September 1, 1921 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



927 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN THE MID-WEST 

 By Our Regular Correspondent 



MID-WEST RUBBEH MANUFACTUREES' ASSOCIATION 



THE regular monthly meeting of the Mid-West Rubber Manu- 

 facturers' Association was held August 9 at the Chicago 

 Athletic Aswciation, Chicago, Illinois. The most important mat- 

 ters under consideration at the board meeting were the resigna- 

 tions of George B. Dryden, of the Drydcn Rubber Co., as treas- 

 urer of the association, and D. M. Mason, of the Mason Tire & 

 Rubber Co., as president. 



The new president of the association, W. W. Wuchter, of The 

 Nebraska Tire & Rubber Co., Omaha, Nebraska, was formerly 

 vice-president. The matter of electing a first vice-president to 

 succeed him was postponed until the next meeting. To fill Mr. 

 Dryden's unexpired term as treasurer the election was announced 

 of Samuel J. Turncs, of the Brunswick-Balke-Collendcr Co. 



An interesting feature of the occasion was a talk by W. E. 

 Byles of New York concerning the present situation in the rub- 

 ber industry. Other speakers at the meeting were : H. W. Ram- 

 say, Cupples Company, St. Louis, Missouri ; J. B. Longini, 

 Pittsburgh Valve & Foundry Co. ; C. H. Taveniere, Fred Stern 

 & Co.; H. A. MacKusick, Philadelphia Rubber Works Co.; W. 

 G. Brown, The Spreckels "Savage" Tire Co., San Diego, Cali- 

 fornia ; Sidney J. Roy. The Hannibal Rubber Co., Hannibal, Mis- 

 souri ; and H. O. Smith, The Racine Tire & Rubber Co., Racine, 

 Wisconsin. 



MISCELLANEOUS MID-WESTEHN NOTES 



William M. Gunlock, under whose direction the "Spring-Step" 

 rubber heel has gained so great a publicity, is now vice-president 

 of the Dryden Rubber Co., 1014 South Kildare avenue, Chicago, 

 Illinois. Mr. Gunlock will be in charge of this company's heel 

 and sole departments. 



The Sears Tire Equipment Co., Davenport, Iowa, recently be- 

 came the successor to tlie Altenburg Tire Equipment Co., and will 

 continue the manufacture of tire making and tire-repairing ma- 

 chinery. Under the new organization the officers are: V. D, 

 Sears, president and sales manager ; R. P. Hayes, vice-president 

 and general manager; and E. H. Hoehu, secretary and treasurer. 



Favorable indications of a continuance of its present twenty- 

 four hour schedule is the report made by the Odell Rubber Co., 

 manufacturer of South Bend and Odell tires and tubes at South 

 Bend. Indiana. A new building, SO by 146 feet, of brick and steel 

 construction, and costing approximately $50,000, is a recent addi- 

 tion. This will be used for office and warehouse purposes. R. M. 

 Voorhees, secretary of the Odell company, claims that business 

 conditions for the first six months of 1921 have been very satis- 

 factory. 



The entire property of The Fort Wayne Tire & Rubber Manu- 

 facturing Co., Fort Wayne, Indiana, including 25^ acres of 

 ground, buildings, machinery and stock, was recently sold to 

 Henry J. Bowerfind, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, for $90,000. The 

 plant is to be dismantled, and reequipped for the purpose of manu- 

 facturing paint. 



."Xn optimistic report from The Jefferson Rubber Co., Jefferson, 

 Wisconsin, states that the company's operations have steadily 

 increased during the last four months. The output of tires and 

 tubes per month, as at present planned, will be six tiiues greater 

 than the production, for a corresponding period, during the com- 

 pany's first year of business. Officials of the company claim that 

 sales of their products are exceeding all expectations. R. W. 

 Lyons is president. 



