Ji-i.v 1. 1921 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



765 



in English. The essays will be graded by local high school 

 principals and state committees the same as last year. Essays 

 ma)-, liovvevcr, be submitted direct to the Highway and Highway 

 Transport Education Committee, Willard Building, Washington, 

 D. C, if no local committee for grading the essays exists. 



PRESIDENT OF THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER 



CO. 



Edwarli G. W'ilmek. 



■p'ow.\i<ii G. Wii.MER, who succeeds Frank A. Seiberling as pres- 

 ■'— ' idcnt of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Akron. Ohio, 

 -under the recent rcor,ganization plan, was born in Milwaukee, 



Wisconsin, thirty-eight years ago 

 and is unmarried. He studied 

 law at George Washington Uni- 

 versity, Washington, District of 

 Columbia, but never engaged in 

 the active practice of law after 

 (■htaining his degree. 



Mr. Wilmer started his busi- 

 ness career in the legal depart- 

 ment of one of the Schlesinger 

 C( impanies, where he rose rap- 

 idly to personal adviser and legal 

 ropresentative of the late Fer- 

 dinand Schlesinger, of Milwau- 

 kee, Wisconsin, one of the most 

 prominent ligurcs in the Amer- 

 ican iron, steel and chemical in- 

 dustries. For the past twelve 

 years Mr. Wilmer has been ac- 

 tively associated with a group of the Schlesinger companies con- 

 trolh'ng many subsidiaries, in all of which parent companies he 

 held the office of vice-president. These include the Steel and 

 Tube Co. of .America, a consolidation of a dozen large concerns ; 

 the Newport Co.. one of the largest chemical concerns in the 

 world, and the Milwaukee Coal & Gas Co., which supplies gas to 

 the city of Milwaukee. 



For several years Mr. Wilmer has been engaged in reorganizing 

 large companies. He is regarded as one of the keenest of the 

 younger American business executives, particularly in financing, 

 and his accession to the presidency of the second largest rubber 

 company in the world is recognition of this remarkable ability. 

 It is also significant of the entrance of the vast .Schlesinger 

 interests into a new field and a financial participation in the 

 reorganization of the Goodyear company. With an assured free 

 hand in the management, he will occupy a very prominent place 

 in the rubber industry. 



Mr. Wilmer's confidence in the future is concisely expressed in 

 a simple statement made on assuming the presidency. Said he : 

 "The entire Goodyear organization has shown unusual courage 

 and efficiency in meeting all tlie recent difficulties. I am entirely 

 satisfied witli (pialities so displayed, and with such an organ- 

 ization as this 1 firmly Ix-lievc we are now ready for a complete 

 come-back." 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN OHIO 

 By Our Regular Correspondent 



THE footwear season which has just closed was most satis- 

 factory to .\kron manufacturers in spite of the rather un- 

 toward reports regarding the industry in other sections of the 

 country. Tabulations for the season have not been completed 

 and ligures are not available, but those closely connected with 

 this feature of the industry believe that if the fall and early 

 winter present seasonable weather the first of the coming year 

 will find the books at lea.st 100 per cent normal. The stocks 

 of the dealers are reported to be comparatively low and although 



buying has been very good it is believed that the coming of cold 

 weather will find much mail order business on its way to the 

 factories from the dealers. 



Druggists' sundries sales are gradually improving, according 

 to available reports. The improvement lacks any spectacular 

 features and is following along the lines noted in other industries. 

 The season for actual placing of large orders does not come 

 until fall, when the jobbers place their largest orders. Jobbers, 

 however, are reported not to be heavily stocked with goods, and 

 therefore the Akron druggists' sundries companies, including 

 Goodrich, will be surprised if the coming season is not at least a 

 fair one. 



The future of mechanical goods depends largely upon the im- 

 provement in general business because these departments are 

 closely interlocked with the larger manufacturing industries. The 

 resumption of steel manufacture, the settling of labor and rail- 

 road freight rate questions, which are the large issues of the 

 day, will mean that the general tone of business will improve 

 and lie reflected rapidly in the mechanical goods departments of 

 the rubber companies. 



While the news which developed in the Akron rubber fac- 

 tories toward the end of May lacked the optimistic tone which 

 it carried during the first part of the month, June has been 

 an entire reversal of this development. The opening of the 

 month saw some changes which it was generally believed would 

 inaugurate a new era of depression, but as the days and weeks 

 went by reports from the various companies took on a more 

 optimistic tone, until it is .generally believed that the industry is 

 on a firm keel and that sailing will be smooth in the future. 



The Miller Rubber Co. has made some adjustments in office 

 personnel and has announced that the factory will continue on a 

 basis of 3,000 tires a day until fall, unless a change in business 

 conditions makes it necessary. 



At the F'irestone plant it is officially stated that production is 

 now between 17,000 and 18,000 tires a day and that if any re- 

 duction is made it will not take place on the basis of information 

 now at hand. Few of the 47 automobile manufacturers who 

 purchase original equipment from Firestone have materially de- 

 creased their commitments to date, it is stated. Some readjust- 

 ments have been made in the Firestone olifice personnel in line 

 with those made in other factories and some men have been laid 

 off in the mechanical departments, but outside of this tlie forces 

 are as they were in May. 



The General Tire & Rubber Co. is running along at the same 

 production point, although figures have not been given out. It 

 is a conservative firm and was comparatively little affected by the 

 big period of depression. It is generally believed that the price 

 of General stock on the market reflects the condition of the 

 company. 



.At the Goodrich plant, where salary and personnel adjust- 

 ments have been under way, business remains very much as it 

 was at the first of the month, which means a decrease from the 

 peak reached during the middle of May. However, the adjust- 

 ments have been to a large extent in the offices, while the pro- 

 duction department has retnained much the same. There has 

 been no wholesale reduction in factory forces, as far as can be 

 determined. 



The B. F. Goodrich Rubber Co. amiounces the appointment of 

 E. H. Fitch as director of sales. Diamond Rubber Co., with Ralph 

 McPeake as his assistant. L. A. McQueen, formerly in sales 

 promotion work, is now assistant advertising manager. T. A. 

 Beimett has been given charge of Goodrich mechanical sales with 



E. R. Miller as his assistant. 



. .\ remarkable record for long-continued service is that fur- 

 nished by three brothers, for many years employed by The B. 



F. Goodrich Co., Akron, Ohio. Perry and Lee Hall were first 



