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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March i, 1903. 



ANDREW CARNEGIE ON RUBBER. 



IT is now just thirteen years since this journal published an edi- 

 torial article asserting that "The culture of rubber will soon 

 be a live question," and, after reviewing the results of numerous 

 experiments in different countries, that " the susceptibility of 

 the trees to cultivation has been proved." The article con- 

 cluded : " We call attention to this subject as one of interest 

 not only to the rubber trade but possibly to some American 

 capitalist who may see the importance of being a pioneer in the 

 business of supplying the world with cultivated rubber." 



Through all the succeeding years the subject of rubber culti- 

 vation has received constant and careful attention in these 

 pages, with the result that the files of The India Rubp.er 

 World will be found to contain more definite and accurate in- 

 formation on this subject than any other publication known to 

 us. Indeed, in addition to a great amount of original matter, 

 we have summarized all results of experimental and practical 

 rubber planting reported in all other journals published. While 

 we have not commended everything that has been done in the 

 name of rubber planting, certainly the attitude of The India 

 Rubber World has been one of encouragement to this new 

 interest. It is not enough, however, that such a journal should 

 report only favorable results, or reserve its mention of planting 

 enterprises to those deserving of commendation. In a field em- 

 bracing so many companies organized for promoting planting, 

 it is natural that there should be some employing means to at- 

 tract investors that are open to criticism. 



For example, there are company prospectuses which, instead 

 of dealing with known facts in rubber planting, give chief prom- 

 inence to alleged expressions in behalf of their work by men 

 widely known for their success in money making, though prob- 

 ably ignorant of the rubber planting business. The name of 

 Mr. Andrew Carnegie just now is being widely used in this con- 

 nection, in such paragraphs as the following, which has appear- 

 ed in the prospectus of more than one planting company: 



ANDREW CARNEGIE ON RUBBER. 

 " If you were a young man, and had your start to make in the 

 world, would you take up the manufacture of steel ?" was asked of 

 Andrew Carnegie by a gentleman who met him on the train to New 

 York after his last visit to Pittsburgh. The philanthropist hesi- 

 tated a moment, then shook his head. "No," he said, "The 

 best opening for a young man to day is rubber. Rubber will, in a 

 few years, make a greater fortune under present conditions than 

 steel, or, in fact, any other branch of manufacture. The great 

 value and manifold uses of rubber are just beginning to be proper- 

 ly appreciated, and the profits in its production are greater than al- 

 most anything about which I am informed." Mr. Carnegie then 

 launched forth in a long discussion on the growth of the rubber 

 trees, the best product, and the hundreds of uses to which it has 

 been put, and even suggested a number of improvements that 

 showed deep study on the subject. " Watch the men engaged in 

 the manufacture of rubber" he concluded, " and as the years go 

 by you will see them amassing splendid fortunes. The opportuni- 

 ties for young men are as great to-day as ever in the history of the 

 world, and I firmly believe that rubber furnishes the greatest." 

 The above has been credited, in some cases, to the Pittsburgh 

 Gazette of June 21, 1902, a search of which newspaper failed to 

 show the lines quoted. A letter to Mr. Carnegie brought the 

 following response : 



To THE Editor of The India Ruhber Wolrd ; Yours of the 7th 

 received. Mr. Carnegie has no recollection of making any statement 

 such as that mentioned in your letter. See his remarks on the enclos- 

 ure. Respectfully yours, JAS Bertram, 



P. Secretary. 

 2 East 91st street, New York, loth February, 1903. 



The copy of the planting prospectus sent to Mr. Carnegie 

 was returned, with these " remarks " penciled on the margin : 



Not one word of truth in this. A fraud. A. C. 



Space is given to the matter above, in the first place as an 

 answer to several persons who have written to The India 

 Rubber World to ask whether Mr. Carnegie actually has ad- 

 vised young men to become interested in rubber planting. In 

 the second place, it seems proper here to suggest that the plant- 

 ing interest cannot be helped by the dissemination of false 

 statements in regard to its possibilities. It must occur to many 

 persons who receive such statements as that credited to Mr. 

 Carnegie to inquire whether they are authentic, and the person 

 who learns that the strongest argument advanced in behalf of 

 an enterprise seeking capital is a manufactured endorsement, 

 might very reasonably become suspicious, not only of all other 

 statements made by the same company, but in regard to rubber 

 planting as a whole. 



SUCCESS IN RETAILING RUBBER GOODS. 



A RETAIL rubber store was opened a few years ago in a 

 New England town, where such an establishment had 

 never before proved successful, by a man who felt that he saw 

 the way clear to building up a paying business. He began in 

 a small way, but worked hard and studied his field carefully, 

 taking advantage of every opportunity for making a sale, and 

 practicing every possible economy. The result for sometime 

 was anything but encouraging, and he was more than once 

 tempted to give up the effort. The business continued to grow, 

 however, and in time became so profitable as to determine him 

 to remain in it permanently. The field for the trade of his store 

 was confined of course to its immediate vicinity, and after he 

 had begun to feel that the limit for expansion was reached in 

 this respect, he looked about for another locality, and, finding 

 a satisfactory man, placed him in charge there of a branch 

 store. This also in time developed success, which was followed 

 by the establishment of one or two more branches. 



The proprietor of this business has thus succeeded, not only 

 in supplying three or four times as many customers as he could 

 ever have in any one of the towns referred to, and making a 

 profit on all of his trade, but he has benefited besides through 

 being able to buy on better terms than the ordinary retailer, 

 since by giving all his orders through the parent store he is 

 enabled to get jobbers' prices. He tells The India Rubber 

 World that from the beginning he has seen a gradual increase 

 in the general consumption of all rubber lines which he car- 

 ries in stock, and he feels confident that this increase will be 

 continued. The town in which he is located is a manufactur- 

 ing center, with many consumers of rubber goods on a scale 

 sufficiently large to induce them to seek the manufacturer 

 when important orders are to be given. But these same estab- 

 lishments have frequent need for rubber supplies on a small 

 scale, and there is sometimes need for prompter service than 

 could be had by'dealing with the manufacturer, so that their 

 orders come to the local store. 



The gentleman quoted here believes that the opportunity for 

 the retail rubber store in towns and small cities is as good as 

 ever, and even better. He would advise persons going into the 

 business to adopt his plan of combining two or more stores un- 

 der one management, as he has done. But he would not recom- 

 mend every one to try to sell rubber goods. The business is 

 one which requires special preparation and special adaptability, 

 and it is a much more difficult matter to secure suitable store 

 assistants in the retail rubber trade than in dry goods or gen- 

 eral stores, because they are less plentiful. 



