October i, 1910.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



27 



berger, San Francisco. General agents from other important 

 cities were in attendance. The conference concUidcd on the even- 

 ing of September 23 with a dinner at the Portage Country Club, 

 presided over by Mr. Harvey S. Firestone, president of the com- 

 pany, and at which 90 covers were laid, representatives of several 

 other Akron companies being among the guests. During the 

 evening a lecture on the Amazon rubber region was delivered by 

 the Editor of The India Rubber World. 



The shareholders of the Swinthart Tire and Rubber Co. met 

 on September 22. The directors chosen were Frank B. Theiss, 

 William Byridcr, R. A. May, Joseph Dangel, J. A. Swinehart, W. 

 W. Wuchter, and August Blessman, the latter succeeding Frank 

 R. Talbot. The officers were reelected as follows: 



Prt'si'tciit antl 5Ciu'rn/ manager — \V. W. Wuchter. 

 I'^ice president — James A, Swineh.\kt. 

 Seeretary — C. O. Raughma.n'. 

 Treasurer — K. -\. May. 



The reports read showed the concern to be in excellent financial 

 condition. The sales during the year were larger than during 

 the year preceding. It was mentioned that the company had ob- 

 tained the largest truck tire contract ever taken to equip com- 

 mercial vehicles. 



* * * 



It is reported that United States Senator Ciiarles Dick, who re- 

 sides in Akron, and is a director in one of the larger local rubber 

 companies, will introduce at the next session of Congress a bill to 

 establish a custom house in this city. Such an establishment 

 would result in lower fees for shippers. There are considerable 

 exports from Akron of rubber goods and machinery. 



* * * 



A NEW aeroplane tire offered on the market by The Diamond 

 Rubber Co. is of the single tube type, with a chrome leather tread, 

 intended to resist the action of the spoon brake, like the old 

 fashioned bicycle brake, that aviators use. 



* * * 



Mr. Web Brown, formerly a newspaper cartoonist in Akron 

 and later connected with the Youngstown Telegram, has become 

 advertising manager of The Republic Rubber Co., of Youngs- 

 town. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN SAN FRANCISCO. 



BV .\ RESIDENT CORRESPONDENT. 



A NOTHER month has passed, showing a gradual and gener;il 

 ■^^^ improvement in all lines of industries in San Francisco, and. 

 speaking generally of the state at large, conditions now are very 

 prosperous. As for the rubber business in particular, it is difficult to 

 detect any material change over last month, business with the 

 average establishments being fairly good, but not at all rushing. 

 Like everybody else, these merchants are hopefully anticipating 

 that this fall and winter will develop into quite an active trade. 

 The times are ripe for better business, and there is every reason 

 to believe that the rubber mechanical goods' business, as well as 

 tire and druggists' sundries, will improve materially. 

 * * * 

 A I'ORTNIGHT ago the state legislature met in special session 

 and passed a constitutional amendment to be voted on by tlie people 

 at the November election, authorizing the raising of $5,000,000 by 

 state taxation, and empowering the city and county of San Fran- 

 cisco to raise a separate $5,000,000 by the sale of bonds, the 

 object being to insure funds sufficient to hold a World's Fair in 

 San Francisco in 191 5, in honor of the Panama canal, and there- 

 by induce Congress and the federal government to give the ex- 

 position its stamp of approval. San Francisco has already raised 

 $7,500,000 by subscription, so that $16,500,000 will be available — a 

 a sum greater than has ever before been raised for such a pur- 

 pose. The fair will mean the spending of some $50,000,000 ad- 

 ditional in San Francisco during the next five years, and it is 

 needless to say that this is not only going to make active times, 



but it is going to be a great thing for San Francisco by way of 

 helping to place the city back on its feet after the $300,000,000 

 loss sustained by the fire of 1906. 



* * * 



Mr. R. H. Pe.\se, president of the Goodyear Rubber Co., states 

 that business is moving along in fine fashion, and is showing up 

 much better than last year. The recent rains throughout the 

 state were premature, but fortunately were not lasting. Rubber 

 boots and shoes should be in the hands of the customers before 

 the rains set in. "We are glad to see the price of rubber getting 

 down somewhat," he said, "as it has been a great task for all of 

 the manufacturers to know what to do about making prices when 

 rubber for a while was going up. We are living in great hopes 

 that rubber will stand at $1.90 or less a pound until the prices of 

 goods get more or less settled. We anticipate that from October 

 on we will have one of the best years we have ever had on the 

 coast, as all we need is rain in the late fall, which is worth much 

 more than rain from January to May. Rubber business on the 

 Pacific coast is a great speculation, because we have to anticipate 

 what is ahead for weather. If we figure the rains at the riglit time 

 we sell all of our output, but if not it is very serious, because we 

 have to carry stocks over for another year." Mr. Pease has just 

 returned from a very pleasant trip to Los Angeles in an auto- 

 mobile. 



* * ■',- 



The eighth annual convention of fire chiefs of the Pacific coast 

 was held at Stockton on September 6-7. It was one of the most 

 largely attended conventions ever held, and many good papers 

 were read. Motor driven apparatus was generally agreed upon 

 as being the proper thing. Some of the rubber fraternity who 

 were there were W. A. Daggett, Pacific coast manager of the 

 Eureka Fire Hose Manufacturing Co., and Mr. Barton, with the 

 same company ; J. H. Phillips, manager of the Seattle branch of 

 the Gorham Rubber Co., also, C. A. Taber with the Gorham com- 

 pany; and Fred A. Wood and A. J. Coffee, representing the 

 Gamewell fire alarm system. .At the fire chiefs' banquet Mr. 

 Daggett gave a toast to "M\- Old Home City" and Mr. Phillips 

 gave a toast "To the Ladies." The Eureka company had a big 

 exhibit there, and some of the other firms likewise had displays 

 of their lines. * * * 



C.\rT.\iN W. H, Gray, who has been with the Diamond Rubber 

 Co. for two years covering the northwestern territory, has been 

 placed in charge of a branch store which this firm has just opened 

 up in Portland. This move was considered wise owing to the 

 great success which their Seattle branch has met with. Since 

 putting in tliat branch tlieir business there has trebled. F. O. 

 Nelson, manager of the Los Angeles branch, writes that he is 

 meeting with excellent results in specializing on motorcycle tires, 

 as that section of the country is a great motorcycle center. .After 

 the return of General Manager C. E. Mathewson from his hunting 

 trip in northern California he took a business trip to the new 

 branch at Portland, and is back again in San Francisco. Lee 

 Ijams and J. W. Whitehead returned to their duties after an 

 interesting 1,000 mile hunting trip by automobile. 



* * * 



Mr. W. D. Sqvires. of Squires & Byrne Co., rubber and drug- 

 gists' sundries. No. 565 Mission street, is just back from a five 

 weeks' eastern trip. He has added to the territory of the Seam- 

 less Rubber Co. (New Haven. Connecticut.) now having the en- 

 tire Pacific coast. He also secured the northern territory in ad- 

 dition to the local territory for S. H. Wetmore lines, and has 

 secured for California Daniel's P. P. P. Packing and the Quaker 

 City Rubber Co.'s full line of mechanical rubber goods. He states 

 that business is moving along in fine style. It was not long ago 

 when they started in with three men, and now they have nine. 



* * * 



Mr. Thomas J. McElrov, Jr., manager of the Candy Belting 

 Co. (Baltimore), recently visited San Francisco and the Pacific 



