JAPANESE BAN ON LEATHER

Evening Star, Issue 23129, 1 December 1938, Page 10

JAPANESE BAN ON LEATHER

SHOES FROM SHARKSKINS WOODEN CLOGS BOOM At the time when war exigencies are almost daily curtailing the list of raw ! materials which may be used for civilian consumption, unusual interest was attracted by the recent conference of the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, which was attended by some 500 physicists, chemists, and mathematicians. Now that staple fibre clothing, paper , suitcases, sharkskin bags, and whaleskin shoes are' on the order of the day the scientists naturally devoted a good deal of attention to the question of finding practical substitutes for those raw materials which are on the forbidden list. NEW RESEARCH. . Two scientists, Mr Sanetsu Sai and Dr Kurazo Fukagawa, expounded at length a new method of treating sharkskin, with the aid of formaldehyde solution, together with hydrochloric acid. This, according to the scientists, will remove scales more quickly, prevent jollification, and hasten the process of tanning. Sharks abound in Japanese waters, and their skins are considered a potentially valuable source of raw material for shoes, belts, bags, and other articles v which are usually made of leather.

Various moans of distilling alcohol, which will henceforward be mixed with gasoline, were also discussed at the conference. Among the sources of alcohol, sweet potatoes, rice polishings, _ and chrysanthemum bulbs were mentioned as showing special promise. Another subject or practical research was the removal of the barnacles which regularly encrust the hull of a ship, slow up its progress, and to make necessary drydocking operations. An effort is being made discover a long-wear-ing paint which will neutralise the barnacles. „ COTTON RESTRICTIONS. Recent decrees forbidding the use of any cotton for textiles to be worn in

Japan (with the exception of a limited amount of goods made of a mixture of cotton and staple fibre, which will be sold on a ticket system to farmers and labourers), banning leather for shoes, and further restricting the use of iron, have spurred the search for substitutes. Besides sharkskin, whaleskin, pigskin, cowhide, and sheepskin are being recommended as material for shoes. There is also a move to use more widely the getas, or wooden clogs, which are still worn by many Japanese, especially of the poorer classes; and a boom on the geta market is reported. The manufacture of staple fibre is growing by leaps and hounds, and may in time rival the spectacular growth of the Japanese rayon industry, which

now leads the world. The output of staple fibre rose from 25,000 metric tons in 1936 to 60,000 tons in 1937, and is expected to reach 150.000 tons during the present year. A partial list of the raw material substitutions which are being advocated and which are already in force is as follows; Staple fibre, reclaimed cotton and wool for raw cotton and wool; pulp from various plants (mulberry bark, reeds, soya bean stalks, etc.) for wood pulp; synthetic petrol and alcohol for natural petrol; synthetic and reclaimed rubber for crude rubber; sea animal skins and. artificial leather for hides and leather; aluminium for copper and tin; artificial resin for lacquer and natural resin,