May 1, 1913.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



425 



Captain J. F. Ellison, formerly of this city, and now operating 

 head of the Amazon Navigation Co. (Companhia Navegacao do 

 Amazonas), with headquarters at Para, has written a letter to 

 President Draper of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, 

 stating that business conditions are not so good on account of 

 the declining price of rubber. Captain Ellison's letter in part 

 is as follows : "I note that you have established a foreign trade 

 department and now don't consider that which follows as a 

 kick, but only as a suggestion, inspired by personal knowledge 

 of conditions, and the usual practice carried out by the merchants 

 and manufacturers in the States. Almost invariably letters and 

 circulars reach this country with only the ordinary domestic 

 postage thereon, and while in my particular case I am always 

 delighted to pay anything within reason to get a letter from 

 home, you can appreciate that to a merchant whose business is 

 being solicited, it is not pleasant, nor docs it give him a good 

 idea of the ability of a particular firm that sends him com- 

 munications without proper postage being placed thereon. The 

 practical amalgamation of the Amazon Steam Navigation Co., 

 and the Amazon Navigation Co., has now been consuniated, the 

 former company being the operating company and the Ca. Nave- 

 gacao do Amazonas the holding company. General business 

 conditions in North Brazil are none too good. The steadily de- 

 clining price of rubber, which is practically the sole output of 

 the Amazonas, is having an effect. This effect is not temporary, 

 but due to the amount of cultivated rubber coming into the 

 markets of the world from the Far East, and is a permanent 

 condition which North Brazil has made no preparation to meet. 

 It is the opinion of men who should and do have vastly more 

 weight than the writer, that Amazonas is facing a rather serious 

 crisis. Cost of living is excessive here, which naturally means 

 high wages for every one ; and living expenses cannot be re- 

 duced until this particular part of Brazil puts itself in position 

 to produce its own food supply. The climate here from my 

 viewpoint is wonderful. In over a year I have never seen the 

 temperature above 92 degrees in the shade, or lower than 75 

 degrees, the usual range being from 80 to 85 degrees." 

 * * * 



The suggestions contained in an editorial published in The 

 India Rubber World several months ago on the question of a 

 revision of the United States patent laws, and the better pro- 

 tection of inventors with reference to their inventions being 

 bought up only to be put in the "discard," have local illustration 

 in the incorporation in this city of the "National Society For the 

 Promotion of Invention and the Useful Arts." The in- 

 corporators are Drs. William P. Murray, C. N. Bradford and 

 Arthur Ewald. The purpose of the company is the protection 

 and advancement of the interests of inventors, through the 

 organization of a society of inventors. The company is in- 

 corporated for the nominal capitalization of $1,000 and will not 

 attempt at the outset to finance inventions, but will attempt to 

 prevent valuable ideas being taken from their originators or 

 being purchased but never manufactured. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN RHODE ISLAND. 



By a Resident Corrcsl'ondcnt. 

 /^ LIVER H. BLAISDELL, master mechanic at the facton,- of 

 ^-^ the National India Rubber Co., in Bristol, is one of the 

 few men who have served upwards of a quarter of a century 

 with the corporation. Mr. Blaisdell has been with the National 

 India Rubber Co. for almost 28 years, going there in 1885 as 

 chief engineer. Ten years ago he was promoted to master 

 mechanic. 



Mr. Blaisdell was born in Alton Bay, New Hampshire, in 1843, 

 but a few years later his parents moved to Portsmouth. Finish- 

 ing his schooling when he was 13 years old, he went to work 

 in a shovel factory, remaining there until the war broke out in 

 1861. At the age of 18 he enlisted in the Fourth Massachusetts 



Infantry, serving three months. He returned home and at once 

 enlisted in the United States Navy. He was assigned to the 

 United States gunboat "Sunflower" and served nearly two years 

 on board that vessel. Mr. Blaisdell was a first-class fireman in 

 the navy, which is equivalent to assistant engineer ashore. 



After the war he was employed as engineer in several different 

 manufacturing plants. He moved to Bristol in 1885 and since 

 then has had charge of all the steam engines, machinery shops 

 and pumping outfits for the National company. His son, Fred 

 G. Blaisdell, is one of the engineers at the company's factory. 



* * » 



Another employee who has been long in the service of the 

 National India Rubber Co. is Capt. Patrick H. McGovern, who 

 is rounding out his 40th year with that corporation. He worked 

 his way from an assistant in the store-house of the company — 

 when it was known as the National Rubber Co. — to yardmaster, 

 a position which he has held for the last 20 years. 



Capt. McGovern is an expert in moving large pieces of ma- 

 chinery and buildings and has an original way of rigging pur- 

 chases which for many years has proved successful. He has 

 a diversity of duties in his position as yardmaster. The live- 

 stock, moving gear, tools and the care of the fire-fighting ap- 

 paratus come under the yardmaster's care. When any machinery 

 needs to be shifted from one part of the big factory to another 

 Capt. IMcGovern takes it in charge. Last year when a portion 

 of the appurtenances of the Bristol factory were moved to Cleve- 

 land and other places, the yardmaster moved the great vulcanizers 

 and other machinery to the railroad yards, and directed the 

 loading of them in freight cars. Capt. McGovern acquired his 

 title by reason of his having served as commanding officer of 

 former Company C of the Second Regiment of Infantry of 



Bristol. 



* * * 



James Taylor, formerly employed in the National India Rubber 

 Co., died of pneumonia, March 28, at the home of his daughter 

 in East Providence, Mr. Taylor was 58 years old and had been 

 employed by the company 35 years, retiring a few years ago. 



* * * 



Operations were resumed at the factory of the National India 

 Rubber Co., April 14, after a shut-down of two weeks, for the 

 purpose of taking the annual inventory. More than 1,200 hands 

 went to work. While the factory was closed many improvements 

 were made in the buildings, including painting, carpentering and 

 masonry. An addition is being built to the wire-drawing room. 

 The company is shipping large quantities of insulated wire to 

 Dallas, Texas, and other parts of the South. 



* * * 



Work was resumed in the Alice and Millville mills of the 

 ^^'oonsocket Rubber Co., April 8, after a week's shut-down. 



* * * 



The Goodyear Tire Co. has acquired control of the Killingly 

 Manufacturing Co., at Killingly, Conn., and they plan to manu- 

 facture 1,000.000 yards of tire duck at the plant each year. The 

 company is reported as using 8.000.000 yards annually. They 

 are to equip the mill with new machinery. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN SAN FRANCISCO. 



By a Resident Correspondent. 

 /"CONSIDERING the time of the year business with the rub- 

 ^^ ber establishments is fairly good. Everyone is hoping for 

 rain ; there have been four comparatively dry years, and a series 

 of big rains would do wonders for the State. 



R. H. Pease and wife are now in New York, where they will 

 remain for a month. R. H. Pease, Jr., sailed on April 19 on the 

 liner George Washington for Europe, and contemplates making 

 a two months' stay visiting European cities. 



The Ralphs-Pugh Co,, of 502 Mission street, has taken on the 



