H4fi 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



March 1, 1921 



The officers of the company are: A. Lincohi Pcarce, president; 

 R. M. Pearce, vice-prtsidciit. and William C. Little, secretary. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN RHODE ISLAND 

 By Our Regular Correspondent 



THE nearly 10,000 employes at tlic plants of the National India 

 Rubber Co., at Bristol, and the Alice Mill of the Woonsocket 

 Rubber Co.. at Woonsocket, and the Millville Mill of the same 

 concern at Millville— all of which are subsidiaries of the United 

 States Rubber Co.— are anxiously awaiting some indication of 

 improvement in business conditions which may bring about a 

 omplete resumption of operations at an early date. Announce- 

 ment has been made that the shoe ("Kcds") division at the 

 plants will reopen on March 7. On February 9 announcement 

 «as made that the wire division, which had been shut down for 

 several weeks, would resume operations on a limited schedule 

 beginning rebrnarv 14. 



On the same day of the announcement of the resumption of the 

 National plant at Bristol, notices were posted at the Alice Mill 

 of the Woonsocket Rubber Co. that the plant would close Feb- 

 ruary 19. The reason assigned for this suspension of operations 

 is given by the management as the condition of orders. Employes 

 to the number of nearly 1,100 are affected. 



The ^merican Wringer Co., the largest concern of its kind in 

 the world, with a large manufacturing plant at Woonsocket, was 

 placed in the hands of a temporary receiver on January 26 by a 

 decree entered by Presiding Justice Willard B. Tanner of the 

 Superior Court for Providence County, on petition of Sullivan 

 Ballon of Woonsocket, a stockholder and secretary of the corpora- 

 tion Judge Tanner appointed the Industrial Trust Co., of Provi- 

 dence of which Colonel Samuel P. Colt is chairman of the Board 

 of directors, as temporary receiver to take charge of the effects 

 of the company and to carry on the business. On February 2 the 

 receivership was made permanent. 



The petition for the appointment of a receiver alleged that the 

 company was insolvent and unable to pay i,ts debts and that a re- 

 ceiver was necessary to conserve the assets. Mr. Ballou, who 

 tiled the petition, stated that the action was taken for the purpose 

 of protecting all the stockholders in a time of pressing obliga- 

 tions and of slow collections. He said that the proceedings would 

 in no way afifect the operation of the plant, which at normal time 

 employs between 900 and 1,000 persons, and that the action was 

 taken solely as a precautionary measure to avert difficulties which 

 might be caused by pressing creditors. 



Mr. Ballon also stated that the stock of the company, which is 

 capitalized for $1,750,000, is largely owned in Rhode Island. Its 

 600 stockholders are mainly residents of Providence, Woonsocket 

 and other Rliode Island towns with a few in adjoining com- 

 munities in Massachusetts. The company closed its wringer de- 

 partment last November since which time it has been shut down. 

 but the mechanical rubber roll department has been in operation 

 and there are at the present time about 200 persons at work m 

 that section of the plant. 



The decree for the permanent receiver contains provision lim- 

 iting the time for filing claims with the receiver to the period 

 ending March 15. In addition to the usual powers of a receiver 

 the court gives the Industrial Trust Co. authority to operate tlu 

 plant purchase supplies and materials, employ labor and to bor- 

 row money not to exceed $50,000. Notes may be given by tin- 

 receiver from time to time, payable within sixty days and bearin;.; 

 interest at not more than 7 per cent. The holders of such re- 

 ceiver's notes are made preferred creditors under the provisions 

 of the decree. The receiver is authorized to collect or compromise 

 claims belonging to the corporation and to adjust or compromise 

 claims against the company. 



The American Wringer Co. was incorporated in 1889 and 

 authorized to manufacture and deal in wringing machines. Its 



capital stock comprises 17,500 shares of $100 par value. Walter 

 S. Ballou of Providence is president, J. F. Fletcher of New 

 York is treasurer, while Sullivan Ballou of Woonsocket is secre- 

 tary. The directors are : Walter S. Ballou. Robert J. Sullivan 

 and Gilbert M. King of Providence. A. G. Bcardsley. Jr.. of 

 Auburn, New York, J. F. Ilemenway and John D. .Mken of New 

 Yolk City, and L. A. Milles of Middle'icid, Connecticut. 



At the Revere Rubber Co., Valley street. Providence, some of 

 the departments are working on a shortened time schedule with 

 1 curtailed force. This is the situation principally in the tire 

 section but in the departments producing medical supplies, house- 

 hold goods and other domestics they are not only operating full 

 time 'schedules and forces hut are running nights with many or- 

 ders ahead. 



To maintain the high standard of morale that has existed at 

 the Revere plant, F'ranklin O. Kenyon, manager of the industrial 

 relations department and a committee composed of workers from 

 the various departments, has arranged a series of socials and 

 dances to continue through the rest of the winter. The first of 

 these was held in the cafeteria of the plant early in the past 

 month and proved very successful. More than 200 factory and 

 office workers were in attendance. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN MASSACHUSETTS 

 By Our Regular Correspondent 



ONii man's meat is another man's poison, and so the contin- 

 uance of an exceptionally open winter, which minimizes the 

 demand for rubber footwear, is increasing the consumption of 

 tires considerably. Tire dealers report that business is beginning 

 to pick up. Consumption has exceeded production for several 

 months past and the surplus of last September seems likely to 

 be almost exhausted before the heavy buying days of the spring. 

 The B. F. Goodrich Co. anticipates an actual shortage. 



Owing to the unprecedented war demands and the extreme 

 weather conditions of last year the footwear capacity of the in- 

 dustry has been absorbed in 1920 without undue accumulations 

 of stock. .\ few light snows during the past month have ma- 

 terially increased footwear sales, but the movement of retail 

 stocks has been greatly retarded during the past two months and 

 the volume of business still continues below normal. .Ml indi- 

 cations now point to a big canvas shoe season, and manufacturers 

 are particularly anticipating an increased vogue for white sport 

 oxfords on the part of both men and women. Factories are still 

 operating on part time schedules, however. 



MISCELLANEOUS MASSACHUSETTS NOTES 



The Crocker Pen Co., Boston, has moved its general offices and 

 factory to a newly erected building located on the Revere Beach 



NkW 1'|..\.N'T Ol- TlIK t kllCKKK 1'kN Co., l-'.VKliKTT. N'hAR I'.USTtiN, 



Mass.\chusett.s 



Parkway in Everett, just north of P)OSton. This is the first factory 

 to be l)iiilt ill this part of New Englaiul for the exclusive produc- 



