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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[September 1, 1913. 



tliis new system of insurance, for it has a double benefit. 

 It is obviously beneficial to the workman, tor it ^ivcs him 

 a fair amount of insurance without cost to himself, and 

 it further enables him to increase his insurance, if he so 

 elects, at tlie same rate under which the blanket policy is 

 written — which often reduces the cost to one-fiflh nf tlie 

 amount under the old system. This system, moreover, 

 is beneficial to the employer, as the moderate expense to 

 which he is put is undoubtedly more than compensated 

 by the increased ret^ard and loyalty of his workmen and 

 bv the greater quantity and better quality of work that 

 thev can be dependeil U]K)n to do under these conditions. 



A PROTEST THAT SOUNDS REASONABLE. 



THE manager of a motor car manufacturintj com- 

 pany has written to one of the automobile papers 

 protesting against the continual harping by the adver- 

 tising departments of the various automobile makers on 

 the fact that they are equipping their cars with "over- 

 size tires." He remarks: "This has assumed the propor- 

 tions of a fad. Every motor-car advertisement writer 

 .seems to think he must use this term. It seems not to 

 make any difference with what size of tires his car is 

 equipped. He uses the term anyway." Then he goes 

 on to say that there is a right-sized tire for the wheels 

 of every car and that is the tire with which the car 

 properly should be equipped, and any tire larger than 

 that is just as much out of place on the car as one that 

 is too small and too light. 



This seems to be a very reasonable contention. If 

 "over-size" means anything it means a size that is too 

 large ; and it does not seem logical that a motor car wheel 

 should be imjiroved by wearing excessively large shoes 

 anv more than it would be <jf advantage to a man with 

 a number 7 foot to equi]) himself with number 12 

 rubl)ers. 



SOME INTERESTING COMPARISONS. 



THE prodigious growth in the manufacture of auto- 

 mobiles has been commented on much and often, but 

 every few days some new figures are disclosed that 

 compel the editorial mind to abandon its resolve not 

 to mention this subject again. Official estimates place 

 the value of the exports of complete automobiles for the 

 year ending with last June at $40,000,000. including ex- 

 ports of tires valued at $4,000,000. The value of auto- 

 mobiles, including all accessories, exported in tlie year 



1902-3— that is just ten years ago— was $1,000,000. In 

 l'H)7 it had increased to 3,000 cars, with a value of about 

 $5,000,000; but the imports during that year almost bal- 

 anced the exports, being valued at $4,000,000. But in 

 the last six years the im[)orts of automobiles, including 

 all parts, have almost steadily dropped in value, until 

 for the year ending with last June they amounted only 

 to $2,000,000. In other words, while during the last six 

 years the imports have fallen oflf one-half, the exports 

 have increased eight-fold, and the value of the tires ex- 

 ported last year was almost equal to the entire automo- 

 bile exports of si.x years ago and was four times as 

 great as the entire automobile exports of ten years ago. 

 The foreign field, moreover, is one that is susceptible 

 of still greater enlargement, for the proportion of the 

 population in foreign countries already supplied with 

 motor cars is very much smaller than it is in this coun- 

 try, while the temptation to get an auto, in Europe at 

 least — owing to the shorter distances between cities and 

 the better road-ways — is very much greater. 



WHY NOT WASHABLE SHOES? 



A REPORTER on one of the New York dailies, in 

 his busy quest for news, recently ran across a 

 shoe dealer who lamented that there were no washable 

 shoes on the market. In order to complete his story 

 he went to a manufacturer of footwear with the sug- 

 gestion, but was told forthwith that the idea was abso- 

 lutely impracticable. 



But is it? 



To be sure, the ordinary footwear of today could not 

 be washed to advantage. Immersion is not especially 

 beneficial for leather shoes, nor is it particularly advan- 

 tageous for shoes made of cloth; but would it not be 

 possible to treat both leather and cloth shoes with some 

 sort of rubberizing preparation which, while not pre- 

 venting ventilation, would permit them to be duly im- 

 mersed and properly washed without any detriment? 

 Peoijle — at least those in the more orderly walks of life — 

 are accustomed to having their hosiery laundered from 

 time to time, so why not their shoes? 



At any rate, now that September has arrived and 

 everyone is back from the summer outing, refreshed by 

 the deUghts of the mountains and the joys of the sea- 

 shore, and ready to confront new problems and to en- 

 gage afresh situations which have hitherto proved baf- 

 fling, why is not this a good time for some energetic in- 

 tellect to get to work on the subject of washable shoes? 



