The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-21
GERMAN RUBBER TRADE.
The United States Purchases Guam
titles of Waste or SEoddy.


Oliver ]. D. Hughes, United States Con-
sui at Coburg. writing TO the State De
partment on the subject of German trade
in rubber, says:
''Germany's import of crude rubber and
gutta-percha in 1899 amounted to 199. 164
metric hundredweights (220 pounds, rep
resenting a value of ST, S50. 900. and an
increase over the year 1897 of about 80
per cent in bulk and of about so per cent
In value. The exports of raw materials
amounted to "a. 1923 metric hundredweights,
estimated at $4,000. Russia imported
more crude rubber than Great Britain and
FIVE times much in 1899 as IN 1898 The
United States received very large quaint
ties of German crude rubber-three times
as much as the preceding year. The eff
cial statistics comprise under raw mate
rails old and waste rubber. Germany gets
rid of a good deal Of its old rubber, and
the United States does not appear to mind
buying shoddy.
The imports of finished rubber goods
consists chiefly of threads and plates. Shots
and textile fabrics impregnated with rub
Der.
The ordinary preparation of seamless
ings of rubber solution 10 a mold, not
rarely yields blistered goods. There are
small bubbles throughout the mass, which
is likely to wear badly and soon become
leaky. According TO some authorities the
atmospheric moisture is responsible for the
mischief The solvent eyaporates and
cooIs the rubber surface; moisture is con-
densed in a fine dew, which impairs the CO.
hesion Of the layers. The remedy lies in
drying the air, either by absorbing the
moisture or by cooling the air below the
temperature which the rubber can assume
The latter arrangement is preferable One
method is to cool the air, heat it again a
Httie-iest the low temperature render inc
evaporation OF the solvent too sluggish
and dry it, The arrangement does not ap-
pear to be free from objections, bur the
process is a continuous one, which has Its
advantages.
Mr.. r. Schlecter's report on his West
African expeditions, addressed 10 the Ger
man colonial committee, which sent him
out to study the possibilities of rubber cui-
tivation in German territory, will probably
have some influence on the future of Ger
man competition in the raw rubber mar
ket He says that on his numerous eXcUT-
sions into the district surrounding Ngoko
station he found the kickxia tree in great
/ abundance. One man could easily collect
in a day sufficient milk TO make about five
&
stem, tapped in the afternoon. yields suf-
fcieHt Juice to make four and quarter
pounds of rubber In the Congo State one
pound of rubber collected by a man in a
day is considered a fair average II is evil
dent, therefore, that the southeast terri
tory is much richer, if il is not the rich
est rubber province of all Africa. He de-
scribes the different methods adopted in
order to convert the milk into rubber and
mentions GJ boiling the milk after mixing
with water; % boiling the milk after
mixing with water and acids; 80 the
] centrifugal process: "a smoking: 90 tap
ping the water from the rubber. He found
/ it necessary to instruct the officials and
natives as TO the best and simplest method
TO produce q good quality and took care
to impress upon them that they could com
mand better price for really good rubber
than for watered caoutehouc
Herr Schneider, of Strassburg. las
brought out a new substitute for EuIta-
! percha, which is favoTably reported upon
! by the polytechnic institute of that city.
( No information Las yet been given as 10
! the composition Of the material. In or
/ binary temperature, it is hard, like pitch.
| and fairly firm against pressure. but not
| brittle. II does not break when hammer
! ed, even at freezing point; in a warmer
| atmosphere. the mass softens. Thin plates
! kept in sea water at 81 degrees Fahren-
| heit did not lose in weight in fortnight,
! nor did the water take up anything by
solution. -