RECLAIM RUBBER

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 140, 15 June 1944, Page 3

RECLAIM RUBBER

ONLY TYRES AND TUBES

In its plan to recover rubber for reclamation, the National Council for [ the Reclamation of Waste Material has decided, at the instance of the Ministry of Supply, to concentrate on the collection- of tyres and tubes and not to collect sundry rubber goods such as discarded mats, hot water bottles, tennis shoes, rubberised clothing, hosing, etc. These classes were found to contain so much fibre and fillings other than rubber as to make processing costly and uneconomic. Australian, Canadian, and United States sources all report that the demand now centres upon used tyres and tubes for'reclaim work, and the collection of other rubber goods is to be discontinued. Whilst the council has disposed of most of the sundry types to advantage, it has been decided to, dump or destroy the unwanted material in hand, and to limit future efforts to a planned national collection of tyres and tubes only. All used tyres, other than declared stock, according to war regulations, are regarded as the property of the State and should . therefore be handed in or made available to any Waste Reclamation Committee as authorised agents for the Ministry of Supply. :- A large quantity of rubber, mainly old tyres and tubes, has been shipped from Nelson and Wellington during the last five months to the rubber mill at Woolston, near Chrlstchurch. In seven I other large towns large stocks, esti- ! mated at 500 tons of tyres and tubes, have been collected and will be diverted to the South Island. During the past two years committees affiliated to the National Council have supplied over : 2000 tons of waste rubber goods to the I mills at Penrose and Woolston, the former plant being provided with its quota of 1000 tons, sufficient to cover at least 12 months' requirements. The South Island stocks salvaged have not yielded the same tonnages, and North Island collections have had to be drawn upon to meet a weekly usage of 15 tons, which, when reclaimed, provide battery box 'dough' (7000 boxes per month for the Eastern zone—lndia), together with 1,250,000 rubber soles and heels for the Pacific Forces, and heavy soles for gum boots. . \