Evening star., 1936-12-05
BY WILLIAM GILMAN.

| Russian and German war machines
would show the world a spectacle of
two nations that had prepared for Just
such an emergency by freeing them
selves from dependence upon the
worldwide rubber monopoly-Russia
by finding a new use for potatoes;
Germany by similar enterprise with
ordinary lime.
Neither nation has rubber planta-
tions. Both have plentiful supplies of
potatoes and lime.
In these two countries, synthetic
rubber has gone far beyond the expert
mental stage. Russian chemists are
making thousands of tons of rubber
from potato-made alcohol. In the
Reich scientists have reached the same
goal by using lime made acetylene.
In either case bit of chemical leg
erdemain called "polymerization"-
making big molecules out of small ones
produces caoutchouc of the same
chemical composition as that found
swimming in the sap of the rubber
tree.
OA 4s4oSSAASs0 NAuSs AAASss
Military observers, without excep-
tion, place this gummy substance,
which becomes "vulcanized" when
heated with sulphur, on the must"
list Of modern warfare materials.
Even If rubber could be dispensed
with in electric insulation, machine
beltings, footwear, raincoats, balloons
it would still be necessary as petro-
leum's comrade-in-arms in running
modern war machinery. Motorized
armies mean rubber tires. And rubber
tires devour half Of the rubber pro-
duced these days.
Its importance is stressed by the
enthusiasm with which Russia and
Germany have gone ahead to free
themselves of a ch-English mo-
nopoly that controls more than IS
per cent of the rubber produced, both
as to price and quantity. The United
States, incidentally, is the biggest GUS
tomer-and victim. It uses half Of the
million tons Of crude rubber pro-
duced annually.
Russia's program Is particularly
significant. Director o Osipov-Schmidt
of the Russian rubber industry says
consumption next year will be second
only to that of the United States.
And it will all be homemade. says
Schmidt.
5000 Tons Made in 1888.
According to Schmidt, 5000 tons of
the synthetic product. "sopvrene,"
were produced in 1888, but this year
will see an output of 10000 tons
equaling Russia's estimated 1896 i'm
ports Of crude rubber from the Orient.
Thus Russia is speeding to become
the worlds third largest rubber pro-
ducer-below only Holland and Great
Britain, which have q billiou-dollar
investment In their rubber-tre in
dustry.
Russians concede that their syn
thetic product Is still high In cost.
They blame high costs upon poor po-
tato crops. But next year they are
hoping for an output Of 20 tons Of
potatoes per acre. where 1t has been
only Z.
There are conflicting points of view
regarding synthetic rubber. Schmidt
asserts that "sovprene" lengthens the
life Of tire. Rubber men In other
countries say it Is almost worthless.
The truth may be in between. A
few years ago the detractors were
equally scornful when America fought
high prices by reclaiming old rubber.
This met with 50 much adverse prop
aganda that to this day most ma
tions have little faith In the re-
claimed product, although It was
good enough to supply 20 per cent
Of our needs last year and has gone
up Is high ~ so per cent.
German Product "Buna".
Meanwhile, Germany counts on
''buna," . synthetic rubber made in
The same way - "sovprene" except
that the butadiene transformed into
caoutchouc comes from acetlyene
rather than alcohol. Here too, the
substitute Is expensive, costing about |
i've. times as much aSSaw rubber.
Ersats" rubber ins bartims win b J