The Bismarck tribune., 1919-04-03
PLANT
FOR BISMARCK?
tbs I POSSIBLE
Trend of Tire Business West.
Ward Brings Hope of
New Industry Here
CAPITAL AL IS INTERESTED
Prominent Financiers Have Been
in City Looking Over
Advantages '
CAPITAL IS INTERESTED

A rubber tire plant for Bismarck
is one of the possibilities which the
reconstruction period holds in store
for the capital city. Representatives
of eastern capital have been. here du.-
ing the past two days looking over TIE
advantages this location offers. They
are satisfied that the cheap Ignite
fuel which abounds in this region, the
transportation facilities and geo.
graphical situation of Bismarck will
commend this city as a Site
Tire and rubber men are doing bus.
mess under new creed, d new dec.
laration OF independence, and in the
making OF that declaration cities
throughout the West are vying for
honors as the leading-role performer.
Henceforth American rubber manu-
facturers can crook their fingers with
impunity at the former importers
monopoly: There'll~ be no kick back
from the monopolists. The monopoly
is all lin. It's a "has BEEN" And
there's about as much danger OF its
coming back" as there is OF the
former crown prince of Germany run.
ming for president on the prohibition
ticket. War did the same thing for
the monopoly that it did for the Hoh-
enzollerns. 81
Freedom OF manufacturers from the
clique Of importers who for more than
generation have monopolizedy the,
raw rubber trade of the world will
mean that Pacific ports are to main.
tain their status gained during the
war-as the ports of entry of IS per
cent of the raw rubber output of the
world. It means that fleet of rub
eber boats will ply regularly between
Pacific ports and the rubber zone of
the tropics; that strip of raw rub
her will stretch-in box cars-daily
from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
Rubber manufacturers of the east
and west already are rushing their
| repres entatives to Singapore-"Tne
Rubber Capital of the World" Some
have gone so far as to purchase rub
Der plantations in the equatorial re-
gions of the Pacific. English capital
lists have virtually held a monopoly on
these plantations, as well as on the
wild rubber forests, and prior to the
war the worlds supply of rubber had
Z! to pass through London, even while
America was producing Is per cent of
|
Now, agents Of American manufac-
turery on their way to Singapore or
already stationed at the Rubber Cap
ital have instructions to ship direct
through Pacific ports. Among those
en- route to Singapore, is raw rubber
expert from the Gates Rubber Co. of
Denver, who, in addition to shipping
Though Pacific ports 80 per cent Of
I the rubber manufactured west of the
Mississippi river, will advise his Den.
yer house as to the practicability of
purchasing several plantations now
owned by Britons.
Before the war; New York and Lon
don shipping interests, operating in
conjunction with English capitalists
who owned virtually all of the rub
Der plantations of the world, shipped
nearly all of the raw product to Eng
land, whence it was transshipped to
the United States. Thus the New
York-London importing and shipping
monopoly caught the American manu-
facturer coming and going Uncle
Sans rubber industry had to pay the
freight from plantations of the Malay
Peninsula, Asia, Ceylon, Brazil and
the East Iidies to England. It was
'stung' again for the re-haul back
across the Atlantic before and after
manufacture. '..-
But when Hun subs declared an op-
en- season on shipping, and John Bull
started to tighten up on all cargoes
except food and war necessities, lit.
tie raw rubber began drifting into the
United States by way of Pacific ports.
And by the time America sat in on
the war game every ounce of rubber
\ entering this country came in through
these ports. The quantity was limit.
tied. however, by the governments
cargo conservation measures. Also,
Eas further conservative measure, the
4 administration fixed a price of 81
cents pound on raw rubber at time
when Singapore brokers were Offer
| ing it at % cents A. pound without a
bid for the enormous stores on hand.