206 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March i, 1903. 



ploying electric locomotives. The capital was $3,000,000, a 

 proposition to increase which to $10,000,000 was under consid- 

 eration when the consolidation of the Several Electric Co. took 

 place. It is expected, however, that at least $1,000,000 will be 

 expended by the new controllers in enlarging the Pittffield 

 plant, which employs 1500 hands. 



NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE (QUOTATIONS. 



United States Rubber Co. : 



Rubber Goods Manufacturing Co.: 



DATES. 



Week ending Jan. 24 

 Week ending fan. 31 

 Week ending Feb. 7 

 Week ending Feb. 14 

 Week ending Feb. 20 



Common. 



.Sales. 



13,180 

 4,876 

 11,649 

 t5.7iS 

 17.650 



High. 



25'A 

 25M 



28-A 

 30 



Low. 



23?^ 



25 



26K 



28 



IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE HOSE MANUFACTURE. 

 During the past year the Eureka Fire H-seCo. (New York) 

 have made some important improvements in the special hose 

 weaving machinery employed in making their " Eureka,"" Par- 

 agon," ''Red Cross," " U. S. Underwriter," "New Peerless" 

 jacket. " New Surprise " jacket, and " Monitor " jacket brands 

 of rubber lined cotton fire hose, which have been patented in 

 the United States and other countries, and doubtless will make 

 these high grade goods still more popular with the buying pub- 

 lic. With the new looms an extra ply of fine Sea Island yarn 

 is ingeniously woven in the inner surface of the hose, filling the 

 spaces between the strands and thus entirely covering the 

 ribbed or corrugated surface which was unavoidable in the old 

 method of weaving the fabric. This virtually adds another ply 

 to the hose and gives, at least, 25 per cent, additional strength 

 without materially adding to the weight. The" Red Cross '' 

 brand, hitherto a single hose, thus practically becomes a double 

 hose, and the " Paragon " and other brands of jacket hose, pre- 

 viously a double hose, become triple, and the " Eureka " is 

 changed from a triple to a quadruple hose. The Eureka com- 

 pany have also put in new special machinery for attaching 

 couplings to fire hose by hydraulic power, by which two opera- 

 tors can attach 250 or more couplings in a day. Gages are 

 attached to the machine so that each coupling receives an 

 equal amount of pressure throughout the process. The hose, 

 after being coupled, is passed to testing tables, built from de- 

 signs by Vice President B. L. Stowe, which are provided with 

 an attachment for connecting any thread, or, if the hose is or- 

 dered without couplings, it is tested by attaching special con- 

 nections. 



CONDITIONS IN THE CARRIAGE TRADE. 

 The New York carriage trade journal, T/ie Hub, makes a 

 feature of letters from dealers on the business situation. In 

 introducing this feature in the February issue the editor says : 

 " The reports this month continue favorable as a whole, and the 

 general feeling is that the coming season's trade will be fair, 

 but not so hopeful as it has been." The " not so hopeful " ex- 

 pression must refer to the fact that 1902 showed a greater rate 

 of improvement over the past than can be looked_Jor to con- 

 tinue always. The February Hub contains letters from 77 



dealers, in 16 states, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from 

 Michigan in the north to Arkansas in the south. Of these, 40 

 report a decidedly better trade in 1902 than in 1901 ; 13 report 

 trade equally good; 19 report smaller sales; and 5 offer no 

 basis for comparison. But 59 letters report good prospects for 

 the present year— many are enthusiastic on this point — and 

 very few of the remainder write that trade prospects are poor. 

 THE NEW HODGMAN STORE. 

 The oldest house in the rubber trade in New York— and the 

 oldest rubber firm in continuous existence in this country — not 

 only has the newest store in this branch in the city, but about 

 the most attractive rubber store that has yet been opened any- 

 where. Reference is made here to the new headquarters of 

 the Hodgman Rubber Co., at Nos. 806-808 Broadway, opposite 

 Eleventh street. In point of space occupied the store marks 

 an advance over that formerly occupied by the company. The 

 main floor, 50 >( 230 feet, extends from Broadway to Fourth 

 avenue, and the basement and subbasement have the same di- 

 mensions. The store is exceptionally well lighted — having the 

 advantage of the wide frontage on both the thoroughfares 

 named ; a row of windows half the length of the store, opening 

 on the yard of Grace church ; and windows on the opposite 

 side of the room, lighted by a spacious court in the center of 

 the block. Every advantage thus is aflorded for the displaying 

 of goods, the business offices are well lighted, and a generally 

 cheerful effect is produced. The character of the Hodgman 

 goods is favorable to attractive displays, for which the nsw 

 store furnishes a desirable setting. The offices of the Messrs. 

 Hodgman and the bookkeeping departments have been newly 

 and tastefully furnished. The basement, devoted to the ship- 

 ping department and to the storage of goods, is lighted through 

 the sidewalks at the front and the rear, and through windows 

 opening upon the churchyard. In the subbasement are the 

 steam plant, storage room for packing cases, and the like. 

 BICYCLE TRUST REORGANIZATION. 



The reorganization committee of the American Bicycle Co., 

 William A. Read, chairman, has given notice that the third 

 and final instalment of $3 a share has been called for payment 

 by the depositors of preferred and common stock, required by 

 the plan and agreement of the committee, the payment to be 

 made to the Central Trust Co. (New York) on or before 

 March 2. 



THE CANADIAN DUTY ON RUBBER SHOES. 



Some Canadian newspapers having reported that the desira- 

 bility of a higher import duty on rubber boots and shoes was 

 one of the subjects discussed at the recent meeting of rubber 

 manufacturers in Montreal, The Canadian Shoe and Leather 

 lournal (Toronto) says: "As a matter of fact no mention 

 whatever was made of the tariff, and there was, of course, no 

 decision arrived at to ask for further protection from the gov- 

 ernment. The manufacturers refused to give these papers any 

 information whatever regarding the question brought up for 

 discussion, and the imagination of the reporter was responsi- 

 ble solely for the erroneous statement made." It is not impos- 

 sible that, if a member of the association authorized to speak 

 had assured the reporter that the tariff question was not dis- 

 cussed at the meeting, his imagination might not have been 

 given play, and Mr. N. Tetrault, Jr., who represented the shoe 

 manufacturing trade at the ruboer men's banquet, might not 

 have " expressed a hope that the rubber manufacturers had dis- 

 cussed the matter of tariff, and [he] thought that the two lines 

 of business should aid each other in having the tariff on foot- 

 wear raised."— -^At a meeting of the boot and shoe section of 

 the Retail Merchants' Association of Toronto, according to the 

 Star of that city, the question under difcussion was the request 



