May i, 1910.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



283 



the sinking fund of the Participation Account, and propose that 200,000 

 marks f— $47/14-] of the profits carried forward to new account be used 

 for that purpose. 



•EL PALMAR" ESTATE ANGLICIZED, 



Already several companies have been floated in London 

 for the purpose of purchasing Mexican plantations. One 

 of these is El Palmar Rubber Estates, Limited, registered 

 during the past month with a capital of £145,000 [=$705,- 

 642.50]. The property involved is the "El Palmar" estate, 

 in Vera Cruz, on which rubber cultivation was begun about 

 twelve years ago, in connection with sugar and other prod- 

 ucts. Reference has been made already [see The India Rub- 

 ber World, December 1, 1908 — page 109] to the rubber prod- 

 uct of "El Palmar," in which estate has been interested the 

 important Mexican mercantile firm, Lions Hermanos y Cia. 

 {Lions Brothers & Co., Limited), of Pueblo, Mexico. Ameri- 

 can interests became involved in this property, and El Palmar 

 Estates was incorporated under the laws of New York March 

 28, 1908, with Sqoo,ooo capital. The financial agent of this 

 company was John Andrew Barnes, of New York, who is 

 named in the London prospectus as the representative of the 

 vendors in the matter of the transfer of the property to the 

 new company. The prospectus states that the directors pro- 

 pose to enter into an arrangement with Mr. James C. Harvey, 

 the well known Mexican rubber plantation expert, to become 

 superintendent of the estate. A member of the board of the 

 new company is William Euing Birrell, Esq., J. P., chairman 

 of the Clyde Rubber Works Co., Limited, of Glasgow. It may be 

 mentioned that the Clyde Rubber Works several years ago 

 obtained part of the initial shipment of rubber from "El 

 Palmar," and reported favorably upon the quality of the 

 product. 



WHO COULD ASK FOR MORE? 



No other rubber prospectus that has yet appeared promises 

 more or claims so much as that of The Standard Rubber 

 Corporation of Mexico, Limited, registered in London, Feb- 

 ruary 9, iqio. with a stated capital of £300,000 [=$1,459,950]. 

 The company have been formed, the prospectus says, to pur- 

 chase 88,000 acres of land on which are 11,000,000 trees 

 (species not mentioned) ready for tapping. There are also 

 in prospect exploitation rights over 500,000 acres on which 

 are seven species of rubber plants discovered by Dr. Pehr 

 Olsson-Seffer which are said to attain maturity in three years 

 and to yield rubber superior in quality to guayule or the 

 product of "palo amarillo." Moreover, the company acquire 

 Dr. Olsson-Seffer's secret processes for the preparation of 

 rubber, and a concession f-rom the Mexican government for 

 the extraction of rubber from the trees discovered by Dr. 

 Olsson-Seffer, and a further concession for a monopoly of the 

 manufacture of india-rubber goods in Mexico. It is promised 

 that additional rubber trees will be planted until the total 

 reaches about 40,000,000. The following pleasing scale of profits 

 forms part of the prospectus: 



Years. 1910-11. 1912. 1913. 1914. 1915. 



Profits £50,400 £112,000 £134,400 £224,000 £235,200 



The Globe Rubber Corporation, Limited, registered in 

 London, appear as the vendors to the new company. 



THE RUBBER TRADE AT AKRON. 



The directors of Asbest- und Gummiwerke Alfred Calmon 

 Aktiengesellschaft, of Hamburg, for 1909— their fourteenth busi- 

 ness year in their report — to be presented at the annual meeting 

 to be held on May 10, will recommend a dividend of 6 per cent, 

 on the entire capital of 6,000,000 marks — the same as for two 

 years past. 



Thf. Dunlop Rubber Co., Limited (Birmingham), are now 

 engaging extensively in the manufacture of golf balls, besides 

 many other lines of rubber goods which they make, in addition 

 to the tires sold through the parent company — the Dunlop 

 Pneumatic Tvre Co., Limited. 



BY A RESIDENT CORRESPONDENT. 



THE question of an adequate supply of water for the rubber 

 * factories at Akron has been one of no little anxiety, 

 particularly as this has depended in the past upon the northern 

 division of the Ohio state canal, and the state legislature has 

 failed of late to make an appropriation to complete the projected 

 improvements on the canal system. This neglect of the matter 

 by the lawmakers has suggested the possibility that the canal 

 adjacent to Akron might be abandoned, with the result that 

 the water supply involved might pass into the hands of private 

 owners. Recently, however, leases for the use of water have 

 been renewed for four years at the old price, and it it reason- 

 able to suppose that no change in the situation unfavorable to 

 the manufacturers will occur meanwhile. 



* * * 



The month of April has been notable, in Akron, for the num- 

 ber of building permits issued, and additions to rubber factories 

 figure prominently in the list. The B. F. Goodrich Co., for ex- 

 ample, have contracted for the erection of two large additions — 

 a machine shop on the south of the present factory building, 

 which will add to its already imposing frontage on South Main 

 street, and an addition to the factory proper in the rear of 

 the present building. The machine shop will be a six-story 

 building 160 x 140 feet, of steel and concrete construction, and 

 the second building will take the form of a hollow square 

 265 x 185 feet. The completion of these two buildings will 

 largely convert the Goodrich plant into a series of fireproof 

 buildings, which long has been the aim of the company. 



* * * 



The Alkali Rubber Co. purpose spending within a year to 

 come some $200,000 in the enlargement of their plant. Plans 

 which have been made already provide for the erection of three 

 warehouses, each three stories high and respectively 76 x 231 

 feet, 56 x 209 feet, and 70 x 150 feet; also a power plant 50 x 150 

 feet, and an office building 30 x 150 feet. All these buildings will 

 be of concrete construction. 



The Swinehart Tire and Rubber Co. and the Miller Rubber 

 Co. also contemplate additions to their plants during the year. 



The Diamond Rubber Co. are extending their old office build- 

 ing and a new administration building will be ready soon for 

 occupancy. The Diamond Rubber Co. will be ready within a 

 few weeks to begin making tires in their new six-story steel 

 frame factory building. 



It may be mentioned here, as indicating the prosperity of 

 Akron, which depends so largely upon the rubber industry, that 

 contracts have been awarded for a new building for the Second 

 National Bank, to cost $500,000, and a new elevator and ware- 

 house for the Quaker Oats Co., to cost $250,000. Bids are under 

 consideration for erecting the New Portage Hotel, at a cost of 



$350,000. 



* * * 



The $750,000 of preferred stock of the Firestone Tire and Rub- 

 ber Co., as reorganized [see The India Rubber World, April 

 1. 1910 — page 256] was over subscribed shortly after being placed 

 upon the market. The company's common stock is reported by 

 brokers to have sold at $130 for the $100 shares, with indica- 

 tions of a higher market. The Firestone company are at work 

 already upon their extensive new factory. 



Rubber manufacturers in Akron have read with some interest 

 reports of an investigation of municipal affairs in Chicago by 

 what is known as the Merriam commission, appointed by the 

 city government. Based upon the results of the work of this 

 commission, the local United States district attorney has assigned 

 an assistant to watch developments in relation to the purchase 

 of fire hose and rubber tires for the use of city departments, 

 with a view to determining whether the "rubber trust" which has 



