November i, igo8.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



67 



THE RUBBER TRADE AT AKRON. 



BY A RESIDENT CORRESPONDENT. 



C ALES departments of local rubber companies report excellent 

 *^ business during the last month. All say that September 

 sales were unusually satisfactory and that there is prospect for 

 unprecedented trade during 1909. Secretary Carkhuff, of the 

 Firestone company, in speaking of the trend of business, said: 

 "I hesitate to say this, because it sounds so much like the con- 

 ventional optimistic statement that has been expressed by busi- 

 ness men recentlj', but it is a fact that our business, especially 

 in carriage tires, as well as in the pneumatic line, has been pick- 

 ing up decidedly in comparison to last year, and there are indica- 

 tions for a larger business in 1909." 



* * * 



Local rubber manufacturers generally note a decided increase 

 in the demand for mechanical rubber goods. Said an official of 

 The B. F. Goodrich Co. : "The mechanical line has been picking 

 up during the last six weeks. Previous to that period it had 

 been slow since the business depression set in. Business in the 

 tire line recovered quickly and now large orders for such goods 

 as hose, belting, packing and molded goods are coming in so 

 rapidly that a night force has been started in several departments 

 to increase the rapidity of the output. Dealers are coming to 

 the point where they positively need the goods, or else confidence 

 has been so much restored that they think they can afford to buy 

 and buy heavily." 



* * * 



The B. F. Goodrich Co. are establishing four new branch 

 houses — in Kansas City, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh and Atlanta. 

 They were decided upon in the middle of October and will be 

 opened at once. The additional branches were called for by the 

 increase in demand for automobile tires in those sections. At 

 present these four are tire branches, but it is intended to have 

 them handle the complete line of the company's products at a 

 later date. The Goodrich company now have a total of 18 



branch houses. 



* * * 



The Diamond Rubber Co. have plans completed for the con- 

 struction of two factory buildings on land recently purchased on 

 Jackson street, adjoining the plant on the south. Each build- 

 ing will be 300 X TOO feet, one four stories high and the other 

 one story. The lower building will be started at once and the 

 other will be built in the spring. An overhead bridge has been 

 constructed to connect the present part of the factory with the 

 new buildings across the street. An official said that the new 

 buildings will be used for general factory purposes. Their con- 

 struction was made necessary by the increase in the automobile 



tire business. 



* * * 



The Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. have purchased the plant 

 of the Globe Foundry and Machine Co., adjoining the rubber 

 factory. The property embraces several buildings and five large 

 lots. S. G. Carkhuflf, secretary of the company, says that the 

 property will be used as the site of a large factory building to be 

 put up in the spring. Its dimensions, he says, have not yet been 

 decided upon, but it will exceed in size the building now under 

 construction, which was announced in the last issue of The 

 India Rubber World. This structure will be 125 x 50 feet, and 



four stories high. 



* * * 



At the annual stockholders' meeting of The Diamond Rubber 

 Co., held on October 20, the following directors were elected for 

 the ensuing year: C. A. Lake, Chicago; O. C. Barber, Akron; 

 F. A. Hardy, Chicago; A. H. Marks, .Akron; W. B. Miller, 

 Akron ; and 0. S. Hart, Akron. E. K. Hardy, Akron, who is 

 now touring Europe, resigned, and O. S. Hart, cashier of the 

 company, was elected to fill the vacancy. The directors met in 

 the afternoon of the same day and re-elected the following of- 



ficers : Francis A. Hardy, president ; A. H. Marks, vice-president; 

 W. B. Miller, secretary; and .A. H. Noah, treasurer. The 

 directors declared a 10 per cent dividend. 



* * * 



H. S. Firestone, president of the Firestone Tire and Rubber 

 Co., is making a six weeks' tour through the West, visiting the 

 Firestone branches and agencies and inspecting business condi- 

 tions generally. He is expected to return in the middle of 

 November. The trip is much in the nature of a well-deserved 

 vacation for Mr. Firestone. During his absence, Mr. Carkhuff 

 is the e.\ccutive head of the offices 



In automobile racing and reliability events, the importance of 

 the rubber tire as a factor in the contest is beginning to receive 

 increased attention. Tn the thousand mile reliability contest con- 

 ducted by the Chicago Motor Club, what probably was the first 

 trophy ever offered to manufacturers of rubber tires was donated 

 by C. P. Kimball & Co., auto body makers of Chicago. The cup 

 was awarded to the competing company whose tires should 

 receive the smallest number of points of penalization. In this 

 case the successful contesting company was The Diamond Rub- 

 ber Co. In order to be eligible, it was necessary for a company 

 to be represented by at least two sets of tires. 



In this connection the cups awarded by the Firestone Tire 

 and Rubber Co. to Robertson and Florida, drivers in the Fair- 

 mount Park races, might be mentioned. The Firestone com- 

 pany presented the trophies to the drivers of tlie Locomobile 

 cars as an appreciation of their success in handling their tires. 

 Medals were also given to the mechanics of the two drivers. 



* * * 



The Akron tire companies, especially those making a specialty 

 of racing tires, were represented at the Vandcrbilt Cup race, on 

 Long Island. The Goodrich and Firestone cc mpanies sent promi- 

 nent officials. The Diamond Rubber Company, having six of 

 the nine American cars equipped with their tires, were repre- 

 sented by C. B. Myers, W. B. Miller, A. H. Marks, J. D. Tew 

 and J. A. Bradcn. Akron companies were also w^ell represented 

 at the Chicago show of the Carriage Builders' National Asso- 

 ciation. 



* * * 



The Diamond Rubber Co.'s branch in Detroit was moved into 

 the Cadillac building, on Jefferson avenue, during October. The 

 new location affords double the space and better facilities than 



the old one. 



* * * 



Mr. Ernest E. Buckleton, manager of the Northwestern 

 Rubber Co., Limited, of Liverpool, was in Akron on business for 

 a short time about October 20. He has since returned to 



England. 



* * * 



Mr. a. H. Noah, treasurer of the Diamond Rubber Co., 

 is preparing to build a palatial home on the Country Club road, 

 west of Akron. 



It is recorded of a certain packing manufacturer in the United 

 States that, during the first year of the business he offered a 

 rubber supply house a one-third interest for $1,500, but the 

 business did not appear attractive. The profits for the first 

 year amounted to $53,000, however, and they have not been 

 smaller in any succeeding year. 



A certain company are reported in our news columns 

 to have lost only $35,641.25 1/6 by last year's trading, although 

 they produced leaf gutta-percha, motor car tires, and quinine bark, 

 and planted rubber and gutta-percha. We have known con- 

 cerns to lose more money in a year through carrying on a 

 single line of business. Really, considering the number of 

 "irons in the fire," the company under review have reason for 

 self congratulation. 



