August i, 1907.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



351 



THE RUBBER TRADE AT AKRON. 



BY A RESIDENT CORRESPONDENT. 



•T'HE Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. are erecting an additional 

 •* building, four stories, 90 X 44 feet. Their tire manufacture 

 has increased to such proportions that their present buildings 

 are no longer adequate. 



Twenty-three of the Firestone company's traveling salesmen 

 met here on July 9, for their annual convention. The officials 

 of the company entertained their men handsomely. Late in the 

 afternoon the entire party journeyed to Cleveland, where they 

 witnessed the departure of the Gliddcn automobile tour entries 

 the next morning. During their gathering it was ascertained 

 that the company's sales have been greater during the past year 

 than in their whole history before. 



As the Glidden tourists passed the home of Mr. H. S. Fire- 

 stone, president of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co., near 

 Columbiana, they were treated to baskets of lunch, served from 

 a large tent erected on the lawn. The homestead was the birth- 

 place of Mr. Firestone and his brother, the company's sales man- 

 ager. 



Frank H. Burmester has severed his connection with the Bur- 

 mester Rubber Co., of Boston, to accept the position of New 

 England traveling representative for the Firestone company. 



The four story office building which is being erected at the 

 corner of South Main and Rubber streets for The B. F. Good- 

 rich Co. is nearing completion. The structure will be one of 

 the best finished office buildings in Akron, and will probably cost 

 $roo,ooo. The five story factory building on the opposite corner 

 is also well under way. This structure will be used for the 

 manufacture of molded rubber goods. With these new buildings 

 the Goodrich company will have a floor area of 17 acres. 



Progress upon the erection of the plant of the newly in- 

 corporated Star Rubber Co. has been rapid, and it is expected 

 that the main building, which will be three stories in height and 

 100 X 50 feet, will be completed within a few weeks. Officials 

 of the company state that they will be ready to begin operations 

 by the middle of September. 



The Diamond Rubber Co. are planning to pay more attention 

 to their foreign trade. Mr. Charles T. Wilson has sailed for 

 London for the purpose of pushing the Diamond's sales in 

 Europe. After studying the English field, Mr. Wilson intends 

 to give his attention to France and Germany. He is an experi- 

 enced tire man, having been connected with the Diamond com- 

 pany for years, during part of which time he has been abroad. 



The ."^kron Pneumatic Tire and Protector Co., formed to 

 manufacture the new puncture proof automobile tire invented by 

 Lemon Grcenwald, has been incorporated, and is already engaged 

 in manufacturing the tire in a building on West Buchtel ave- 

 nue. Many orders have been secured, and the company has 

 bright prospects. The incorporators are W. J. Neil, J. S. Mc- 

 Clurg, Frank R. Talbot, W. R. Talbot, and Lemon Greenwald. 

 Tire protectors and ordinary pneumatic tires are also being put 

 out by the new concern. [See The India Rubber World, July 

 I, 1907— page 313.] 



The Buckeye Rubber Co. will erect a large building, 224 X 4° 

 feet, as an addition to their present plant. 



One of the most enjoyable events of the year in local rubber 

 circles, was the picnic of the Diamond Rubber Co.'s employes, 

 held at Silver Lake on Saturday, July 13. The gate records 

 showed that 8.000 people were in attendance, and nearly 5,000 of 

 these had their expenses, including transportation to and from 

 the lake, admission to the dancing pavilion, boating, and so on, 

 borne by the company. 



Mr. Charles C. Goodrich, whose intended removal to the East 

 has been mentioned, will in consequence resign the position of 

 junior warden of the Church of Our Saviour at Akron. .-Xt a 



recent meeting of the church vestry Mr. Goodrich was presented 

 with a beautiful loving cup. 



Portions of several streets in Akron are to be vacated, by 

 action of the city council, in compliance with the requests of 

 manufacturing concerns desirous of enlarging their premises. 

 Rubber street will be vacated on the request of the B. F. Good- 

 rich Co., who own all the adjacent property, and Third avenue 

 will be vacated at the instance of the Buckeye Rubber Co., who 

 agree to open another street in that locality. 



THE RUBBER TRADE AT SAN FRANCISCO. 



BY A RESIDENT CORRESl'ONDENT. 



r^ESPITE the more or less unsettled condition of San Fran- 

 '-^ Cisco affairs, in many directions, the outlook for the rubber 

 supply houses appears promising, and all are doing a good busi- 

 ness. 



Mr. E. H. Parish, of the Gorham Rubber Co., will start for 

 the Orient about August 8. They report business very good, espe- 

 cially in the automobile line, and better this year than for some 

 time past. Mr. W. J. Gorham is down in Los .'\ngeles in charge 

 of the branch store, while Mr. E. Helm is gone East. 



The Phoenix Rubber Co., at Nos. 115-117 Beal street, report 

 business exceedingly good, and have also done well in the auto- 

 mobile trade, and up to the present time have all they can do. 



Mr. H. W. Keffer, formerly of the Gorham Rubber Co., is 

 now city salesman for the Sterling Rubber Co., handling the 

 druggists' sundries line exclusively. 



Mr. Squires, formerly of Barton, Squires & Byrne, is now 

 in the rubber business for himself, having secured a number of 

 eastern lines to represent on the Pacific Coast. He has recently 

 made a trip along the southern coast of California and suc- 

 ceeded in landing some good orders. 



The Goodyear Rubber Co. continue to report a steadily in- 

 creasing business. Mr. R. H. Pease, the president, is preparing 

 to leave for Portland to look out for the company's branch 

 store, as well as have a pleasant change for his family during 

 the summer. 



The George P. Moore Co., at No. 721 Golden Gate avenue, 

 are doing a good business in automobile supplies and are con- 

 stantly receiving orders from the country, especially from places 

 ordinarily considered out of the way, such as Idaho and Mon- 

 tana, where one would hardly expect to find many automobiles, 

 and the greatly increased demand for supplies shows the great 

 increase in that industry and the consequent increase in the rub- 

 ber business. 



The Fisk Rubber Co., at No. 1036 Golden Gate avenue, report 

 an active business, and are pleased with the bright outlook for 

 the summer season. The car which won the fifty mile race at 

 Delmonte was equipped with Fisk tires. 



The California Antioak Tire and Motor Co. has been in- 

 corporated at Los Angeles. 



The San Juan Rubber Co., with headquarters at Los Angeles, 

 have been incorporated under the laws of California, to plant 

 rubber in Costa Rica. 



Representatives of the Builders' E.xchangc, Real Estate Board, 

 and Building Trades Council have adopted a resolution favoring 

 a wage schedule in the building trades, to be adjusted by a joint 

 committee, signed for three years, and published broadcast. 

 There are some indications that such a course may be carried 

 out. The signing of such an agreement as that indicated by the 

 resolution, which would assure three years of certainty to in- 

 vestors and contractors and reasonable wages, would give a great 

 impulse to construction. Kt present there is no such assurance. 

 If an agreement is reached the element of uncertainty will be 

 obliterated, money will be easier, owners will be encouraged 

 to improve their property, work will be plentiful, and general 

 prosperity will ensue. 



