GERMANY SHORT Of RUBBER.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 6, 22 January 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

GERMANY SHORT Of RUBBER.

GRAYK MISTAKE MADE BY EMDEA'S i APTALN.

IW.-lNKAin.h DAI I'LESHIPS

ABE THEY NEAR AT HAND?

When (he Ennl.n f nt th? British sti aiiifi- 11. ;h:s I uiiie ii.iiioin oi Ulu

.\. ,1 '1 :i 11 ,>i ■:>.. : '.,, 1;i "i:i ti 10 th«" i< rmei Illiule ;' -ei'li'lis >lll iglO lllllllilil' l'U' w h c 1 the m inn v i'\|h-i is 01 I' - own riitio.'i ( 111 haidiv ln:\ ■ |i:tr<loii. d h in. 111, | o ss (,i I-! "I LOU'- ol 1 i!ii.n-r eIIU.I----.,,i 1 \- Hi,. iiic:<it'll« eiiilvd a 1- liipii:ar\ sh 11 ,ag<> 111 ill;. lini mi nuiKet and >n- :■ a. ni.l iv s»-ni 1111 (lie ;>: n•• bin neyoiul

tl'i'.l il .11 HO u «f a!tc -i tills Count IV (wnt'-s Juliii McKna i. clta nn:in ui tiiKuliiicr (>ii n i :> .Wncation in " Reyonl'.i.s' "). To (-.'! main', however. The cargo would have I em of in --tuna Me value, for I'liM pi-, like notrr/I. i s going in lie one el the deciding fa< tors in this war. on'-ide what might l>» t rmed the purely military a-pect of it. Ccj-ni'iiiy i,; badly 'n ned of rubber, an,l i< now in ! lip fir-t stages of :i in >- )„■■;■ i'amiiip. if wo are to In-Hevc the r :•■ nr new* from Berlin thai taxi ami private inoior owners are unable to replace iln.il' tyres. England i,;i> not at first aliv e to tlteimnni'iani e of w bat 1 might term ihe ruiiiier weapon. Even as late 1 as tle> beginning nl ><':>:■ inlht largo manufacturing firms in (Jermiuv tried to secure supplies of crude rubber through Holland, showing thai Germany, at any rate. «as alive to ii- importance. Tin -o immediately concerned in the trade in this country, too. r .ilised its \alue in the campaign, and. with a patriotism that de erv< s every commendation, il'p.v placed documentary proofs < f tl-e 'lV'ttonic seh mc: hen-re the Briti-h Government'. 'I be r .suit was that _ shipnieiits of the near countries of Europe were immediately stopped, and rubber wa.s in the lir t institute liln* 1 1 ".i the list of conditional coiitrnband. then lat-.-r on gaz tted definitely as absolute contralxind. In spite nl the proliibiI'on. one ship left a port on ti;e l-> ' Coast with a snail shipment f<-r n place i'i Scandinavia, and but for tluaction <>f on-- of Jelliene's vigilant watchdogs in pending it back, it is quite possible- that (;•< runny indirectly would have repleni-h d \\' r supplie- to fonie extent, A Dutch vessel was al-o puile| up in ti;e Mediterranean by a I'Veii'li wan-hip. and although (be cargo was the prop; ny of an Englisbtnan. ii is escorted into Algiers h cans- the port cf destination was not an English one. Eve" when Antwerp fell, Gertuany failed to get any fresh Mtpplic-. though the port on the Sheldt. next lo London, was prolnblv the most itiinoii'tant mark-' t in Kurop . for the sale ol crude rublier until tiie wai broke out. HefVi'e Hie British and Belgians e\.vnatrd it a-H its i;fo \ of rubber, save an insignificant quantity of an inferior quality, was removed to London. USEFULNESS OF RUBBER. Laymen, perhaps, do net realise th<* ■extent to which irublier is used in modern warfare. It is really surprising. Fip-t of all. in a but,-] campaign, there come the motor transports, without which the armies »miild not be adequate f d with either feed or ammunition. Sp"ed here is evrvthing. The German army, deprived of it« rubKer would be reducerl to the condition of Pharaoh's army in the Red Q ei without iff chariot v.l ]<•., Tn aerial trans. port. tin. it is an -sscntial. fr-r it enters largely into the construction ot both airships and aeroplanes. Now take the needs of the private Fehlier. When the bad weathrr began to fill t'he British trencher with wat.r. orders were phf-ed by th e War Office for rainproof cround sheets to such an extent that all rubber manufacturers throughout the United Kingdom who could undertake a fih are in a big contract have ben kept hnsv. Waterproof capes. cloaks, and s.a<ld'e coveys were also freely ordered. The Army Council have not yet adopted rubber Wellington boots for the roldiers in tlio trenches, but the Rubber Growers' Association are themselves 'raining funds to present a large number of then in order to test the'r value in affording comfort and pie erring the health of the soldiers. Take next the case of the wounded in hospital. Here, again rubber comes into use in providing hoc water bottles and various kinds of surgical goods that can bo packed in hv s bulk than articles made from any other .substance. RUBBER AT SEA. As regards the men on duty in tho North Sea. rubber boots and waterproof garments are provided, and hot water bottle: in hospital. The most recent application, as many people am already aware, is in the form of a rubber collar, which every man in. the Navy will keep on him, ready for inflation as an aid to swimming if tragedy should overtake his ship. In ship construction, too, rubber \e very ext nsively used. For instance, for all doors required for watertight compartments. washers, linings, and [lacking- of rubber are absolute necessities. This applies more particularly to submarines, in tb i building of which npfcial attention must be given to make the craft both watertight and airtight. Rubber is the article used to give it that resistance. !t.> u-e at sea. moreover, has by no means reached its limit. There are even enthusiasts who claim that a six-inch sheathing of rubber would make a battleship immune from torpedo attack and mine explosion, and enable i: penetrati into any minefield without fear of dvas'cr. but the Admiralty has decides] that a state of actual warfare is no time for an experiment. Another development is the nianufaclur ■ of an aev.ite ! or cellular rublier. which, ha- an extreme buoyancy. Its spon-ors claim, with what justification remains to be seen, that if th-e huge White Star liner Olympic had between its two -kilts a packing of this form r* material, it would lie too buoyant to Pink.

Some people, more gi nerally the unenlightened, think Germany may try to overcome her rubber cdiortage hy setling luT ehi mists to the task of producing synthetic, rubber. Hut rubber growers, if you put the point to them. will toll you that "' It's a long, long way to Tipperary." and they will proceed to raise a chuckle by informing you that the last attempt to produce synthetic nihebr was by making extractions from artichokes grown at Tipperary!