Evening star., 1925-12-26

Speaker Loneworth of the House
OF Representatives declares that the
British monopolistic methods in cor
nering rubber exports amount to a
crime" Secretary of Commerce
Hoover declares that within The last
year the British monopolistS have
Souged from American consumers
of rubber not less than 500, 100000
excess over what they themselves
had conceded to be a fair price.
Congress will investigate the
British market control and report
upon its unfairness: but so long as
the British government enforces
penalties TO prevent increase of pro-
duction and limits exports TO a fixed
percentage per acre. there will he
no increase of availa bic rubber.
Experts state that the average cost
Of production ranges from is TO 20
cents per pound. the producers,
year or two ago. conceded that 35
cents A pound in London was a fair
price" Within the last few months
the price in the London market has
jumped eight times. until it reached
S1.28 pound. 1t is now around SS
cents, because some of the dealers
have foreseen break through the
ndigna lion of the world of consum-
ers. and. according to official OBJ
servers, have begun to unload.
1t takes at least seven years for a
newly planted rubber plantation to
come into profitable production. That
is not longer than it requires for a
young apple orchard. but there never
has been such a sudden dema nd for
apples as there has been in recent
wears for the new product-rubber.
Britain produces 20 per cent of the
rubber of the world and the United
States uses 30 per cent of the world
production. hence the market crisis
lies between Great Britain and the
United States.
The t'irestone interests lin which 1t
is understood Henry Ford is a prom-
nent factor, are developing great
rubber pla ntat ton in Liberia. Africa
but it will be nearly a decade before
that can materially help. Who can
foresee what will be the demand long
before that development natures?
Rubber experts say that the British
monopoly and its eXtortions are a
world challenge to science TO invent a
synthetic rubber, which will have all
the qualities OF the genuine. but which
can be produced out of substitute ma
teriaIs. Scientists may show how to
make rubber" out of cornstalks or
maguey fiber, mixed with oil. molasses
and blue, and vulca niZed with sulphur.
1t was an American, Charles Good
year, who. 80 years ago, first found
method of vulca nizing india rubber
gum and making it hard, elastic and
useful. 1t had been but A curiosity
before 1t was another American, Ma
tina MEL Hayward who improved its
lasting toughness. Shall the descend
ay,tc Of fhnSo nippaprS in rllhhpr nrO-
duction surrender to foreign mo-
nopoly without progressing with a
synthetic substitute?
x
Car wheels made of pa per are harder
and tougher than wheels of the best
OF steel. Flivver tires may be better
OF synthetic material than of Good
year rubber.
During the World War the Germans
used metal wheels set on springs in
the tires, for they could not get rub
Der tires. In London, when gasoline
supply was short. great "featherbeds'
filled with fuel gas were mounted on
top of automobiles and supplied the
power Necessity. the mother OF In
vention, still lives.
Must automobiles forever run on
tired wheels just because vehicles
have been on wheels for three dec
AIDES? There appears no reason Tor
assuming that they cannot be put on
caterpillar" hands. such az proved
efficient for carrying tanks in the war,
regardless of any obstacles. The
bands may be Of fiber. soft and re
silent Added springs and shock abb
sorbers may eventually displace the
air-filled tires. So suggests resource
full Yankee inventor from the same
State that produced Goodyear and
HAYWARD.
There are many ways of meeting
the rubber monopoly besides waiting
A decade for trees to grow. The rub
ber restrictions and resulting high
prices, says Mr.. Hoover, may be
countered by greater economy in the
saving Of tires BY automobiles, even
without reducing mileage. This sug-