The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-08-22

Cotton for centuries was the
scandal of the world because it
spelled human slavery. Today rub
Ter Is the scandal of the world be-
'ause it makes the consciences Of
twentieth century men as callous
rs slave-holding ever did.
The civilized world rose against
Belgian rule in the Kongo because
If the unspeakable outrages COM
nitted on the blacks of that coun-
ry all for-RUBBER.
A few years ago an American
promoter" with fake rubber
Plantations in Mexico swindled
ems of thousands of school teach
RS and others out of millions of
iollars.
Today rubber is in high finance
md in politics and doing Satan
work marvelously we'll in both.
rubber was the dirtiest linen in
Aldrich's tariff bill, as Bristow
ihowed, and Che Rhode Island sem
tor failed even in two-column
tatement to wash out the stains.
What is rubber?
Rubber is obtained from the
nilk juice of the rubber tree 1t
not the true sap. but a secretion
which is not essential to the life
the plant. Cuts of such a depth
hat the wood is untouched are
lade in the bark, and through
hese wounds the milk" flows
alto cups placed to receive it.
The natives coagulate this
TT" &" '-a~i0ue WAYS. soma
times by heating it over an open
fire and occasionally by rubbing it
over their arms, chests and legs.
A wooden paddle-bladed tool is
dipped in the pan of liquid, and
when drawn out it is covered with
sticky substance. This is held
n the smoke until the rubber is
ry. This process is continued I'M
Il the blade forms a center of a
all of considerable size.
The annual yield of one tree is
rom two to seventeen pounds. The
rees are usually tapped at sun
Use, when the milk" is supposed
run more freely. The first in
isions are made about six feet
rom the ground and each succeed
ng day incisions are made lower
Town until the ground is reached.
The product of the rubber tree
gathered in India, Africa and
;outh America. Rubber forests
# vast extent are being constant
discovered in these countries.
specially in the Kongo, Africa;
Bolivia and other countries in
south America. The largest guam
ity and best quality of rubber is
furnished by the province of Para,
Brazil, and all other varieties of
he article are not to be COM
jared with it.
Columbus, after his second voy-
ge to America, speaks of the in
labitants of Haiti amusing them
selves with rubber balls. In 1915
IN book published in Madrid the
author described a tree in Mexico
which yielded rubber, also the
method used in collecting it and
told how it was made into shoes.
The first shipment Of rubber
into the United States was in
1900. The manufacture of rub
Der began in 1920. Surgeons and
chemists began to use 1t about
that time, then Chas. Mcintosh, a
Scotch chemist, invented the
waterproof coat, which still bears
his name.
In 1852 Boston sea captain
imported 500 pairs of rubber boots
made by the natives in Brazil, and
there was great scramble for
them, the captain readily selling
them at SIS pair. During the
15 years following this first impor-
tation, about a million pairs were
sold.
Chas. Goodyear accidentally dis
covered the art of vulcanizing rub
Der; he developed the process and
placed it upon a commercial basis.
In electrical appliances rubber is
almost indispensable as an insulat-
ing material, which is another rea-
son for the wonderful growth of
the industry in the United States.
Statistics show that during the
last decade OF the nineteenth
century the value of the crude
rubber imported into the United
States increased from s1s,o20.s04
n 1891 to ss1,b55,4ss in 1909.