424 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[May 1, 1913. 



The weather has been decidedly favorable for makers of rub- 

 ber garments and rubber shoes. For almost a week it has rained 

 and there has been a great demand for rubber coats and rubber 

 shoes. The demand for rubber garments has been much in- 

 creased this spring. The public at large is taking to the new 

 rubberized coats, and a good many economical young men — and 

 young women, too — wlio cannot afford a spring coat are buying 

 these coats and making them do double duty. 



The demand for automobile tires has fallen off considerably 

 of late, strange to say. One would think with the spring of the 

 year approaching, and with the autos all on the road, the de- 

 mand for these goods would increase. Jobbers, however, say 

 they find a noticeable let-up in the buying. This is attributed a 

 good deal to the recent cut made in prices. Buyers noting that 

 prices had been cut are rather nervous about laying in supplies 

 for future needs, fearing a further cut in values, and this has 

 made the demand of a "hand-to-mouth" character, so to speak. 

 Your correspondent in his tour among the dealers found them 

 almost uniformly taking a cheerful view of the situation. The 

 Chicago Rubber Co. said : "Trade has been good in all lines. 

 The wet weather has been a boon to our trade of late. Rubber 

 coats met with a surprisingly good demand. The demand for 

 automobile tires has slowed up somewhat. The recent cut in 

 prices has made buyers cautious and they have been limiting 

 their purchases to immediate requirements. They probably an- 

 ticipate a further cut, and for this reason they do not care to be 

 caught with a lot of high priced goods on their hands.'' 



R. D. Evans, of the Picher Lead Co., was enthusiastic in his 

 reports on business conditions. He said : "As far as we are 

 concerned business is booming. The only trouble I can find is 

 that our trade is bothering the life out of us for shipments. The 

 situation in Akron, Ohio, is clearing up and factories there are 

 running normal." The representative of the Chicago Rubber 

 Works said that the demand for all lines was good and trade 

 conditions were greatly improved. Mr. Simons, of the W. D. 

 Allen Co., said : "Trade is good. We have had and are still 

 having a good call for all brass hose accessories." 



E. F. Lindley, representative of the Raven Mining Co., with 

 office's in the Marquette building, is now in Utah visiting the 

 mines of his company. He is expected back in a week or two. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN CINCINNATI. 



By a Resident Corrcsl^ondcnt. 



■VV/HILE the flood which prevailed in this section tied up 

 ''' business in all commercial lines, the rubber footwear 

 and rubber clothing jobbers and manufacturers experienced the 

 busiest season of the year. The extensive stocks carried by local 

 concerns have been depleted, and rush orders have been placed 

 for complete inventories. With the flood situation about over 

 and business returning to a normal condition, the local tire 

 houses are facing a demand for goods in excess of the supply. 

 All orders are "rush," and in consequence there are busy scenes 

 around the local tire houses, as the extra demand for goods 

 to replace those which were destroyed or lost by reason of 

 the flood, coupled with the opening of spring weather and active 

 buying of automobiles, has increased business beyond expecta- 

 tions. 



* * * 



Though long rumored and looked for, the formal announce- 

 ment of a reduction in price of automobile tires came unex- 

 pectedly at this critical time from the Diamond Rubber Co. 

 and the Goodrich Rubber Co., on April 1. Automobile tire 

 users could not believe the big announcements, appearing in the 

 local newspapers, that the price had been cut, and throughout 

 the day it was treated locally as an "April Fool" joke. For 

 the greater part of the first day after the annoimcement ap- 

 peared, Manager C. W. Simpson of the Diamond and B. M. 



Lovell, manager of the Goodrich, were kept busy assuring cus- 

 tomers that the announcement was bona fide. As a result of the 

 unexpected cut the telegraph wires were kept hot by managers 

 of other tire factories, wiring headquarters of the announce- 

 ment, and inquiring if they intended to follow. As a result of 

 tlie cut, competition in the tire business in this section has been 

 very keen, and local tire men are closely watching the result, 

 and many make the statement that the announcement of the 

 two big tire factories of a cut in price is the forerunner of a 

 price-cutting war. 



While the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. did not advertise a 

 cut in the price of their tires, managers and agents of the 

 company were instructed that the price had been cut to meet 

 that of the Diamond and Goodrich. 



Rubber footwear manufacturers have joined hands with the 

 leather shoe manufacturers to assist dealers in the flood zone 

 in rebuilding their business by extending credit for practically 

 an indefinite period. An agreement has been secured from the 

 manufacturers by tlie Ohio Retail Dealers' Association which 

 has a committee working with the manufacturers. The flood 

 has wiped out shoe stores from the upper end of the Ohio to 

 the Mississippi. It means that the customer for years must 

 have credit and long time credit at that. 



Perhaps one of the heaviest losses caused by the Dayton 

 llnod will be the Barney & Smith Car Works. The mammoth 

 plant of this concern was completely inundated, and while the 

 exact loss has not been fixed, it is estirhated that it will reach 

 half a million. Thousands of dollars' worth of air brake hose, 

 packing, rubber springs, rubber treads, and tiling which are used 

 in the manufacture of railroad coaches was destroyed, and on 

 account of the terrific current during the flood period most of 

 the supplies on hand were carried off by the water. 



The Atlas Rubber and Belting Co., at 212 Walnut street, while 

 located in the flood zone, enjoyed a rushing business during the 

 high water. With water swirling around the front door of the 

 building where the company is located, it was supplying the 

 needs of flood-visited business houses with washout hose and 

 other rubber goods that are most essential in high water times. 

 With but one or two exceptions the recent flood through 

 Ohio cost the various rubber companies vast sums, as most of 

 the companies operating branch houses in this city operated sup- 

 ply stations in Hamilton, Dayton and other smaller cities that 

 were located in the flood zone. Notwithstanding the heavy 

 losses suffered by the rubber companies, these same companies 

 were the first to respond to the call for help that came from 

 the stricken cities. Among the first company to come to the 

 aid of the flood sufferers in Dayton was The B. F. Goodrich 

 Co., which promptly sent a full car load of rubber boots and 

 tires. 



One of the "hard hit" concerns in the Dayton flood was the 

 I. J. Cooper Rubber Co., whose headquarters are located here. 

 A large stock of the company's Racine and Motz tires floated 

 away and were given up as permanently lost. Now, however, 

 these tires are "floating" back in a unique way. One of the 

 tires had taken a swim clear to Miamisburg. 12 miles from 

 Dayton, and had been lodged there for days in the top of a 

 tree. It was returned later with the compliments of the owner 

 of the tree. Two other tires were restored by a young woman 

 who found them in her sitting room in the second story of the 

 Knecht House, at Dayton. 



The Ohio Rubber Co., of Cleveland, having a large retail 

 house here and a sub-office at Dayton, suffered a heavy loss as 

 the entire office of the company was submerged and for a time 

 it was feared that the employees of the office had lost their 

 lives in an effort to save the stock. Later, however, it was found 

 that the employees escaped, but not until they were compelled 

 to use boats to get to dry land. 



