October i, 1906.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



29 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN AKRON. 



BY A KESIUBNT CORRIJSPONDKNT. 



TO THE KniTOR OK Thk India Ri'hdkr World : Mr. 

 Francis H. Holton during September celebiated the 

 sixtieth anniversary of his connection witli the ruljber Inisi- 

 ness. lie came to Akron in 1S87 to become superintendent 

 of one of the departments of The B. K. Goodrich Co. 's fac- 

 tory, and has since remained here, and is now leading a life 

 of leisure. 



The Puncture I'roof Tire Co. (Cleveland, Ohio), will erect 

 a large factor\- in Akron for the manufacture of its tire, the 

 invention of God fried Knadler, formerly of Akron, and now 

 being manufactured by the Stein Double Cushion Tire Co. 

 Mr. Knadler was connected with the rubber department of 

 the Whitman it Harnes Manufacturing Co. when he invented 

 the puncture jiroof tire. About a month ago the Puncture 

 Proof Tire Co. was incorporated, with |;ioo,ooq capital, for 

 the manufacture of these tires. The new tire has no inner 

 tube, and is claimed to require no attention after being put 

 on an automobile, until cut to pieces or worn out. 



Fearing that it maj' lose the branch of the Faultless Rubber 

 Co., the city council of Ashland, Ohio, passed an ordinance 

 opening a street to the company's plant in that city, which 

 it has been fighting for the past three years. Kecenth' a 

 report was given out by the company that it was to merge 

 its Akron and Ashland plants into one. The location of this 

 plant has not been decided on, and both Akron and Ashland 

 are bidding for it. 



The Buckeye Rubber Co. are e.xperiencing difficulty in 

 securing concessions from the Akron council. The com- 

 pany have made arrangements for the erection of a large 

 number of sheds adjoining their plant, and have asked the 

 council to vacate a portion of the street on which the plant 

 abuts and upon which to erect these sheds. The scheme has 

 met a stumbling block in the way of damage claims which 

 have been filed, amounting to J 12,000. 



Mr. n. S. I'^irestone, president of the I'Mrestone Tire and 

 Rubber Co., left recently for a six weeks' tour of Furope. 

 He was accompanied by his wife. 



Mr. Harrj' H. Replogle, department manager of the Cana- 

 dian Rubber Co. of IMontreal, was married on September 15 

 to Miss Gertrude Stone, the daughtei of Mrs. Laura Stone, 

 of Akron. 



Thirtj' branch managers and traveling salesmen of The B. 

 F. Goodrich Co. held a three days' conference, at the first of 

 the month, with the local sales managers. The tire branch 

 of the trade was the only one represented and discussed in 

 the conference, and plans were laid for the coming year after 

 suggestions were heard from the various managers and 

 salesmen. It was announced after the conference that there 

 will be no general changes in tires this coming season, ex- 

 cept wherein improvements can be made in perfecting the 

 present styles. 



The Diamond Rubber Co. will send a small army of expert 

 tire men to be in attendance at the Vanderbilt Cup races 

 next month. There will be 52 men present, representing 

 the conipanj', who are expert tire repair men. The corps of 

 Clifford B. Myers, who had charge of the corps of men sent 

 by the company to the former Vanderbilt races and also who 

 attended the Gordon Bennett races in France. 



The Rubber Trading Co. (New York) will no longer have 



a resident representative in this cit3^ I. C. Alden who has 

 been the resident representative of the companj' in this city 

 for a number of years has ceased to be connected with the 

 compau}', and the trade will in the future be visited by R. B. 

 Baird, vice president of the company. 



The Williams Foundry and ISIachine Co. are enjoying a 

 prosperous business in the rubber trade. Tvarge orders have 

 been filled for cores and moulds to he delivered to the Dia- 

 mond Rubber company. 



During the present month the Independent Tire and Rub- 

 ber Co. was incorporated, with a nominal capital stock of 

 Jrooo. The company was incorporated bj- attorneys of 

 Akron, and after it is fully organized, it is reported, the 

 ca])ita! stock be increased to several hundred thousand 

 dollars. 



Recently the Panama Crude Rubber Co. was organized in 

 a similar way, the real organizers keeping in the back 

 ground. It has been rumored among the trade that the two 

 incorporations mean the formation of one large rubber com- 

 pany. The former was organized for the purpose, it is said, 

 of securing leases on large rubber plantations, which will 

 ultiiuatel>' result in the company furnishing to the Indepen- 

 dent Tire and Rubber Co. all of the crude rubber needed for its 

 consumption. 



Mr. Charles C. Groodrich, assistant general superintendent 

 of The B 1'". Goodrich Co., has been elected to the office of 

 councilman at large in the city council. The members of 

 the council agreed unaniniousl3f on Mr. Goodrich to fill the 

 vacancy in the council. 



Mr. F. G. Carnahan, of the C.oodyear Tire and RubberCo., 

 is at the head of the United States Spirit Co., of Akron, 

 recently incorporated w'ith $1 15,000 capital. The company 

 e.xpects to manufacture denatured alcohol. 



Mr. James A. Braden has resumed the position of adver- 

 tising manager of The Diamond RubberCo., which he re- 

 signed a year or two ago to enter another line of business. 



On vSeptember 24 J. A. Johnston, R. A. Baldwin, and 

 James Strictler filed suit in the I'ranklin county common 

 pleas court against the Midgelc}- Manufacturing Co., of Co- 

 lumbus, Ohio, asking for the appointment of a receiver and 

 that another election of officers or directors be held. The 

 petitioners set up that Thomas iMidgeley, as president of the 

 companj', is acting in the interest of the Rubber Goods 

 Manufacturing Co., and that he has procured the election of 

 men as directors who likewise work for the furtherance of 

 the rubber company. It is charged that they have at- 

 tempted to depreciate the stock of the companj', with a view 

 to buying it in at less than its real worth. John C. Squiers, 

 in another suit, has also asked for the appointment of a re- 

 ceiver. An injunction is asked for, restraining any sale of 

 shares of the Midgelej' company to members of the rubber 

 trust. 



Mr. Strong Vincent Xorton, assistant to C. C. Goodrich, 

 of The B. F. Goodrich Co., was married recently to Miss 

 Florence Lj'on, whom he met while a student in the Univer- 

 sitj' of Chicago, where she was a teacher of botanj'. 



Later. — The Faultless Rubber Co. will remove its Akron 

 plant to .■\shland and consolidate all its manufacturing 

 there. The companj- 's plant at Ashland will include the 

 factory formerlj' occupied bj' the Pneumatic Horse Collar 

 Companj-. 



