December 1, 1912,] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



147 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN BOSTON. 



By a Kesidciit Correspondent. 



BUSINESS continues about the same as last month's report, 

 with the possible exception of the footwear industry. This 

 is naturally the quiet time for that branch of the trade, as the 

 winter stocks have been ordered and delivered, and until real 

 winter sets in, the trade will be almost at a standstill. The call 

 for heavy goods, however, has been disproportionately large, 

 and the manufacturers are behind their orders on heavy Arctics 

 and Lumbermen's. The tire business is exceptionally good, and 

 new concerns are starting to get a share of the demand, while 

 factories already established are enlarging tluir capacity. It is 

 reported that one company, whose factory is as. yet a hole in 

 the ground, has had sales which will warrant a big output as 

 soon as the plant is ready to begin manufacturing. The clothing 

 business continues good, and the difficulty in securing fabrics 

 has to some extent been overcome, and orders are now being 

 filled in a more satisfactory manner. Taken altogether the trade 

 is in good condition from one end to the other. 



* « * 



The event of the moiitli in tlie rubber business has been the 

 labor troubles at the Hood Rubber Co.'s factory at East Water- 

 town, and the threatened extension of that trouble to the Amer- 

 ican Rubber Co. and the Boston Woven Hose and Rubber Co. 

 in East Cambridge. Early in the month the Hood company 

 posted a notice that the factory would shut down in all depart- 

 ments except tlie packing room, and the reason given was that 

 there were changes to be made in the calender room, and some 

 new boilers were to be installed. Immediately the agents of the 

 Industrial Workers of the World, who had been recruiting mem- 

 bers among the help, announced that the closing was a shut-out, 

 done to intimidate the unionizing of the workers in this organ- 

 ization, and they immediately declared a strike, and proceeded 

 to use forcible tactics to compel or induce those workers who 

 were not laid off to join in the strike. As a consequence some 

 violence and much excitement ensued, and, besides a siege of 

 the works of tlie Hood company, the strikers formed processions 

 and marched by the factories of the American Rubber Co. and 

 the Boston Woven Hose Co., demanding that the employes of 

 these companies join their ranks. This attempt was unsuccess- 

 ful, even though the organization had already secured some 

 members in these factories. The Hood factory was somewhat 

 in a state of siege for a few days, and during the disturbances 

 the mob was attacked by well-directed streams of water as well 

 as by the police. Some arrests were made, and the matter 

 •culminated when one man was found dead with a bullet in him 

 and another so badly wounded with a knife or other sharp in- 

 strument that he was removed to an hospital. The dead man 

 and the wounded man had both, it is reported, stated their inten- 

 tion of going to work when the mill opened. Arrests have been 

 made, but at present writing the authorities are not sure they 

 have the murderers. 



Meanwhile the repairs at the factory were continued and so 

 far completed tliat the factory was opened in nearly all depart- 

 ments except the calender room, and little or no disturbance 

 has resulted since the above-mentioned tragedy, which seems to 

 have served as a deterrent on the part of the agitators and 

 the strikers. Most of the help was taken back, though some, 

 who had been active and aggressive, lost their jobs. The organ- 

 izer of the society acknowledged the strike to be a failure, and 

 has been endeavoring to secure for all strikers the positions they 

 held previous to the shut-down. 



* * * 



■"What is one man's loss is another's gain." The Boston news- 

 papers had an advertisement in their "Want Columns" offering 

 work to rubber shoe makers, and as a consequence about a 

 hundred rubber workers secured jobs at the Beacon Falls Rubber 

 .Shoe Co., some 35 going one day and 65 the next. It is said 



that none of those applying were given employment unless they 



could speak the English language. 



» * * 



The Fisk Rubber Co., of Chicopee, whose re-incorporation 

 was mentioned in the November issue of The India Rubber 

 World, will sell $1,000,000 of the new preferred stock, and with 

 the proceeds will add to its facilities for manufacturing pneu- 

 matic tires for automobiles and bicycles, and will add thereto the 

 manufacture of solid tires for commercial vehicles. The mills 

 are being enlarged and an entire new four-story steel and con- 

 crete building 200 by 90 feet will be ready for the increased 

 force of workmen by the lirst of the year. The company nov/ 

 employs a force of about 1,200 workmen, but, with these addi- 

 tions, it is expected that the output will be increased between 

 50 and 60 per cent. Harry G. Fisk, who was secretary of the 

 older corporation, is clerk and treasurer of the newly incor 

 poratcd company. 



* * * 



The Apsley Rubber Co., of Hudson, has its own factory, its 

 own box factory and case plant, and now it will have its own 

 printing establishment. Perhaps this is not exactly true in the 

 strict sense, but practically so. For years the Worcester Printing 

 Co. has been a leading industry in Hudson, not only doing a 

 fine business for home concerns, but a much larger outside busi- 

 ness. Much of the printing of the Apsley Rubber Co. was 

 turned out from the presses of this establishment. Last month 

 Hon. L. D. Apsley became sole owner of this big printing estab- 

 lishment, when he immediately changed its name to the Hudson 

 Printing Co., and moved the Boston office from the Old South 

 building to one of the three office-rooms of the Apsley Rubber 

 Co. in llaynes building, corner of Summer and High streets. 

 Mr. Worcester remains as manager and will spend the greater • 

 portion of his time at the Boston office, and the relations between 

 the rubber company and the printing company are likely to be 

 closer than ever. 



* « * 



Mr. Apsley is a good loser. One of the greatest admirers 

 of Theodore Roosevelt, he wanted to see him again sent to the 

 White House. He rather expected this to be the result of the 

 election, and he hired the opera house at Hudson for election 

 night and invited the whole population to come and hear the 

 returns and rejoice with him. They came — or enough of thein 

 to fill the hall — and, as returns came in slowly, he entertained 

 them with stereopticon pictures of candidates and scenery, and 

 lest they should grow hungry bushels of doughnuts, cans of 

 coffee and baskets of fruit were provided. When the hopes of 

 the Progressive Party were absolutely and unqualifiedly dashed, 

 Mr. Apsley caused a message to be written to the effect that, 

 though people present might differ on political questions, they 

 were unanimous for Hudson and its prosperity, and the crowd 

 amended this by declaring themselves unanimous for Hudson's 

 leading citizen. * * « 



Pine Banks Park is a beautiful natural park situated in Maiden 

 and Medford. It was formerly the property of the late Deacon 

 E. S. Converse, of the Boston Rubber Shoe Co., who presented 

 it as a public park to the two cities. It is in care of three com- 

 missioners from each city, and to them last month were presented 

 two handsome deer about a year old. These were born on the 

 estate of Col. Harry E. Converse at Marion, and the Colonel 

 deeined the park a fitting place for them. An addition to the 

 zoo at the park is being prepared, and the animals are to be 

 a permanent added attraction to this beautiful place. 



* * * 



The new factory to be built in Lowell for the Patterson Rub- 

 ber Co. will be of brick, four stories high and of modern mill 

 construction. The foundation is already laid, and the contract 

 was awarded about the middle of last month. It will be 210 feet 

 long and 68 feet wide. The company proposes to install machin- 



