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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[October i, 1908. 



Mechanical Goods Industry. 



THE importance of the mechanical goods industry as 

 affording a demand for india-rubber is perhaps more 

 evident in the United States than elsewhere, on account 

 of the existence of so many important works devoted to 

 the production of this class of goods alone. That such spe- 

 cialization should exist in America, instead of each important 

 factory producing a variety of goods is due to reasons which 

 date from the discovery of vulcanization. 



Charles Goodyear, the rubber pioneer, never became a manu- 

 ■ facturer on his own account to a large extent, but such re- 

 wards as came to him for his invention of vulcanization were in 

 the shape of royalties from manufacturers licensed to work un- 

 der his patent. Up to 1844 the principal attempts at making 

 rubber goods in America had been in the development of over- 

 shoes, but no success had been attained even in regard to these 

 until Goodyear's discovery was made known. Naturally, the 

 first licenses under the vulcanization patent were for its use 

 in the footwear industry. 



Subsequently other licenses were issued for the employment 

 of vulcanization in the making of machinery belts, stationers' elas- 

 tic bands, india-rubber gloves, waterproof clothing, and so on. 

 In each case the manufacturer was permitted to utilize the new 

 invention in only one line of goods. One license was for the 

 manufacture of doorsprings alone, but an important business 

 was built upon this seemingly slight foundation. 



The Goodyear patent had the benefit of a special extension, 

 making its total life 21 years, during which time the licensed 

 footwear manufacturers were not allowed to make any other 

 class of goods, and so with each of the other manufacturers. 

 During those years, therefore, were developed, in different towns, 

 groups of specialized rubber workers, which condition was con- 

 tinued long after the expiration of the historic patent. When- 

 ever a new factory was established it was likely to be confined 

 solely to that type of goods with which its promoter was most 

 familiar. There is in the country to-day a factory in operation 

 for more than a half century, and employing at times 4,000 

 workers, that has never produced a single article in rubber other 

 than boots and shoes. Probably few of the employes there could 

 turn out anything else in rubber. Similarly, with only two or 

 three exceptions, none of the concerns now producing mechanical 

 rubber goods has ever made any shoes. 



Whether or not the policy of specialization is economically 

 better or worse than that pursued in European rubber works, in 

 several of which practically "everything in rubber" is made, 

 might afford the basis for an interesting discussion. There 

 would appear to be good reason, where it is possible, to keep 

 a force of workers constantly employed on a given line of 

 goods, thus rendering them always familiar with the details of 

 production and always in a high state of efficiency, and there is 

 some advantage in having the machinery of the plant always in 

 operation. It is the fact of such specialization that such large 

 outputs of a given line — airbrake hose, for example, or belting, 

 or packing — are seen in the case of a single factory. No doubt 

 in many cases economical production has been a result. 



What have been termed "mechanical goods" have become so 

 varied, however, that the factory attempting a full line can 

 hardly be regarded as specializing very much. Hence, still carry- 

 ing out the American idea, one will concentrate largely upon belt- 

 ing, another on tires, others on hose, while still others, leaving the 

 heavier goods alone, will devote their attention to some specialty, 

 say in mold work. But there are one or two factories in Amer- 

 ica that doubtless produce a greater variety of rubber goods 

 than is to be seen in any single factory abroad. 

 It is practically impossible to estimate intelligently the volume 



of mechanical goods production. But it may be mentioned that 

 the last United States census, in reporting operations for the 

 year 1904, gave the following figures for the rubber industry other 

 than rubber boots and shoes, and it may further be mentioned that 

 insulated wire is not included. The druggists' sundries trade 

 is embraced, however, and hard rubber : 



Number of factories 313 



Capital $59,537,810 



Salaries paid $3,664,645 



Average number wage earners $24,882 



Total wages paid $11,217,270 



Miscellaneous expenses $8,087,962 



Cost of materials $48,002,012 



Value of products $77,950,095 



It is probable that, in point of volume, the largest item of me- 

 chanical rubber goods is that embracing the many forms of pack- 

 ings, for steam and hydraulic use. When it is considered that 

 every steam engine in the world, and practically every pump, re- 

 quires to be "packed," and rubber enters into such a large pro- 

 portion of all the packings made, it will be seen how important 

 is this branch of the rubber manufacture. American packings 

 have been introduced successfully into most foreign markets 

 where a demand for any sort of packings exists, while, on the 

 other hand, there is practically none imported. 



Rubber belting for machinery has been produced in the United 

 States in great variety, in immense quantities, and in sizes larger, 

 perhaps, than have been constructed elsewhere. An important 

 development in this branch has been in the making of conveyor 

 belts, for use in grain elevators, in mines, and in factories of many 

 kinds, for the economical movement of commodities. This general 

 system, first devised in America, has become widely introduced, 

 and while all the belting used for conveyor purposes is not manu- 

 factured in the United States, an important quantity for this pur- 

 pose is exported. 



The output of rubber hose, for various purposes, has become 

 enormous. The large number of cities and towns having paid fire 

 departments, with rubber or rubber lined hose embraced in their 

 equipment, alone calls for the entire product of some good-sized 

 factories, while such hose is also supplied by a dozen other con- 

 cerns. The mandatory use on every railway train of air brakes 

 and other safety devices calling for the use of hose, has created a 

 demand for rubber which figures largely in the total output of 

 mechanical goods. There must be taken into account also the 

 widespread sale of common garden hose — something which is 

 called for in practically every home in all towns having modern 

 waterworks systems. 



The exports of American-made packings, belting and hose, for 

 several years past, have been stated officially to be of the values 

 here given [for fiscal years ending June 30] : 



1900-01 $565,726 1904-05 $994,100 



1901-02 634,146 1905-06 1,221,159 



1902-03 819,985 1906-07 1,253.369 



1903-04 879,476 1907-08 1,347,775 



During the last fiscal year there were shipped also to Alaska, 

 Hawaii, Porto Rico and the Philippines similar goods to the value 

 of $162,602. 



Note must be taken, under this heading, of tires, which would 

 seem to come properly under the head of mechanical rubber 

 goods. While, as already stated, packings probably bulk larger 

 in volume, tires lead among mechanical goods products in respect 

 to value. While some motor car tires continue to be imported — 

 probably by the owners of imported cars — most of the vast num- 

 ber of tires used in j^merica are of home manufacture. It is 

 probable, indeed, that half the rubber tires used in the world are 

 made in this country. 



