning the use of mineral matters erroneously described by some 
writers as adulterants. For many purposes a pure rubber without 
mineral admixture would be not only a waste of money but actually 
disadvantageous. Our criticism is directed against those who, in- 
stead of using new, sound rubber, in however small a proportion, 
replace it by old or “recovered” rubber or oil substitutes. These 
bodies are not to be generally condemned, for they have them legiti- 
mate uses. We are not, however, considering these now, our point 
being to emphasise that they' can not take the place of new, sound 
rubber without considerably lowering the value of the goods. With 
the present rise in price, therefore, purchasers although they may 
naturally indulge in a little grumbling, may feel assured that the 
quality of the goods they buy will remain equal to what it has been 
in the past, which would be practically impossible if prices remained 
at the old level. 
