RATIONED RUBBER

With the papers full of the shortage of rubber, crude, synthetic and scrap, this has a timely interest. The military, civilian and political relations to rubber are immense. The complications are so involved that no one set of facts and figures are acceptable. This book attempts to clear the atmosphere. It provides an interesting background on the whole question of rubber:- history, development, story of patents, manufacturing, etc. It analyzes the relation of crude to synthetic rubber and blames the government for the failure to accumulate a reserve of crude rubber and to facilitate the production of synthetic rubber. The authors chide Thurman Arnold for his attack on oil and rubber manufacturers' failure to produce synthetic rubber. They quote figures and statistics with assurance. It will be interesting to check this against the promised government survey. Given some good ideas on how to conserve tires, etc. In spite of the national interest in the subject, this book fails to catch the interest, and we question its wide appeal.