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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[June i, 1903. 



In this connection it may not be inappropriate to mention 

 the smile of combined amusement and contempt with which 

 Akron tire manufacturers and rubber men in general, read a 

 recent dispatch in the newspapers, dated Colorado Springs, 

 Colorado, purporting to relate the discovery of a method of 

 tanning pigskin by which it became a substitute for rubber 

 — especially so in the construction of tires. Even from the 

 manufacturers' standpoint, however, the dispatch had one re- 

 deeming feature — novelty — rather above the average of " rub- 

 ber substitute" discoveries. 



* * * 



The Akron Machine Co. went into involuntary bankruptcy 

 in the United States circuit court in Cleveland on May 13, and 

 A. II. Commins, of Akron, was appointed receiver and author- 

 ized to continue the factory in operation. The Crucible Steel 

 Co. of America are one of the principal creditors. A statement 

 of the assets and liabilities has not been prepared but it is un- 

 derstood they are in the neighborhood of $60,000 each. This 

 company was not extensively engaged in the rubber machinery 

 line. M. J. Gilbo, the manager, is president and founder of the 

 Rubber Specialty Co.. but the embarrassment of the former 

 company will not affect the latter. The recent failure of the 

 Aultman, Miller & Co. contributed to the difficulty of the 

 Akron Machine Co. 



President O. C. Barber, of the Diamond Match Co., whose 

 connection with the Diamond Rubber Co. has long coupled his 

 name with the rubber trade, spoke of the labor situation in an 

 address at a banquet of local firemen recently in a way which 

 is being much quoted in Akron and elsewhere. " I do not," he 

 said, " wish to be understood as antagonizing labor unions, but 

 the tendency to shorter and shorter work days, it seems to me, 

 is not without its undesirable side to all of us. If you want 

 much, you must labor much. It was true in Lincoln's time and 

 in the time of our greatest men of to-day. They wanted more 

 than could be obtained in 8 hours of labor in 24 and won it." 

 As the talk was addressed to many labor union men it has been 

 much discussed by them. Mr. Barber spent a large part of 

 May in California. 



Colonel George T. Perkins, president of The B. F. Goodrich 

 Co., was president of the Memorial day exercises on May 30. 

 Colonel Perkins has long been depended upon to bear a con- 

 siderable part of the expense and labor incident to the annual 

 decorating of the graves of the soldiers who sleep the sleep 

 that knows no breaking. Colonel Perkins, by the way, has 

 a most honorable war record. He marched with Sherman to 

 the sea and still suffers occasionally from a bad wound received 

 in action at Chattanooga. 



J. VV. Kelley, prominent in the offices of The B. F. Goodrich 

 Co., has been appointed a member of the Akron Public Library 

 board. Mr. Kelley is an advocate of branch libraries and 

 through his efforts one will probably be established soon, con- 

 venient to the factories of the Goodrich and the Diamond Rub- 

 ber companies and other large rubber shops of the southern 

 part of the city. 



The Portage Golf Club opened their season on Saturday 

 afternoon, May 4, the event being a social function of unusual 

 importance locally. Dr. and Mrs. H. H. Jacobs won the chief 

 awards. The club have arranged many more special events 

 for the season than usual. A new course is being laid out to 

 supply the place of the present links, which are now made less 

 desirable by the erection of a summer home by Colonel George 

 T. Perkins. 



The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.'s office is so far from the 

 course of the Portage Golf Club that a number of the employes 

 have formed a golf organization of their own and have arranged 



a small but excellent course not so far from their office but 

 that it may be readily reached when the day's grind is done. 

 Many of the players are also members of the Portage club. 



The national convention of the International Amalgamated 

 Rubber Workers' Union of America, which was scheduled to 

 be held in Akron in June, will not materialize at that time. 

 There is somewhat less interest than formerly and no definite 

 arrangements for the meeting have been made. It may be held 

 in the (all. 



Vice President J. A. Swinehart, of the Colonial Tire and 

 Rubber Co. returned on May 19 after several months in Europe 

 in the interest of that company. He recently closed a contract 

 (or the manufacture in Russia of the Swinehart side wire tire, 

 which this company control in Europe. With whom the con- 

 tract was made is not for the present announced. The Colo- 

 nial company now have contracts for the making of their tire 

 on royalty in all European countries— aside from Great Brit- 

 ain, where the rights are controlled by The B. F. Goodrich Co. 

 — excepting only Belgium. No contract will be made in Bel- 

 gium, the Colonial company doing business there in their own 

 name. They have the tires manufactured for them in France. 

 Mr. Swinehart was given a reception at his home here by a 

 company of friends the evening of May 22. He reports all the 

 European rubber factories exceedingly busy, especially in mak- 

 ing both pneumatic and solid tires. 



The Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. have had the busiest 

 spring in their history and are still working double turn. They 

 are making a large number of 6 inch tires for steam and electric 

 trucks. The need of additional room is being felt and the com- 

 pany's office will probably be moved into another building in 

 order to provide it. 



The Stein Double Cushion .Tire Co. have not completed 

 their tests and experiments with their "Bike" wagon tire 

 which was brought out early the present spring. For their 

 regular tires they have had a good demand. The company are 

 planning to engage also in the manufacture of automobile tires 

 in time for next season's business. 



Charles H. Wheeler, formerly president of The India Rubber 

 Co., has purchased a farm near Kent, ten miles from Akron, 

 and is enthusiastic in its management. He will spend much of 

 the summer there. 



Superintendent Joseph Dangel, of the local plant of the 

 American Hard Rubber Co., sailed from New York, on May 

 28, to visit Mrs. Dangel's mother in Germany. 



Vice President B. G. Work, of The B. F. Goodrich Co., ac- 

 companied by Mrs. Work, is spending several weeks abroad. 

 They will return in June. 



H. E. Raymond, sales manager of The B. F. Goodrich Co., 

 believes with President Roosevelt in working hard when at 

 work and playing with all his might when at play. Following 

 his custom of the past dozen years he will spend July and Au- 

 gust abroad. 



No decision has been reached, it is said, with reference to the 

 rebuilding of the plant of The India Rubber Co., destroyed by 

 fire on March 26. There are rumors that the works are to be 

 reestablished at Brunswick, New Jersey, where the Rubber 

 Goods Manufacturing Co., of which the India Co. area part, 

 have a factory. These are all unverified. Wreckage of the fire 

 is being overhauled and disposed of, rubber stock of any value 

 being sent to other factories of the Rubber Goods company. 

 The machine shop, which was not destroyed, is in operation on 

 orders for these other factories also. While no statement as to 

 the future has been made either by President L. D. Parker, who 

 has been here, or by W. L. Wild, the local manager, it is under- 

 stood in Akron that the works are not to be rebuilt in this city. 



