333 



THE INDIA RUBBER V/ORLD 



[July i, 1906. 



RUBBER INTERESTS IN EUROPE. 



A HISTORY OF THE TRAUN RUBBER WORKS. 



FOLLOWING the fiftieth anniversary of the firm of Dr. 

 Heinr. Traun & Sohne, formerly the Harbnrger Guni- 

 nii-Kamm Compagnie, of Hamburg, they have issued a 

 handsome brochure outlining the historj- of the firm and 

 their works, illustrated with views of interiors of the various 

 departments, together with portraits of the heads of the firm 

 and of the department managers. The history of this busi- 

 ness has been fully outlined from time to time in Thk India 

 RunnER WoKi.D. It will be remembered that a son of the 

 original Meyer, of Hamburg, came to New York and in con- 

 junction with Conrad Poppenhusen acquired the first license 

 under the Good\^ear hard rubber patent and began working 

 it at College Point, Long Island, on premises still devoted 

 to this industry on an important scale, though the Hamburg 

 interest is no longer represented in it. Another member of 

 the Meyer family (L. Otto P. Meyer, still living at an ad- 

 vanced age in Dresden) came to College Point and vastU- 

 improved the practice in hard rubber. 



The Meyer interest in 1856 introduced the new manufact- 

 ure in Hamburg as the Harburger Gummi-Kamm Com- 

 pagnie, in which was interested a son in law of the original 

 Meyer, named Traun. It happened that a son of the latter 

 was chosen to be the future head of this business, and after 

 having received a thorough preparation — including a uni- 

 versity training as well as a practical factory experience — 

 Heinrich Traun became successively manager of the works 

 in 1S61, a member of the firm in 1863, and sole proprietor in 

 1883, the firm style remaining all the while unchanged. 

 Later, upon the introduction of his two sons in the business, 

 the company became Dr. Heinr. Traun & Sohne. The active 

 management now devolves upon the sons. Dr. Traun devot- 

 ing his time to his duties as a senator of the free citj- of 

 Hamburg. The book here referred to, in addition to sketch- 

 ing in detail the history of the business and giving an idea 

 of character of the goods manufactured, mentions the inter- 

 est which Dr. Traun has at all times shown in the subject 

 of the sources of rubber and the preparation of the raw pro- 

 duct, as having a bearing upon the use of rubber in the fac- 

 tory. His investigations have been of much value to the 

 whole rubber industry, and it may be of interest to note 

 that much of the rubber used in the Hamburg factory has 

 been derived from African sources controlled by Dr. Traun 

 — it being understood, of course, that in the manufacture 

 of hard rubber goods there are grades preferable to Para 

 sorts. 



The book concludes with details regarding the various 

 organizations among the work people for their social and 

 physical benefit, to the support of which the firm contributes 

 materially. These organizations are the outgrowth of meas- 

 ures for the benefit of his employes instituted bj- Heinrich 

 Christian Meyer as early as 182S, on lines which have been 

 incorporated to a certain extent in the German imperial law. 

 The book contains photographs of groups of the firm's long 

 service employes, showing six who have been in the com- 

 pany's service for fiftj- years and 131 for twenty- five or more 

 years. The trade of the firm in the United States is supplied 

 in a large measure by the products of a factory established 

 bj- them some j-ears since at College Point, New York, un- 

 der the name Traun Rubber Co. 



GERMANY. 



TitK rubber department of Asbest- und Gummiwerke Al- 

 fred Calmon A.-G. (Hamburg) continues very active — in 

 mechanical goods, tires, and footwear — the works being 

 operated until 8 o'clock at night. The number of workers 

 has increased since 1900 from 85 to nearly 600, and the 

 building of additional plant is contemplated. 



= IIis Majesty the King of Saxony has conferred upon 

 Herr Heinrich Briick, general director of Leipziger Gummi- 

 waaren-Fabrik, .\ktiengesellschaft, the Albert Order, first 

 class, in recognition of his manj* services to industrial 

 progress and the general good. On this date (Julj- 1) oc- 

 curs the forty-second anniversary of Herr Briick 's connec- 

 tion with the firm. 



= In a review of certain late reports regarding the United 

 States Rubber Co., and particularly their purchase of the 

 Atlantic Rubber Shoe Co. (owners of the Doughty patent for 

 making footwear), Ginnmi-Zeitung (Dresden) congratulates 

 itself upon its foresight. The shoe machine, it says, was 

 going to revolutionize the rubber shoe industry', but " so far 

 it has only revolutionized a number of influential capital- 

 ists. " And "in any case our prophecy has been fulfilled, 

 in the matter of the rubber shoe machine, as well as in that 

 of the common stock of the United States Rubber Co." 



A LARGE BaLATA BELT. 



To THE Editor of The Ixdi.v Rubber World: Our 

 copy of your May i issue is to hand, and we notice your re- 

 marks on page 269 of the large rubber belt made by the 

 Manhattan compan}-. W> beg to inform you that we have 



A GERMAN MADE BALATA BELT. 



been making 72 inch Balata belts for over a year, and our 

 plant is capable of making them 750 feet long in one length, 

 and also endless. We have pleasure in sending 30U a photo- 

 graph of one of these 72 inch belts. Yours truly, 

 Altona near H.imburg, Germany, May 14, 1906. LOEWITZ & ROHLFS. 



