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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[April 1, 1913. 



some rtsidcnce in Hamilton, this state, to spend the winter in 

 Florida. They went to Palm Beach in their own private car, 

 accompanied by a physician and several trained nurses. On the 

 13th of last month news came from Palm Beach of the death 

 of Mrs. Hood. The body was brought North, interment being 

 in Chelsea on Sunday the 17th. Mrs. Hood was the mother of 

 Frederick C. Hood, president of the Rubber Club of America, 

 and general manager of the Hood Rubber Co., and also of 

 Arthur N. Hood, treasurer of that company, and of Richard 

 Hood, of Paris, European agent for the company. 



* « * 



The B. F. Goodrich Co. stores have good window displays. 

 Their Boston store on Boylston street contains a very attractive 

 exhibit. It is a model of the plant at Akron, Ohio. It is of 

 wood, but so finished as to imitate the original, some buildings 

 being of brick and others of concrete. The model shows in 

 a ground space about six feet square ten or twelve of the factorv 

 buildings, each built to scale, and all electrically lighted, thus 

 representing a night view of the plant. This model, which is 

 an e.xact copy in miniature, is a center of attraction. A bird's-eye 

 view alongside shows all these buildings, and also a large part 

 of the plant not included in the model. Manager Limric is 

 receiving many compliments on the attractiveness of the exhibit 



* * * 



The Walpole Rubber Co.'s tire salesroom, at 757 Boylston 

 street, has in its window another unique display of the tires 

 made by the company. In the center, however, is a model which 

 brings passers-by to a stop. It is a miniature automobile, perfect 

 in its appointments, exact in its proportions, although only two 

 feet long. It has left-hand drive, thoroughly upholstered seats, 

 fore doors, full canopy top, clock, speedometer, etc. Instead of 

 a six-cylinder engine, however, is a clock-work which enables 

 the machine to propel itself "like life." The miniature tires, 

 naturally, are labeled "Walpole." The remarkable thing about 

 it is that the model was made by a prisoner in Charlestown State 

 Prison, who has never seen an automobile except through the 

 bars of his cell, but who has fashioned this model from pictures 



in advertisements. 



* * * 



Carpenters, painters and floor layers are busy at 863 Boylston 

 street, where preparations are being made for its occupancy by 

 the Republic Rubber Co., which expects to move into these 

 larger and more convenient quarters about April 1. 



* * * 



The Patterson Rubber Co.'s plant at Low-ell is well along 

 toward completion. It was expected that it would be making 

 tires by .^pril 1, but there is a possibility of some slight delay 

 beyond that date. The foundations for the heavy machinery are 

 ready and the machines arriving, but it may be some days before 

 they will be properly set and so adjusted that real production 

 can begin. However, it is safe to say that before another issue 

 of The Indi.\ Rubper World is printed, the factory will be 

 turning out goods. 



W. F. Stevens, who was Charles A. Coc's right-hand man. 

 when the latter was managing the American Rubber Co.'s agency 

 in Pearl street, this city, is now a prosperous fruit farmer and 

 automobile merchant in San Juan, Porto Rico. "Billy," as all 

 his friends know him, is at present in this country. He and his 

 brother started a fruit ranch in Porto Rico a few years ago, and 

 while waiting for the trees to come into bearing worked up a 

 fine pineapple business, and at the same time took the agency 

 for two lines of automobiles and a line of trucks, so that he has 

 enough to keep him busy, prosperous and happy. 



* * * 



The garment workers' strike in this section has interfered ma- 

 terially with some of the raincoat makers. Some of the con- 

 cerns have accepted the terms of the strikers, while others in 

 their attempts to run their factories with non-union help have 



found more or less difficulty in doing so. In Milford, Massachu- 

 setts, a near-riot occurred on March 3 in front of the Archer 

 Rubber Company's factory, in which several non-union men were 

 badly bruised, and two policemen were roughly handled. The 

 trouble appears now to be settled satisfactorily. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN CHICAGO. 



By a Resident Correspondent. 

 DUSIXESS in the various lines of the rubber industry in 

 ^-^ Chicago continues fair, with reports from scrap rubber 

 dealers that conditions are much better in their line than they 

 were one month ago. It was the general belief that the .^kron 

 strike would play havoc with the scrap rubber interests, but 

 Chicago dealers assert that the worst has passed and that they 

 are now anticipating a fairly active spring. Business in scrap 

 rubber had been good until the Akron strike began, and then 

 there was a setback for about three weeks. However, this 

 period of inactivity simply served to move slowly what little 

 overstock there has been on hand. 



Belting and packing lines are moderately active, though manu- 

 facturers note a tendencj' on the part of consumers to let the 

 mill-supply houses and manufacturers carry the bulk of the stock, 

 by buying in smaller quantities and only as needed. 



The unusual weather that prevailed during March gave quite 

 an impetus to the clothing market and many dealers who had a 

 small stock on hand in anticipation of a late spring lost no time 

 in sending in their orders. The result has been that jobbers 

 have had their hands full getting orders out on time. 



The demand for footwear throughout the month of March 

 has been up to expectations, and this is due in a large degree to 

 the favorable weather conditions. The prosperity that is being 

 enjoyed at the present time is sadly needed, as business in foot- 

 wear during the winter has been unusually poor. Some houses 

 report that their sales of footwear during the winter were 

 smaller in volume than in any winter for years, and this is 

 ascribed to the comparatively mild weather. The blizzard that 

 prevailed recently and the consequent slush had a tendency to 

 assist the foot-wear market, and the appalling storm of a week ago 

 created a wide demand for rubber shoes and especially for boots. 



Mechanical rubber goods are reported stronger at the pres- 

 ent time than they have been at any time since the beginning of 

 the year. Throughout the winter the mechanical rubber inter- 

 ests have at all times expressed themselves as pleased with 

 market conditions, but since the beginning of March their feeling 

 of satisfaction has been more pronounced than heretofore. A 

 feature of the trade has been the remarkable demand for belting. 

 and this activity is attributed to the unexampled prosperity of 

 Chicago's manufacturing concerns at present. Orders for belt- 

 ing have been coming in regularly, and for large lots, mechanical 

 rubber goods houses report, and most of the demands are for 

 immediate delivery. 



The Cowell Rubber Co., which has recently put on the market 

 the Keystone bath spray line, has made application for a state 

 charter for incorporation. The capital of the concern will be 

 $10,000. 



"The market has been much easier in scrap boots and shoes 

 during the last few weeks than it had been at any time since 

 the .^kron strike began," said H. Muehlstein. "A feature of the 

 market is that prices have been steady and the trouble at Akron 

 has little bearing on the Chicago market at the present time. 

 Collections are much better than they have been in some time 

 and offerings are being made more freely in boots and shoes. 

 There is a good demand for all items of hose, excepting air 

 brake, which shows little activity. The Chicago trade is pleased 

 to note that the prospects are good for an early adjustment of 

 difficulties at .\kron. and is also glad to announce that the strike 

 has not been affecting the local market near so much as most 

 of us believed it w^ould." 



