192 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



December 1, 1920 



THE NEW HOME OF S. BIRKENSTEIN A SONS, INC. 

 December 1, 1920, is moving day for the home office and ware- 

 house ill Chicago, and the Philadelphia branch of S. Birkcnstein 

 & Sons, Inc., dealers in scrap rubber and other waste materials. 

 On this day this old and well-known firm moves its executive 

 offices and warehouse into the new $500,000 building at 1030 to 



S. UikKh.Nsiti.\ li Sons' Xew Pl.\.\t .\i rHii..\utLPiiiA, 

 Pennsylvania 



1056 West Xorth avenue, corner of Hawthorn street, Chicago, 

 Illinois, probalily the largest and tinest building of its kind in 

 America. 



It is a substantial four-story structure of reinforced concrete, 

 with street frontages of 335 and 100 feet, respectively, affording 

 90,000 square feet of floor space. At the rear it is served by two 

 railroad sidings accommodating twelve freight cars. The plant is 

 brilliantly lighted by large windows on all sides and thoroughly 

 equi|)ped with all the latest device."; for handling the inatcrials 

 in which the firm deals, including three large electric elevators, 

 several platform scales and smelting furnaces and presses in the 

 basement. Commodious and handsomely furnished offices, includ- 

 ing the general offices, eight private offices and a directors' room, 

 occupy about one-third of the second floor. M the opposite end 

 of this same floor, tastefully arranged rest rooms and shower 

 baths are provided for employes. 



The Philadelphia branch will move simultaneously into new- 

 quarters at 25th and Ellsworth streets, where with spacious of- 

 fices and warehouse it will be in position to enhance the already 

 splendid service this branch has been giving the Eastern trade. 



The New York and Minneapolis offices, as well as the ware- 



houses in St. Lou s, Milwaukee, Dayton and Indianapolis, will 

 remain as before. .MI told, the business now occupies some 

 400,000 square feet of floor space, as contrasted with the 7,500 

 square feet of the first Chicago warehouse. 



Like most successful firms, the house of Birkenstcin had a 

 modest beginning and its expansion resulted from square dealing 

 and steadfastness of purpose. The business was originated by 

 Sigmund Hirkenstein in 1866. In 1871 the unpretentious building 

 which housed the entire business was destroyed in the great Chi- 

 cago fire. The insurance companies were unable to make good 

 the loss, but with only a good name and an indomitable will 

 Siginund Birkenstein paid his debts and started again. In 1890 

 he purchased his partner's interest and continued alone until in 

 1890" his son, Louis, became a partner and the firm name was 

 changed to S. Birkenstein & Son. In succeeding years his sons, 

 Harry, -Mbert and Milton, were admitted to the firm, which be- 

 came .S. Birkenstein & Sons. Sigmund Birkenstein died in 1900, 

 but the sons have continued to develop the business, and in 1919 

 the firm vvai incorporated to enable many faithful employes to 

 share its success by acfjuiring stock. 



The present officers of the company are Louis Birkenstein, presi- 

 dent ; Harry Birkenstein, vice-president; Albert Birkenstein, sec- 

 retary: Milton Birkenstein, treasurer, who, together with Jesse 

 Long, manager of the New' York office, constitute the board of 

 directors. 



PRICE GUARANTY ON RUBBER GOODS 



The Federal Trade Cominission at Washington recently heard 

 representatives of manufacturing interests in a discussion of the 

 trade practice of a guaranty against price decline. It was 

 claimed that the custom tended to make lower prices to the 

 consumer because of its stabilizing effect on markets. M. E. 

 Clark declared the rubber industrv-. of which he was spokesman, 

 unable to operate eft'ectively without use of the guaranty. He 

 said that 55 out of 69 of the principal tire and rubber manufac- 

 turers employ it because of the seasonal demand for their prod- 

 ucts and because dealers will not accept the risk unless they 

 have assurance that prices will remain at or above the level at 

 which the purchase was made. Mr. Clark asserted that prac- 

 tically all manufacturers of motor tires had been compelled to 

 make refunds to their dealers under the guaranty contracts when 

 the slump in the markets came last year, and in his belief, as 

 a result of the guarant\', the consumer had obtained the benefit 

 of lower prices much sooner than had the dealers been loaded up 

 rii high-])riced stocks on which they must carry their loss alone. 



.Vf.vv Home of S. Birken.stf.in & .So.ns at Chicago, Illinois 



