The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-08-12

IIMt Iherc Was Demand for
Them and She Has Since Brought
Up Family by Dealing i'm Old Rub
ber-Russia Supplies Most.
New York, Aug. 3.-The rubber
lady" has long been a creature Of
mystery along the North river front
They have called her the rubber
lady" because for the last ten years
consigEments Of old rubber shoes
have been coming to her from abroad.
Had it been new rubber they would
have thought nothing Of it, but they
wondered why a woman should want
to import old rubber shoes from Eu-
rope. According to the rubber lady"
herself, the sale of this apparently
worthless stock nets her large an
nual income.
From all the countries Of Europe,
Hbut principally Russia and Turkey,
she receives old rubber, which is sent
to reclaiming plants in various parts
Of the country. There the good rubber
is extracted and used over again in the
manufacture of articles containing
rubber.
BY this trade the rubber lady,"
Mrs. Augusta Mantzner, has been
made independent. She has brought
up family Of six children. She is an
authority on this special branch Of
the rubber business.
Seated before her desk in her home,
as she is a mother first and a busi-
ness woman afterward-she told the
story Of her brief business career in
this country, which covers a period of
IL years. Her business was started
by chance query sent in letter from
friend across the water.
''Is there any place in America
where I can dispose Of Old rubbers?"
was the question. 1t set Mrs. Matz-
ner to thinking.
II will find out" she said to herself,
and then started out to visit some Of
the big establishments that deal in
rubber goods.
| II at once discovered said Mrs.
Matzner, that 1t was not only possible
to sell old rubber overshoes, but that
there was big demand for them. At
once wrote to my friend and told
him to send the rubbers along. With
out capital carried on my business
for couple Of years, always carrying
my account at one bank At the end
Of two years went to the head Of the
bank and calmly asked for a good
many thousand dollars credit.
"'Do you think you are good for
it?' asked the banker.
II told him I thought I was and
then explained my business, with the
result that he gave me credit without
hesitation. From that time on
did as much business as I could con-
veniently handle.
First I got my stuff by the carload,
then by the 200 tons and now I get
many thousand tons at one time. BY
far the largest part Of my for
eign stock comes from Russia. Now
know you will ask me why; every
one does. :,
"Well, it is this way. Nine-tenths
Of the population Of Russia wear over
shoes nine-tenths Of the year. Both
summer and winter rubbers are
worn.
$50 when It is understood that the
yearly collection Of old rubbers IN the
United States amounts to about 10000
tons may be Judged what the export
from country like Russia might
be. Turkey comes next in the amount
Of rubber scrap exported.
"By far the largest retaining
plants in the world are in the: United
States and altogether the. 16 do an
enormous amount Of business 1t is
said that one Of them expended with
in "a months as much as $75O.OOO for
1900 tons Of old rubber shoes. The
price Of rubber scraps varies from
cents to 1-2 cents delivered at the
factory.
1T is fact that the supply of old
rubber Is not equal to the demand. 1t
Is found advantageous to mix old
rubber with new in manufacturing
many articles. New rubber is too
heavy, for one thing, to form the en-
tire composition, and then Of late
years the supply Of new rubber has
| been growing smaller each season.
che situation will improve in time for
immense rubber plantations have been
started and old ones renewed, but It