SYNTHETIC RUBBER.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXXIX, Issue 46, 17 January 1913, Page 7

SYNTHETIC RUBBER.

" AS SOON SYNTHETIC BABIES."

Inquiries made in rubber circles in London show that the claim of M. Ostromislcnsky, a young professor of chemistry, at the Imperial Technical School at Moscow, to have solved the problem of making artificial rubber has made no impression whatever on the rubber market (stated the 'Observer' lately). A leading expert in the city confessed that lie was most sceptical on the subject of all such claims.

"You have," he said, "to invent life in order to make rubber. You can't invent plant life. You may invent an egg-powder, but you will 'not get the properties of nn egg. An American put it well when he "said we should have synthetic babies before we get synthetic rubber.

"Even assuming the claim made in the report is true, the inventor does not state how much benzol is required for the manufacture of the rubber; but, putting it at only a gallon for an ounce, this would mean that 35,84X1 gallons would be required for a ton of rubber! It must be remembered also that in the event of a discovery of this description being made the demand for the article from which it is manufactured would be so great as to send it up to prohibitive prices.

"Plantation rubber is to-day from 4s 9d to os 3.Ui pe • pound, and the indications ar" that the prices will remain t airly stable for some time. Japan and China have yet to take up motor traction ; and it is anticipated that the consumption this year will be ahead of rtoe production, but every year the output of rubber is increasing. "If th'S report had solid foundation," added the expert, "we should have had a slump at once; but the price of rubber has gout up instead of down."