402 



THE INDIA RUBBER ^VORLD 



[Sefiember I, 1902. 



THE RUBBER TRADE AT AKRON. 



BY OUR RESIDENT CORKESrONDENT. 



TO THE Editor of The India Rubber World: A local 

 newspaper publishes a " story " to the effect that a stren- 

 uous eflfort will be made to organize a union among the rubber 

 workers of Akron. Except for two or three short lived affairs, 

 there has never been a rubber workers' union in Akron, and 

 the tire makers are the only workmen who ever organized. 

 Even when their union was at its strongest, it never included 

 nearly all the tire workers, and enthusiasm among its members 

 was lacking. Talks with union labor leaders here disclose the 

 fact that they have no hope of ever organizing such unions 

 among the Akron rubber workers as exist in some other local 

 industries. One reason, doubtless, is that a considerable num- 

 ber "'f the employes of the different rubber factories are stock- 

 holders in a small way, and special efforts are made to take care 

 o( those men whose work shows that they have the interest of 

 their employers at heart. A policy of liberality is pursued by 

 manufacturers in the matter of holidays, and there is a general 

 friendly feeling between the workmen — especially the skilled 

 class — and their employers. The B. F. Goodrich Co. set the 

 pace in this matter years ago, when theirs was the only rubber 

 factory in Akron. It is not, perhaps, customary for manufac- 

 turers to close their works for a half hour that the employes 

 may see a passing circus parade, but that has been done more 

 than once. A man usually is posted along the line of march 

 to give notice of the parade's coming. Once a small boy who 

 was set to perform this task, in his excitement announced the 

 parade's approach a full hour before it appeared. The result 

 was an unusually long shutdown, and a superintendent much 

 put out. The dinner rooms and other conveniences for em- 

 ployes are also a connecting link of friendliness between em- 

 ployers and employed. It can be said that the local rubber 

 manufacturers have the good will of organized labor here, and 

 they have been liberal contributors for the Labor Day celebra- 

 tions. 



Half a dozen rubber manufacturers with whom The India 

 Rubber World correspondent has talked are agreed in the 

 belief that the present low prices of crude rubber are not likely 

 to be permanent, and they point to advances during the past 

 month in support of their position. There has been no reduc- 

 tion in the prices of rubber goods because of the decline in the 

 cost of crude rubber from the prices prevailing last year, and 

 the manufacturers believe that any such reduction will be un- 

 wise. There has been, however, a tendency to use a better 

 quality of rubber in general products during the prevalence of 

 low prices for crude gum. But the difficulty of advancing prices 

 of products which have once been reduced is quite an effectual 

 barrier against a reduction in selling prices at this time because 

 crude rubber costs less than formerly. Besides, it is felt that 

 the constantly increasing demand for rubber goods, and the 

 certainty as time goes on that new uses will be found for rub- 

 ber, will make necessary an advance in the cost of raw material. 



The Camp Rubber Co. were incorporated July 27 under the 

 laws of Ohio, with $50,000 capital, and are pushing work toward 

 getting under way to manufacture a general line of soft rubber 

 goods. The factory will be located at Ashland, Ohio, where a 

 bonus was given to the company, the city of Ravenna having 

 also tried to secure the location of the factory. The officers 

 are: H. B. Camp, president; L. W. Camp, vice president ; 

 Charles E. Campbell, secretary and superintendent; T. W. 

 Miller, treasurer and general manager. Mr. Miller is also gen- 

 eral manager and Mr. Camp is president of The Faultless Rub- 

 ber Co., of Akron. Superintendent Campbell has been for 



several years with The B. F. Goodrich Co. The company ex- 

 pect to begin operations in September. 



The annual meeting of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. 

 was held on August 15, the following officers being elected : 

 Will Christy, president ; J. A. Swinehart, vice president ; Dr. 

 L. E. Sisler, secretary and treasurer; L. H. Firestone, general 

 manager. The company have lately made two good tire con- 

 tracts in South Africa, and General Manager Firestone states 

 that the tire trade is first class. Vice President Swinehart, 

 who has been in Europe on business since April, is expected 

 home on September 2. 



The Alden Rubber Co. have prepared plans for a considerable 

 addition to their factory at Barberton. The company are re- 

 ceiving good orders for their rubber floor tiling, which has been 

 placed in some large new buildings in New York city. 



The People's Hard Rubber Co. lately added seven more vul- 

 canizers to their plant, and now employ 275 people and are 

 running night and day. They are active in the electrical sup- 

 plies' branch, and also in stationer's supplies. 



The unfavorable weather — much rain and mud — has affected 

 the tire trade this season, and there has been a quiet in bicycle 

 and solid tire lines which it is believed, now that the prospects 

 seem to point to a dry pleasant fall, is about to disappear. A 

 good autumn and winter business is looked for by the manu- 

 facturers in Akron. The weather has not had any noticeable 

 effect, however, upon automobile tires, which have been in 

 such brisk demand that, had the summer been more favorable, 

 the manufacturers might have found it a difficult matter to 

 handle their orders. 



The Pure Gum Specialty Co., of Barberton, on August 10, 

 filed with the secretary of state of Ohio a certificate of increase 

 in their capital from $20,000 to $75,000. Treasurer W. A. 

 Johnston states that this increase is to provide for an exten- 

 sion of present lines, including a large addition to the fac- 

 tory, although an addition has only recently been completed. 

 The Tuscarora Rubber Co., at Beach City, Ohio, is about to 

 emerge from the receivership into which it was cast last May 

 by a disagreement among certain stockholders. W. B. Stew- 

 art, of Canton, Ohio, the receiver, has been operating the 

 plant, and, it is said, successfully. 



The India Rubber Co. have lately established a distributing 

 depot in Chicago at No. 540 Wabash avenue. John H. Mer- 

 rell, formerly western sales agent of the company, is in charge, 

 with Frank A. Paulin as his assistant. 



The twenty-first annual picnic of The B. F. Goodrich Co.'s 

 einplojes, at Silver Lake, on Saturday, August 2, was the larg- 

 est in the history of the company. The attendance was esti- 

 mated at 8000, including employes of the Akron factory of the 

 American Hard Rubber Co. Everything was free to the em- 

 ployes and their families. There was a varied program of 

 sports, in charge of J. F. McGuire, C. M. Woodruff, J. W. Dunn, 

 William Neal, and E. A. Coken. The principal event was the 

 baseball game between the office and factory teams, the latter 

 winning a $10 prize, 7 to 5. The Hard Rubber workers won a 

 $10 prize in a tug of-war with the Goodrich men. 



The employes of The Alden Rubber Co. held their annual 

 picnic at Silver Like, on Saturday, August 9. A feature of the 

 day was a baseball game between the Alden emplojcs and 

 those of the People's Hard Rubber Co. Both teams wore 

 fancy uniforms obtained for the occasion, the suits of the Peo- 

 ple's team bearing in large characters the trade mark of the 

 company. The latter team won by a score of 12 to o. 



Charles E. H. Fayerer-Hickey, for sometime a traveling 

 man for The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., has been made as- 

 sistant manager of the company's motor tire department. 



