\i I IUST I, 1903.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



389 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN AKRON. 



I A RESIDENT CORRESPONDENT, 



TO thi: Editor of The India Ruiiher World: Judge 

 A. R. Webber, in the common pleas court at Akron, 

 on June 27, rendered a decision overruling the demurrer of the 

 Diamond Rubber Co. to the suit for $1995 damages brought 

 against them by Peter Kiefer, a former employe, on February 

 10 last. [Details in The India Ri BBEP World, March 1— 

 page 210]. Kiefer averred that he had been discharged, after 

 seven years employment by the company, without any reason be- 

 ing given therefor, and that when he afterward applied for work 

 in oilier rubber factories in Akron, he found that he had been 

 blacklisted (or the reason that he belonged to a rubber workers' 

 union. Attorneys for the defendant filed a demurrer to 

 Kiefer's petition, based upon a decision by the supreme court 

 of Ohio (in Schaeffer v. New York, Chicago and St. Louis 

 Railroad Co.). holding that an employer could not be required 

 to give a reason for discharging or refusing to employ any per- 

 son. In his decision Judge Webber concedes the force of the 

 precedent cited in the demurrer, so far as it relates to the right 

 of an employer to discharge an employe^ without stating a rea- 

 son therefor. But the judge holds that "employes have a le- 

 gitimate right to organize unions for their mutual benefit," 

 and that " employers have no right to enter into an agreement 

 among themselves by which they agree with each other to dis- 

 charge employe? for the reason that such employes were, or 

 are, in sympathy toward, or connected with such labor union." 

 Therefore Kiefer will be permitted to submit proof of his 



charges. 



* * * 



Mr. H. S. Firestone, general manager of the Firestone Tire 

 and Rubber Co., on July 1 closed a contract with the Dunlop 

 Tire Co., Limited, of Toronto, Canada, by which the latter 

 company will manufacture and market the Firestone side-wire 

 tire. The Dunlop company have long wanted a vehicle tire 

 and for some time negotiations have been on, culminating in' 

 the Firestone company licensing the Dunlop company to man- 

 ufacture the tire mentioned in Canada. One of the first moves 

 of the Dunlop company after securing the privilege was to equip 

 the tallyhoat the King Edward hotel, in Toronto, with a set 

 of the tires, as an advertisement. 



* * * 



There seems to be no limit to the uses to which hard rubber 

 can be put. New experiments are being made in the plants of 

 the rubber companies in this city every day, and every little 

 while something new is produced. Richard Mason, one of the 

 American Hard Rubber Co.'s employes, has experimented a 

 great deal with hard rubber, and recently decided that hard 

 rubber pool balls would wear longer, and answer every purpose 

 of the composition balls which are now in general use. Ac- 

 cordingly he manufactured a set of them and they are now in 

 use in a pool and billiard room here. Apparently they are 

 every bit as "lively " as the ordinary pool ball, and experts who 

 at first play with them can hardly be made believe that they 

 are rubber. Along this line the experiments which have been 

 made the past winter in this city with hard rubber bowling 

 balls are interesting. Joseph Dangel, superintendent of the 

 plant of the American Hard Rubber Co., is an enthusiastic 

 bowler, and he resolved one day to try to turn out a rubber 

 ball which would answer the purpose of the lignum vitae balls. 

 He experimented a long time before getting a compound to 

 suit him, but finally turned out a satisfactory ball. He used it 

 a number of times and found that it was every bit as good as 

 the lignum :w'tac balls. Since then he has made a number of 



them for his friends and they have been tried under all kinds 

 of conditions. They do not crack or chip as do the lignum 

 vitae balls, and when bowlers once get accustomed to them 

 they will use no other. They are made in red and black rub- 

 ber, and but for their cost may prevent them from soon sup- 

 planting the wooden balls. The rubber balls as yet cannot be 

 manufactured for less than $18, while a wooden one can be 

 secured at a cost not to exceed $5. 



* * * 



At last it seems probable that Colonel George T. Perkins, 

 president of The B. F. Goodrich Co., will be able to give to 

 Akron the fine park of 60 acres which he has been trying to 

 donate to the city for the past two years. One condition is at- 

 tached to the gift, and so far this has been the cause of all the 

 trouble. Colonel Perkins made it obligatory upon the part of 

 thecity toconstruct and maintain a macadamized road through 

 the park, and as this could not be done for less than $20,000, 

 the city has been backward in accepting the gift. Twice it has 

 been voted upon, and each time the proposition lost. Colonel 

 Perkins good naturedly held open his original offer, and now 

 the provisions of the new municipal code are such that it will 

 be possible for the city council to accept the gift and arrange 

 for the construction of the road without asking the consent of 

 the taxpayers. At a recent meeting of the council the matter 

 was taken up and referred to the proper committee. 



* * * 



The employes of The B. F. Goodrich Co. have formed a 

 cricket club, and it is the intention of the players to make it 

 one of the most popular athletic clubs in the city. Mr. George 

 W. Daum is one of the prime movers in the new club. The 

 Blue Pond park grounds have been leased and the club prac- 

 tices twice a week. The base ball team of The B. F. Goodrich 

 Co. have won every game played there for this season. Their 

 defeat of the Postoffice team was a surprise, as the letter car- 

 riers were considered invincible. 



One of the most enjoyable of the many Fourth of July exhi- 

 bitions of fireworks in this city was that of Colonel George T. 

 Perkins, president of Goodrich company, given at the home of 

 his son-in-law, Mr. C. B. Raymond, manager of the local fac- 

 tory of the American Hard Rubber Co. Mr. Raymond has 

 just completed one of the finest residences in the city, and the 

 celebration was partly of the nature of a house w r arming. Sev- 

 eral hundred people enjoyed the display of fireworks and the 

 hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond. 



The annual picnic of the employes of the Goodyear Tire and 

 Rubber Co. and the Buckeye Rubber Co., was held at Silver 

 Lake on June 27. Over 1000 persons were present, and the 

 day was very enjoyably spent. A ball game between the fore- 

 men of the two factories and a team picked from the employes 

 resulted in a victory for the latter by a score of 6 to 4. O. 

 Smith won the boat race. 



The B. F. Goodrich Co. are building an addition to their ma- 

 chine shop on Falor street. It is to be of brick, one story in 

 height, and. while not large, will make their machine depart- 

 ment more convenient. 



The Hon. George W. Crouse, one of the pioneers in the rubber 

 business in Akron, has been adjudicated a bankrupt by Judge 

 Francis J. Wing, at Cleveland. This marks the end of the 

 troubles which grew out of the failure of The Aultman, Miller 

 & Co., of which Mr. Crouse was president, and upon whose pa- 

 per he is an endorser to the extent of $1, 883. 734. 04. Mr. 

 Crouse 's liabilities are given as §1,950,238 06, and his assets, 

 §218,746.67. On Friday, June 26, Judge W. A. Vincent, of 

 Chicago, paid to the trustees of The Aultman, Miller & Co. 

 $640,000 in cash for the plant and other assets of the company. 



