212 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March i, 1910. 



A rumob that went the rounds at the Chicago automobile show 

 was to the effect that the tire business would be seriously affected 

 by the recent Federal court decisions on the Selden patents. 

 It was reported that licensed automobile manufacturers intended 

 to notify all tire makers that they would withdraw their patron- 

 age unless no more tires were sold to unlicensed manufacturers. 

 This is emphatically denied here. "The licensed manufacturers 

 could not pursue such a course," said a rubber company official 

 here, "and they would not if they could." 

 # * * 



Mi<. C. B. Raymond, secretary of The B. F. Goodrich Co., his 

 health impaired temporarily by a severe cold, left his work early 

 in February for Thomasville, Georgia, where he intended spend- 

 ing most of the month. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN SAN FRANCISCO. 



BY A RESIDENT CORRESPONDENT. 



"THE month of February has taken the dealers in rubber 

 * goods a little by surprise, as trade has not been as active 

 as they anticipated. Business just prior to the first of the year 

 was good enough to warrant them in believing that there would 

 be a period of considerable activity after the first of the year, 

 but the big business did not materialize, and they have been 

 forced to content themselves with an uneventful routine of work. 

 One reason is that in certain lines the retailers stocked up last 

 fall, when the heavy rains came, and as there has been only a 

 small amount of rain since, there were few orders coming in 

 after the first of the year. But besides this it does not appear 

 that there is any great amount of activity in San Francisco 

 for the rubber business, and only a fair amount in the country. 



It is a matter of some surprise to the largest houses that the 

 San Francisco trade has been so quiet. With every facility for 

 working the field, and every advantage in meeting the closest 

 prices, and continually working the city thoroughly, they still 

 have been unable to make much of a clean up. They are forced 

 to the conclusion that none of the dealers has done a great deal 

 and that business for some reason or another has simply been 

 backward. Competition is undoubtedly keen in the city, and 

 prices have been urged to so close a margin that it has forced 

 a lot of cheap goods on the market. The handling of cheap goods 

 has come to be one of the chief annoyances in the trade. It is 

 looked upon as one of the results of the low business vitality, 

 and with a renewal of trade activity and freer conditions in the 

 financial market, the dealers believe that prices will rapidly come 

 back to a sounder basis. Country business is generally found to 

 be strong, and especially is the outlook good for increasing busi- 

 ness in the future. 



* * * 



Mr. S. L. Plant, of the Plant Rubber and Supply Co., of San 

 Francisco, states that trade is looking much better now, and that 

 the establishments should make no complaint if the present busi- 

 ness continues to improve as it has done in the past few weeks. 

 The Plant Rubber and Supply Co. and the Gladiator Packing and 

 Rubber Co., of Los Angeles, have consolidated. An office will 

 still be maintained in Los Angeles, but in future all orders for 

 both establishments will be filled in San Francisco. 



* * * 



Mr. William J. Gorham, of the Gorham Rubber Co., has been 

 in San Francisco for very short periods of time lately, spending 

 most of his time in Los Angeles. He came up from the south- 

 ern city a short time ago and after taking a look at things here 

 went on up the coast to Seattle, where the firm has a large branch 

 which he thought he would go and look after. When he comes 

 back to San Francisco for a stay the boys are expecting him to 

 liven things up in the business way. He seems to keep up a 

 flourishing business at the branch offices where he has been mak 

 ing his headquarters. 



The Eccles & Smith Co. have sent Charles Nell, of their rubber 

 goods department, to Portland, Oregon, to handle their balata 

 belting at that point. Mr. Nell will hereafter be stationed at 

 Portland for thai purpose. 



I he Sterling Rubber Co. on Second street, which is no longer 

 the coast agent for the New York Belting and Packing Co., 

 Limited, has recently secured the coast agency for the "Original" 

 balata belting line. This firm reports a fair business, with a 



good outlook for the future. 



* * * 



Mr. R. H. Pease, president of the Goodyear Rubber Co., states 

 that business generally is much improved, but not so good as it 

 should be on account of the excellent business which they had 

 through the fall. At that time the trade stocked up with 

 boots and shoes, rubber clothing, and so forth and do not place 

 many orders for this line of goods now. ''From the fall of 

 1908," he said, "there was practically no rain until January, 1909, 

 when the rain came in immense quantities, and as the stocks were 

 well run down the retailers had to buy so that business was un- 

 usually good through January and February. But this year we 

 had our good storms in the fall, and the trade will not buy 

 at the present time, with their stocks on hand, and this has made 

 an impression during the past two months. But in the me- 

 chanical lines business is very good and the sundries business is 

 better than it was at this time last year. Inasmuch as there is 

 plenty of snow on the mountains we look for a good business 



later on as soon as the mines are opened." 



* * * 



The Gutta Percha and Rubber Manufacturing Co. report that 

 business is fair at the present time and that they are preparing 

 for a more active season later on. 



* * * 



Mr. A. H. Noah, treasurer of The Diamond Rubber Co. 

 (Akron, Ohio) has just arrived in San Francisco, where he is 

 visiting the local branch. He will probably spend a month on 

 the coast for business and pleasure, and as he is a golf player 

 will probably be seen on the links at Del Monte. 



The Diamond Rubber Co. have selected a location for their 

 permanent branch store in this city which is maintained to supply 

 the emergency orders of the automobilists. Their location is 

 the old Mechanics' Library building at the northeast juncture 

 of the two principal boulevards, Van Ness and Golden Gate 

 avenues. Here they are fitting up a large and elegant shop and 

 store with tiling floors, inlaid windows for monogram, fixtures 

 and finishings mahogany and everything new and modern. Mr. 

 J. H. Ingersoll is the manager. 



FROM RUBBER TO WHIST. 



THOSE members of the trade who were active in it so long 

 ago as the earlier months of The India Rubber World will 

 recall the name which appears in the following paragraph from 

 The Electrical World. This gentleman was understood to have 

 given up his interest in rubber in the sense of twenty years ago; 

 it is possible, however, that the word "rubber," used in another 

 sense, has attracted him to the game in which he is now reported 

 to be an expert. Our contemporary notes : 



"Mr. Paul F. Mottelay, translator of Gilbert's 'De Magnete' and 

 one of the collaborators on the A. 1. E. E. 'Catalogue of the 

 Wheeler Gift,' is the subject of an appreciative notice in a British 

 society journal. Mr. Mottelay is also an authority on bridge 

 whist, and the notice states that his work on this subject, which 

 is an accepted authority in this country and Great Britain, is 

 soon to appear in a French translation, with the addition of much 

 matter prepared by Mr. Mottelay to cover differences in French 

 rules and codes." 



Send for a free copy of the Index to "Crude Rubber and Com- 

 pounding Ingredients." 



