106 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[December i, 1908. 



THE RUBBER TRADE AT AKRON. 



BY A RESIDENT CORRESPONDENT. 



AKRON rubber manufacturers report no unexpected increase 

 in business during November. Though they report a 

 marked picking-up in the number of orders, it is no more than 

 was looked for as the natural outcome of the end of the presi- 

 dential campaign, and does not aflfect the output or number of 

 factory employes. Mr. Elmer C. Shaw, general superintendent of 

 the B. F. Goodrich plant, when interviewed by this correspondent, 

 said that there had been no change worthy of mention either in 

 the number of employes of the plant or the size of the output in 

 several months. The exact number working at the time, he said, 

 was 3,200. He said that for the last year the company has been 

 unable to get enough workers, especially women, and the con- 

 dition might almost be described as a labor famine. 



The reduction in the volume of automobile tire business noted 

 every fall by Akron rubber factories is said by a prominent mem- 

 ber of the trade here to have continued several weeks longer 

 than usual this year. He added that indications are that it will 

 soon disappear entirely. 



The latest addition to the office of The Diamond Rubber Co. 

 affords 7,000 feet additional floor space. The new apartments 

 are used for the bookkeeping and billing department, thus allow- 

 ing more space for the sales department in the old offices. About 

 14s persons are now employed in the entire office. 



.■\rmer Carnahan, formerly with the Goodyear Tire and Rub- 

 ber Co., has been employed as New York city salesman for the 

 .Swinchart Clincher Tire and Rubber Co. 



.•\kron rubber companies are placing on their stationery the 

 slogan "Akron, the City of Opportunity," which has been adopted 

 by the newly organized Akron Chamber of Commerce. 



The Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. report success with their 

 new non-skid automobile tire recently placed on the market. 

 The tire is original in design. The words "Non-Skid" and 

 "Firestone" are placed alternately in raised letters diagonally 

 across the tread of the tire, forming a broken surface that is 

 claimed to be unusually effective in preventing skidding. S. G. 

 Carkhuff, secretary of the company, is the patentee of the new 

 feature. 



The Diamond Rubber Co. received an order in November for 

 a quantity of rubber insulated wire for the United States navy 

 department. 



Harrv G. Smith, city representative of The Diamond Rubber 

 Co.'s Cleveland branch, resigned on November 30. He leaves the 

 employ of the company v/ith their good will, but has announced 

 no plans for the future. 



The Diamond "Grip" tire has been placed on the market since 

 the Vanderbilt Cup races. It is designed to prevent skidding and 

 is especially for racing purposes. Reports from the factory say 

 that consumers are taking well to the new tire and the manu- 

 facturers are far behind in their orders. The tire was used 

 on the Locomobile that finished third in the Vanderbilt race. 

 It is characterized by the disk-like projections of the tread. 



The organization of the racing department in The Diamond 

 Rubber Co. is another indication of the importance of the rub- 

 ber tire as a factor in automobile speed contests. The Diamond 

 Company have entered the racing world as extensively as any 

 other rubber company and it was to enable them to take care of 

 racing matters on a large scale that the department was estab- 

 lished. Mr. Joe Tracy has been employed as consulting engineer 

 on racing subjects and has been placed at the head of the new 

 department. Mr. Tracy was first an expert gasolene engineer 

 and builder. He acted as general designer for the Locomobile 

 company and attracted attention in the Vanderbilt race several 

 years ago. He also drove in the Grand Prix race in France 

 three years ago. For the last year he has been consulting en- 

 gineer in matters relating to automobile construction and racing 

 and has an intimate knowledge of these subjects. The new de- 



partment will not enter the field until next year. Through its 

 establishment, contestants in large races who use Diamond tires 

 will have the benefit of Mr. Tracy's advice and assistance. 



Little interest was taken in the Savannah races by Akron 

 rubber companies. Representatives were not sent and the only 

 ones who are known to have attended from this city were in- 

 terested only from the viewpoint of automobilists. 



Mr. W. J. Slater, advertising manager of the Firestone Tire 

 and Rubber Co., has resigned to re-enter the newspaper business. 

 With H; B. R. Briggs, of the New York Journal, and M. H. 

 Lane, of the Michigan Buggy Co., he has purchased the Kala- 

 mazoo (Michigan) Telegram, and will become its general man- 

 ager. Mr. Slater will be succeeded in the Firestone office by 

 John F. Singleton, who has held the position before. 



Lemon Greenwald, recently proprietor of the Greenwald Rub- 

 ber Company, has accepted a position with the Firestone Tire 

 and Rubber Co. at the head of the claims adjusting department. 



C. W. Harris, formerly of Baltimore, has succeeded Otis Cook 

 as special representative of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co., 

 with headquarters in Akron. 



M. I. lies, formerly with the Firestone company, has accepted" 

 a position as Chicago salesman of the Swinehart Clincher Tire 

 and Rubber Co. 



TIRES AND MOTORS. 



npHE Canadian department of trade and commerce publishes 

 ••• a report by the Canadian trade commissioner at Yokohama, 

 from which we quote : "The import to the Orient of the 

 British Dunlop tires is growing in an astonishing manner year 

 after year. The importation of bicycles into Japan, increased 

 from 19,326 in 1905 to 34,523 in 1907, has created an active de- 

 mand for rubber tires. The aggregate value of these importa- 

 tions last year represents 1,300,000 yen. The import of rubber 

 tires alone is said to be not less than 250,000 yen [= about 

 $125,000], in addition to which there are imported rubber tires 

 for automobiles and jinrikisha wheels, and for several other 

 technical purposes." 



THE LONDON AUTOMOBILE SHOW. 



The Olympia, London, which recently was the center of so 

 important an interest in the rubber world, was again visited by 

 a great number of members of the rubber trade during the past 

 month, though this time the visitors numbered more manufac- 

 turers than representatives of the planting interest. The occasion 

 was the seventh annual International Motor Exhibition held 

 under the auspices of The Society of Motor Manufacturers and 

 Traders, Ltd, from November 13-21, inclusive. This is one 

 of the most important of the great annual automobile shows, 

 having the official recognition of the Automobile Club and for 

 its patrons the King and the Prince of Wales, while the ex- 

 hibitors include the leading manufacturers of automobiles and 

 accessories, not only in Great Britain but elsewhere, owing to 

 the importance of the English market for these articles, and the 

 absence of any import duties in that market. 



As usual at Olympia the tire section was prominent, embracing 

 very complete displays of the leading British manufacturers, and 

 of the foreign makes having representation in that country. The 

 leading continental tire firms had exhibits, and one of importance 

 came from .America — that of The B. F. Goodrich Co., of Akron, 

 Ohio, who occupied stand No. 266. On the whole, the tire ex- 

 hibits were devoid of novel features, due to the progress which 

 has been made in the standardization of tires, especially since 

 the expiration of the Bartlett, Dunlop-Welch and other leading 

 patents. Still, the different makers, as a rule, had new features 

 to show, indicating a continuous effort toward the improvement 

 of their products. The effect was at least to rob the exhibits of 

 monotony, and to give the enterprising young men in the charge 

 of making sales a new basis for their arguments. 



