Ai'Kij. 1. 1914. 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



357 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN AKRON. 



By Our Regular Corrcspoiidcul. 



■T^HE Rubber Trading Co., of 38 Murray streeV, New York, 

 ■^ crude rubber brokers, has opened a branch office at 603 

 Flaliron building, .\kron, which is under the personal super- 

 vision of Robert T. Baird. Mr. Baird is not a new man in 

 Akron, Iiaving ai one time been connected with the rubber 

 business in this city for several years. Ilis many friends here 

 are glad to sec him return to .-\kron. 

 * * * 



At the meeting of stockholders of the B. I'. Goodrich Co., held 

 in New York City March 11. the following directors were re- 

 elected for three years: F. .'\. Hardy, E. C. Shaw, C. B. Ray- 

 mond, H. E. Raymond and David M. Goodrich. This was fol- 

 lowed by a meeting of directors, wlu-n the officers of the past 

 year were also re-elected. 



A. H. Marks, of this company, is in Florida in tlif hope of 

 regaining his health. .Mr. Marks was operated on about a year 

 ago at Johns Hopkins, and has not yet fully recovered. 



W. O. Rutherford, recently elected assistant sales manager of 

 the Goodrich company, was formerly manager of the Denver 

 branch. Then for a period of ten years he was head of the 

 Buffalo branch, and during the last four years he has been at the 

 Akron factory. Perhaps his most conspicuous talent is that of 

 organization. His a.s.sociates all testify that there are few so 

 capable of enthusing a selling organization and keeping it at a 

 productive white heat. 



* * :f 



-\lc.xandcr Adamson. of The .-Xdamson Machine Co., .\kron, 

 will attend the International Rubber E.xposition to be held in 

 London in June. 



* * » 



\V. S. Campbell, formerly with "The Iron Trade Review 

 and Daily Iron Trade." is now advertising manager for The 

 .Miller Rubber Co. 



* * -'s 



The degree of care exercised in the production of tires is fully 

 explained in recent literature sent out by the Firestone Tire & 

 Rubber Co. Starting with the tire fabric and following all the 

 way to the completed casing, every component of the tire is 

 subjected to the most exhaustive tests and every operation to the 

 closest scrutiny. The fabric is unrolled over electric lights — 

 slowly, so that the inspector may detect any flaws — after which 

 it is subjected to pulling tests. The rubber in manufacture re- 

 ceives equally close care and attention, and in the work of build- 

 ing up the tire every individual process is supervised by in- 

 spectors, each operation requiring the O. K. of the inspector 

 before the next is begun ; so that when the completed tire has 

 passed tinal scrutiny it is almost certain to be entirely free from 

 flaws. 



The sales manager of this company, R. J. Firestone, in his 

 campaign of education in the interest of the automobiling public. 

 is emphatic in his endorsement of the doctrine that tire chains 

 are useless on any car except when deep snow or mud is en- 

 countered. That non-skid tires, scientifically made, tested and 

 proved — such, for instance, as are produced in the Firestone 

 factory — afford much greater surety against skidding, either 

 sideways or forward, is the claim advanced ; and he further 

 calls attention to the wear and tear on tires equipped with 

 chains as a result of grinding back and forth, stating that he 

 has often seen a practically new tire with the trend almost torn 

 from the carcass from the use of a chain. 



The Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. for the past two years has 

 been developing a motorcycle tire to add to its automobile tire 

 line. These are made in four popular sizes : 28 x 2V2, 28 x 2^, 



29 X 2J4- and 28 x 3, finished in either corrugated or regular 

 Firestone non-skid tread. The company is also making red 

 tulxx ;in(l «ray tubes to fit all sizes. 

 * * * 



.\t the special meeting of stockholders of the Goodyear Tire 

 & Rubber Co., held March 3, the plan proposed bv the directors 

 for the introduction of new working capital was approved, and 

 holders of common shares immediately subscribed for the 

 majority of the new $4,000,000 stock offering. Comparison of 

 tire sales for the first three months of 1913 and 1914 show very 

 gratifying gains, and officials of the company express the belief 

 that business for the entire year will be materially increased. 

 The productive capacity of the plant — which early in February 

 was increased by about 1,000 tires per day, reaching a total ap- 

 proximating 6,000 — has since that time been still further in- 

 creased, a letter emanating from the office of the company's 

 president containing the statement that on March 5 more than 

 8,300 pneumatic tires were made. The company expects during 

 1914 to make and sell 190,000 motorcycle tires, sales of which 

 for the years 1911-12-13 aggregated 250,000 tires. 



The Goodyear company endorses the suggestion of the Society 

 of .'Vutomobile Engineers in regard to limiting the solid tire sizes 

 for motor trucks and motor fire apparatus to diameters of 36 

 and 40 inches, stating that such action would lead to more 

 uniform production and quicker and more satisfactory filling of 

 orders, while the necessary engineering changes for car manu- 

 facturers would be but slight. 



.A new rim has recently been placed on the market by the 



GooDVE.vR No-RiM-CuT Det.^chable Demountable Rim. 



Goodyear company, for use with all standard types of tires other 

 than the clincher variety. This rim permits the tires to w'iden 

 out at the base and rest in natural position, providing greater 

 air space and insuring the side walls against excessive strain 

 through having the beads pinched together. The flanges are also 

 of sufficient height and of suitable contour to give proper sup- 

 port to the tire. This rim is claimed by the company to be the 

 lightest rim on the market supplied in demountable form. It is 

 simple in operation and the outside flange answers the purpose 

 of a combination side rin.g and locking ring. The accompanying 



illustration shows this rim in the No-Rim-Cut Detachable style. 



* * * 



A contract has been awarded by the Kelly-Springfield Tire Co. 

 for a $15,000 office building to be erected in this city at Kelly and 

 Second streets. 



* * * 



W. P>. Miller, formerly secretary of The Diamond Rubber 

 Co., has associated with himself several men prominent in the 

 ■ ubber industry in Akron in his new rubber factory located at 

 South Norwalk. Connecticut. The names of these men will be 



given in a later issue. 



* * * 



H. A. Price, formerly manager of the .'\tlanta branch of The 

 B. F. Goodrich Co., assumes management of the Cleveland 



