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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[July 1, 1913. 



The Ohio Rubber Co., which is retiring from the retail 

 trade in this city and will operate a big wholesale house 

 here — announcement of which was made in this column last 

 month — started a "retail discontinuation sale" June 10 to con- 

 tinue until the big retail stock carried by the company is 

 disposed of. The Ohio company, through the efficient man- 

 agement of Edward G. Howard, enjoys an excellent whole- 

 sale trade in this city and vicinity. It was because of this 

 large trade locally that the company decided to discontinue 

 the retail business, as it was in a way competing with its 

 own customers. The company will act as jobbers or selling 

 agents for the leading rubber companies of the country. 



* * * 



The annual "Orphans' Parade and Outing," as sponsored 

 yearly by the Cincinnati Automobile Club, eclipsed this year 

 all previous efforts. Approximately 300 machines were used 

 in the parade, while 1,700 "kiddies" were made happy by 

 reason of a delightful "joy ride." To encourage participation 

 in the outing by auto owners, the committee this year having 

 charge of the parade arranged for prizes to be awarded 

 owners taking part. The local tire houses were the most 

 liberal contributors of prizes, there being no less than ten 

 different makes of inner tubes offered as prizes. The prizes 

 consisted of every conceivable accessory used about an auto- 

 mobile, and they were hotly competed for. 



* * * 



Fred A. Geier, vice-president of the Cincinnati Rubber 

 Manufacturing Co., has come prominently to the front in the 

 past month in connection with Cincinnati's philanthropic 

 work. He has been elected president of the Council for 

 Social .Agencies, which was incorporated last month, and at 

 a recent meeting of "the better housing movement," which 

 has in prospect the erection of modern homes for workmen, 

 the rents of which are to be suited to the income of the oc- 

 cupants, Mr. Geier subscribed $10,000 to the fund being raised 

 to carry on the work. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN CHICAGO. 



By a Resident Correspondent. 

 ■ I 'HE trade in rubber tires is brisk, as of course it ought to 

 ■^ be at this season of the year, for this is practically the 

 rush season on tires. Old tires carried over on machines through 

 the winter have by this time begun to show more or less wear 

 and require replacing. There is considerable activity in me- 

 chanical rubber goods, particularly of the kind used on the 

 large Western farms — rubber belting, for instance, for outdoor 

 machinery. And in the footwear line it can be safely predicated 

 that the popularity of the rubber soled shoe has reached Chicago. 

 There is a very large sale for this exceedingly comfortable 

 summer shoe. 



* * * 



The convention of the National Building Managers' Associa- 

 tion, held at Cincinnati last month, was attended by many repre- 

 sentatives of the local rubber houses, several of whom had ex- 

 hibits at the convention and who report the returns therefrom 

 as entirely satisfactorj-. The event is an annual one. It is a 

 gathering of the managers of buildings throughout the country, 

 for the purpose of getting new ideas on building equipment. 

 Local dealers exhibited their various lines of fire hose equipment 

 for modern office buildings, and the other necessary require- 

 ments of such buildings, as rubber matting, etc. 



* * * 



W. H. Salisbury & Co. are featuring a new garden hose mend- 

 ing device which is proving popular with the user of garden 

 hose. It is a metal contrivance with clincher ends. A brass 

 tube inserted in the hose couples the place to be mended, and 

 the ends are clinched into the hose; which insures a firm grip. 



The price is moderate, which further commends its use to the 

 consumer. 



* * * 



How ridiculous the rubber trade of Chicago is being made 

 by the "shoddy" stores — of which an expose was printed in this 

 column last month — is indicated by the following paragraph 

 clipped from the widely read humorous column of one of the 

 Chicago morning papers: "As all raincoat and trimk dealers 

 are constantly in a state of being overstocked or going out of 

 business and selling below cost, I would suggest that all of the 

 raincoats be packed in all of the trunks and shipped to some 

 far off country where both commodities will find a profit pro- 

 ducing market." 



Despite individual fuming and complaining among the dealers 

 in regard to the situation, no concerted action has been taken 

 to offset the effect of these thoroughly unreliable houses. All 

 agree that something must be done, but no plausible plan has as 

 yet been presented. In the case of similar unscrupulous dealers 

 in the furniture trade one house took it upon itself to expose 

 their business methods in all of the daily papers ; which plan 

 proved effective, keeping customers away from those places. 



* * * 



A bill for receiver was filed against the $1,000,000 Dutch 

 Guiana Culture company, a rubber planting concern with an 

 Arizona charter, and with offices in the City Hall Square build- 

 ing. The petitioner, Roy C. Holbrook, secretary of the com- 

 pany, alleges waste of stockholders' funds by other officers. 

 L. C. Parker is president and treasurer; James A. Crawford 

 and Louis T. Orr are directors. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN RHODE ISLAND. 



By a Resident Correspondent. 

 ""THE annual sales conference of the representatives of the 

 ■*• National India Rubber Co., of Bristol, with delegates 

 from various States in the Union, was held at Bristol early 

 in the month. There was a two days' gathering, during which 

 business and pleasure were so combined as to detract from 

 neither. Conferences were held with Vice-President Le- 

 Baron C. Colt at the offices of the company; and the wire 

 department of the corporation was specially discussed in re- 

 gard to the betterment of the business in insulated wire, 

 which is one of the chief products of the Bristol plant. 



The sales people arrived on Thursday morning, June 12, 

 and a business meeting was at once held. The ground cov- 

 ered during the past year was considered at length, and 

 reports and suggestions were offered by the delegates from 

 the different sections. On Thursday evening Vice-President 

 Colt entertained the visitors at his home on Smith street, 

 when brief addresses were made by all present and Fay's 

 orchestra rendered musical selections. Another business 

 session was held the following forenoon at the company's 

 offices, after which the party was entertained at a Rhode 

 Island clambake at the farm of Col. Samuel P. Colt at 

 Poppasquash Neck. Later a baseball game was played, the 

 married and the single men forming opposing teams. The 

 group was then photographed, and after general sightseeing 

 the conference was ended. At the clambake were: Vice- 

 President Le Baron C. Colt, Treasurer A. H. Emerson, F. L. 

 Dunbar, W. R. Davis, J. W. Franklin, W. J. McCaw and 

 J. T. Ashton, all of Bristol; A. P. Eckhert, M. F. King. 

 George E. Shaw, R. M. Campbell and Rudolph R. Rosa, of 

 New York; P. F. Lyons and M. E. Flaherty, of Chicago; 

 William A. Wardwell, of Boston; E. E. Curry, of Atlanta, 



Ga., and H. B. Squires, of San Francisco. 



* * * 



The Revere Rubber Co. has commenced the erection of a 

 considerable addition to its one-story frame building on 

 Eagle street, this city, to be used for office purposes. 



