Use in the tyre ndustry. more economical in price but also more suitable. In the United States it is largely used in combination with crude rubber in the manufacture of hose and packing, mats, footwear, heels and soles and hard rubber goods. The proportion tends to decrease in times of low prices for crude rubber, but its use is now firmly estab- lished. Both in scrap and reclaimed rubber a certain amount of international trade has grown up, particulars of which are given in Appendix II. 23. As far as can be ascertained, it is only in the United States that reclaimed rubber has been used in the manufacture of tyres. Following the high prices in 1925, when crude rubber touched 1s. 8d. a pound, the tyre manufacturers in the United States pro- duced in 1926, and again in the early part of 1927, large numbers of cheap, second grade outer covers containing a high proportion of reclaimed rubber. It is calculated that for every 100 pounds of crude rubber used in 1926 in tyre manufacture in the United States 20 pounds of reclaimed rubber were used. Experience soon showed that these cheap second grade tyres, which were sold as such, were unsatisfactory and the demand turned in favour of the high quality article. Although the use of reclaimed rubber in the manufacture of tyres in 1926 and 1927 temporarily reduced the lemand for crude rubber, it increased it during 1928 and 1929 through the need for more early renewals. VIII. -MOTOR TYRE INDUSTRY. inter- national rompebi- sion. 24. Competition in international trade in tyres is between seven large companies rather than between industries in different coun- tries. Ome of these is of British origin, Dunlop, one of French, Michelin, and five of United States, Goodyear, Firestone, Good- rich, the United States Rubber Company and Fisk. Two others of note are Pirelli of Italian origin and Englebert of Belgium. There are many smaller manufacturers, but they do not enter argely into international trade and the volume of their oversea rade does not materially affect the position. The seven big com- peting firms all work on the same principle of large scale produc- tion and the establishment of factories in countries overseas. The factories established overseas employ local labour and other ser- vices, but their activities and policy are, in the last resort, directed by the authorities controlling the home or foundation company. These decisions of policy may greatly affect the output and export returns of tyres of a particular manufacturing country from year fo year. 25. Tt would clearly be misleading to ignore the effect of changes of policy on the part of these firms when analysing the statistics of export or import trade of different countries. These are not, however, the only considerations which must be borne in mind n an examination of the national statistics of the trade in tyres.