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THE INDIA RUBBER V/ORLD 



[December i, 1902. 



THE RUBBER TRADE AT AKRON. 



TO THE Editor of The' India Rubber World: The 

 latest development in the litigation over the Grant tire 

 patent has proved satisfactory to the interests attacking the 

 validity of that patent. The United States supreme court on 

 October 27 denied the application of the Rubber Tire Wheel 

 Co. for a writ of certiorari to the United States circuit court of 

 appeals for the sixth circuit, in the case of that company against 

 the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. In May last the appellate 

 court, sitting at Cincinnati, rendered a decision declaring the 

 Grant tire patent invalid, and the refusal of the supreme court 

 to review this decision has the effect of sustaining it. " We 

 consider the case now settled beyond reopening," said Secre- 

 tary Siiberling, of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., to The 

 India Rubber World correspondent. The litigation over 

 this patent has cost the plaintiflfs and defendants, it is esti- 

 mated, about $135,000. 



« » * 



The Colonial Tire and Rubber Co., composed of Akron men, 

 and who control the European rights outside of Great Britain 

 for the Swinehart side wire solid vehicle tire, have made a con- 

 tract with Messrs. Torrilhon et Cie., the rubber manufacturers 

 of Clermont-Ferrand, France, giving the latter the exclusive 

 right in France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy, for the manufacture 

 and sale on royalty of this tire. Messrs. Torrilhon will spend 

 250,000 francs for additions to their plant in preparation for the 

 manufacture of the tire, and machinery for this purpose has 

 been ordered from Akron. Mr. J. A. Swinehart, the inventor of 

 the tire, and connected with the Colonial company, will remain 

 in France for awhile to inaugurate the new manufacture at the 

 Torrilhon plant. The Colonial company are about to arrange 

 with a Vienna concern for the sale of their Austrian rights, and 

 are also seeking to introduce the tire into Germany. Mr. P. D. 

 Hall, of the Colonial company, who has just returned from 

 Europe, is much impressed with the extent and substantial 

 condition of the rubber industry in France. The " American 

 invasion," nowever, is very generally resented in that country, 

 Mr. Hall says, and he believes that the bill now before the 

 French chamber of deputies, increasing the duty on imports 

 on manufactures of rubber from 8 to 12 cents a pound, will be- 

 come a law. Mr. Hall considers the French manufacturers 

 somewhat ahead of the Americans in the manufacture of auto- 

 mobile tires, but far behind in the matter of other vehicle tires 

 and the general run of rubber goods. Mr. Hall studied in 

 France and Germany, becoming familiar with the languages of 

 both countries, which is of great assistance to him now in pro- 

 moting the company's interests abroad. 



The Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. have been extending 

 their plant preparatory to the manufacture of their own tires 

 — the Swinehart cross wire patent— instead of having them 

 made under contract, as heretofore. Three buildings have 

 been erected, the main structure being of tile, 150 X 75 feet, 

 one story high. Machinery has been purchased, and it is in- 

 tended to have the factory in operation about December 15. 

 The capital stock of the Firestone company was increased 

 from $1 50,000 to $200,000 at the annual meeting on August 21 . 

 On November 21 the company purchased some real estate ad- 

 jacent to their factory, including a building that will be con- 

 verted to office uses. The B. F. Goodrich Co. will continue to 

 manufacture these tires under license. 



♦ » • 



The factory of the People's Hard Rubber Co. was closed on 

 November 17 for the taking of inventory, and newspaper re- 

 ports had it that the property is to be purchased by the Amer- 



ican Hard Rubber Co. While the property may eventually go 

 to the latter concern, no sale has yet taken place, and the only 

 authorized announcement is that changes are pending which 

 may mean a sale, but not necessarily to the American Hard 

 Rubber Co. The People's company have been doing a good 

 business, though organized only a little more than a year ago. 

 E. R. Held resigned recently as treasurer and I. C. Bruner has 

 been acting treasurer. 



[Another correspondent writes : " As a prominent official of 

 the American Hard Rubber Co. from the East has been in town 

 this past week, and as the People's Hard Rubber factory has 

 been shut down for inventory, many people here are certain that 

 the control of the company has been to the American.] 



* « • 



The removal of the general offices of the Whitman & Barnes 

 Manufacturing Co. to Chicago takes to that city permanently 

 George A. Barnes, C. E. Caskey (the assistant treasurer), and a 

 considerable force of office workers. President Sheldon spends 

 much of his time in Chicago, but owing to the law requiring 

 that a miJDrity of directors of Ohio corporations shall be 

 residents of this state, he retains his residence in Akron. Mr. 

 J. A. Vining is now in general charge of the Akron factory and 

 offices. Other changes affecting this company are pending, 

 but they do not concern the company's rubber departments, ex- 

 cept that these may be still further enlarged. 



" The lamous Goodyear rubber interests" which, according 

 to some newspapers in Buffalo, New York, have been look- 

 ing about there with a view to establishing a mammoth plant, 

 and leading to the hope that " Buffalo may get the entire rub- 

 ber industry," are not the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., of 

 Akron. The latter are just completing their third large addi- 

 tion since the plant was first established, about four years ago, 

 and they have no thought of building elsewhere. 



Barberton is to have another rubber factory. It is expected 

 that early in December a West Virginia charter will be obtained 

 for a company with $50,000 capital, to make molded and dip- 

 ped rubber goods at the outset, with the addition of tires and 

 other mechanical goods later. Charles Ammerman, of Barber- 

 ton, in behalf of the prospective company, on October 22 pur- 

 chased for $3500 four acres of land for a factory site on the out- 

 skirts of Barberton. 



Akron rubber manufacturers have been pleased to hear that 

 the affairs of the American Bicycle Co. are likely to be straight- 

 ened out in a manner that will put that concern on its feet 

 again. The demand for some time past has been for cheap bi- 

 cycle tires, and general interest in this department of the rub- 

 ber industry has been lacking. Some of the moresanguinetire 

 makers, however, are looking for an improvement in the trade. 



At the annual meeting of The India Rubber Co., in Jan- 

 uary, Mr. Charles H. Wheeler will retire from the presidency. 

 Mr. Wheeler has many other business interests, but is expected 

 to devote his attention chiefly to the Cleveland, Akron, and 

 Southern Fast Line Railway Co., which is about to build a 

 new trolley line from Cleveland to Akron — 35 miles — and, by 

 having a straight road, compete strongly with the steam rail- 

 ways. 



The Pure Gum Specialty Co., at Barberton, are at work on 

 the third addition to their premises for this year — a two story 

 brick structure, 80 X 40 feet. Treasurer W. A. Johnston states 

 that the company are both extending their present business 

 and taking on new lines, rubber balls being the latest. The 

 company were obliged recently to pay a high price to secure 

 two lots adjoining their location. 



The demand for rubber machinery was never greater than 

 at present, according to Alexander Adamson, whose shops are 



