Evening star., 1942-07-15
81 Million Boost
.|n'43Tire0utput
Seen by 0i|men
Forish, Standard Chief,
Reveals Two Faster
Synthetic Processes
By THOMAS r. HENRY.

Newly QeVelOpeu meGnOQS Dy
which it may be possible to get as
much as 100000 extra tons Of
synthetic rubber for about 34,-
100000 more tires in the next 18
months were described by w. S.
Parish, president of the Standard
Oil Co. of New Jersey before a
House mines subcommittee today.
This will be entirely outside the
Government program for 100000
tons, most of which will be required
for military purposes, and offers the
best hope for replacement of millions
of civilian tires,
In another congressional quarter
Senator Thomas, Democrat, of Okla
homa said he would press legisla-
ton to create an independent Gov
ernment rubber agency despite op-
position from War Production
Chairman Donald M. Nelson.
One method of increasing the
rubber supply is through use of
"fiexon," a newly developed Stand
ard Oil product, which is now be-
ing made in experimental quantities.
It is admittedly not as good as butyl
rubber, which produces tires good
for approximately $4,000 miles under
ordinary driving conditions, but it
does give an appreciable mileage at
reasonably low speeds,
The advantage is that it can be
produced in makeshift equipment
with easily obtained dry ice as a
refrigerant. One of the outstand-
ing difficulties in plant building for
butyl lies in the necessity of carry
ing on the polymerization process at
extremely low temperatures.
Spare Equipment Used.
The other way described by Mr..
Parish is through the Oil industry's
quick butadiene" campaign. The
synthetic hydrocarbon butadiene is
the starting point for the Buna S
and Buna N rubbers which are gen.
orally most satisfactory for tires and
for most military uses. Large scale
manufacture requires expensive
equipment and time to get plants in
operation.
But. Mr.. Parish said, oil COM
panies now are attempting to break
the bottleneck "by using spare
equipment and odds and ends of
junk to patch up temporary facl-
tiles for butadiene manufacture"
Admittedly, Mr.. Parish said, the
rubber made under this make-shift
program will be more expensive
and not so good, but If the de-
velopment is according to expec-
tations it should provide enough
rubber for 100000 automobile
tires which otherwise could not be
produced.
The public should not become too
optimistic, he stressed. Unless the
rubber program can be achieved
there will be few civilian tires left
by next summer.
The Governments 100000 ton
rubber program, he said, will be
neither large enough nor soon
enough for ordinary non-essential
civilian motoring.
Sees Need Underestimated.
Whether it will be large enough
or soon enough for that middle
ground of civilian use of automobiles
which is really necessary" he said.
mo one can tell. My impression Is
that there has been a tendency to
underestimate the amount of rubber
required to meet essential civilian
need"
Following Mr.. Farish's testimony
tho oh ,y,~C
a makeshift chemical laboratory
while DR.. Per K. Froelich, vice pres
ident of Standard Oil and pres
ident-elect of the American Chemi-
cal Society, demonstrated the pro-
duction of both buna and butyl.
The latter demonstration was
especially effective. milky appear
ing liquid changing into a bounce
able rubber in fraction of q sec
ond after DR.. Froelich mixed with
1t small amounts of gas.
Senator Thomas is member of
a Senate agriculture subcommittee
which heard testimony from Mr..
Nelson yesterday. The group has
approved bill introduced by Sena-
tors Gillette, Democrat, of Iowa,
Thomas and others to create the
independent rubber agency to push
rubber production from grain alcohol.
Testimony on Plants.
The subcommittee went into
closed session this morning to hear
M. j. Madigan. special assistant
to the Secretary of War. In charge
of war plant construction, give Sc
cret testimony on the synthetic
rubber program. He asked for the
(See RUBBER, Page Aid