The appointment of C. F. Faro, as Chicago district manager for 

 The Dayton Rubber Manufacturing Co., Dayton, Ohio, has been 

 recently announced. Mr. Faro will also have general supervision 

 of the company's Kansas City and Denver branches. The local 

 manager for Kansas City is George P. Colman, formerly one of 



the Dayton Rubber Co.'s special representatives ; and for Denver, 

 J. H. Redfern, previously comiected with The Goodyear Tire & 

 Rubber Co. 



The Link-Belt Co., 910 South Michigan avenue, Chicago, Illi- 

 nois, announces a practically uniform reduction of 10 per cent on 

 malleable iron and steel — SS class — chains, sprockets, buckets, and 

 other products. This price reduction becomes effective at once. 

 Discounts are made on application. 



Plans for the proposed St. Louis factory of the Standard Un- 

 derground Cable Co., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, are subservient to 

 present labor conditions and costs of buildmg materials. Ur.- 

 til some improvement is noted in these matters nothing further 

 will be done beyond preparing plans and specifications for the 

 buildin.g and grading the building site. 



THE RUBBER TRADE ON THE PACIFIC COAST 

 By Our Regular Correspondent 



NORMALCY may not actually have arrived in the rubber trade on 

 the Pacific Coast, but manufacturers and dealers agree that 

 if is within hailing distance. With very few exceptions, trade 

 leaders report a steady improvement in business, some slating that 

 conditions for the latter half of 1921 will be better than a year 

 ago. As might be expected, the improvement is most marked in 

 tire sales, the volume mounting steadily from week to week. 

 Warehouse stocks are low, and dealers often find it difficult to get 

 factory orders filled promptly, owing to small stocks or the limited 

 [iroduction. While tire sales are better in the lower coast terri- 

 tory, the Northwest is holding its own remarkably well, being 

 favored with agreeable weather conditions. Coast-made tires and 

 tubes are making good headway, although the eastern and mid- 

 western products are maintaining their old-time precedence, despite 

 the unavoidable freight handicap. Definite assurance that price 

 cutting has gone its liiuit has heartened jobbers and stimulated 

 sales of these goods. A livelier inquiry for automobiles has had a 

 beneficial influence. 



The active inquiry for rubber belting earlier in the year has 

 quieted somewhat. Mo.st of the new factories have been outfitted 

 and prices have shaded off a little. Mining interests are stirring 

 somewhat, the impression gaining ground that before many months 

 there will be a sharp demand for the metals, operations will be 

 steadily resumed, and considerable belting will be needed. Oil- 

 drillers are buying a fair amount of rubber belting. 



.\n excellent trade is reported in garden hose for 1922 at fair 

 prices. One coast factory has all it can do to fill orders. There 

 is a fair inquiry for heavy suction and discharge hose from the big 

 oil companies. Jobbers in rubber heels and soles note a good de- 

 mand and a growing appreciation of the goods. Demand for 

 various mechanicals keeps up well on account of increasing activity 

 in the building trades. Lately there have been many large sales 

 of radiator hose to coast concerns making automobiles, and rubber 

 manufacturers and jobbers report an excellent demand for tire 

 repair stocks and automobile accessories. In druggists' sundries, 

 which of late had been somewhat quiet, interest has been awak- 

 ened, and the big chain drug stores have been adding considerably 

 to their stock of staples. Anticipatin.g a good holiday trade, 

 dealers in rubber toys and novelties are also doing much shopping. 



Jobbers report a good outlook for rubber footwear in the fall 

 and winter, and are adding to their orders for the 1922 spring 

 stock. There is still a good inquiry for mining, lumbering, and 

 cetnent workers' shoes, as well ns heavy boots for fishermen and 

 irrigation workers. Orders for tennis and sport shoes hold up 

 well in the southern section, and there is a good demand for 

 rubbers from the northern section, where the rains set in early. 

 The same is true regarding raincoats for men and women, business 

 being aided by the display of some new and attractive models, 

 especially in women's rainproof garments. 



