RECLAMATION OF RUBBER

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23714, 12 August 1942, Page 4

RECLAMATION OF RUBBER

CANTERBURY’S WAR EFFORT The reclamation of rubber and paper now makes a big contribution to New Zealand's war clTort, and the rubber reclamation plant Ivin:; erected in Canterbury is expected to be in full ■■ working order early in September. The '• building covers 8500 square feet, and : the plant when in full working order will produce two tons of reclaimed rubber every 34 hours, or approximately 500 tons a year. The processes of manufacture are to cut the wire !, beads out, grind up the whole tyre into material resembling rolled oats. , This is then subjected to extra treat- ” ment in the dcvulcaniser. The cotton fibres are destroyed and the residue, after treatment, is a plastic rubber, which, while Incitin'; about half the tensile strength of a compound made •• of good plantation robber, is useful for many purposes. Robber is not asked to work to more than perhaps 10 per \ cent, of its potential capacity, and reclaimed rubber is a very satisfactory I substitute for many lines of rubber : goods, such as moulded goods, rubber • soles, gnniboots. and cycle lyre treads, i In the United Slates of America it is being used 100 per cent, for retreading passenger tyres. The rubber reclamation “dump” in ’ Christchurch shows the amount of 1 rubber that, instead of being sent to ! this depot, would otherwise have been i used for lighting fires or thrown on i to the rubbish heap. There is an infinite variety of articles in the collection sent in and these are being ; sorted and graded by volunteer labour. In one categorv are crepe and rubber soles from thousands of tennis shoes, the next is mostly comprised of inner .1 tubes, the third includes discarded hoti water bottles, bathing caps, jam-jar ’■ rings, gloves, etc., while in the fourth are goloshes, gumboots, rubber mats, j garden hose, etc. A big stack of tyres it represents real value in the opinion i of the reclaimers and these vary in :: size from the bicycle and motor-cycle tyre to the big mass of rubber_wejghing one hundredweight that is used by heavy tractors. Two of these were I sent in by the Heathcote County * Council. Already 16 tons of tyres r have been sent to the reclamation plant and 18 tons are awaiting dispatch. ; Yesterday another big consignment Was received from the country" districts, in response to an appeal made i jby Mrs W. Deans to residents of the - foarfleld district. ? Big quantities of paper have already ( been received and after this has been ? sorted by the Salvation Army at J Addington it will be dispatched to - Mataura for treatment.