April 1. 1921 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



529 



ANNUAL MEETING, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE 

 UNITED STATES 



F. A. Seiberling will represent the Association as national coun- 

 cillor, and J. A. Lambert as alternate, at the Ninth Annual Meet- 

 ing of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, to be held 

 at Atlantic City, New Jersey, April 27-29. The other delegates 

 are A. L. Viles and one to be appointed later. 



TIRE BUNDUNG SPECIFICATIONS REVISED 



The Traffic Committee recently appeared before the Consol- 

 idated Freight Classification Cummitiee requesting revision of 

 the specifications for wrapping tires in order to include additional 

 types of paper. As a result of this hearing, the following revised 

 wrapping specifications have been adopted and will appear in 

 supplement No. 1 to Consolidated Classification No. 2, effective 

 on or about May 1, 1921. Pending the effective date, shipments 

 wrapped in accordance with these specifications will be accepted 

 by the carriers in official classification territory. 



VEHICLE PARTS: TIRES, N. 0. I. B. N. 



Section J. Single tires musl be completely protected by machine one-third 

 overlap wrapping in (a) \\aterproof paper having a resistance of net 

 less than 60 pounds per square inch. Mullen test, or (b) crinkled water- 

 proof paper having a resistance before crinkling of not less than 60 

 pounds per square inch. Mullen test. 



Section 2. Bales or bundles of two or more tires, other than individually 

 wrapped tires, must have wrapping overlap not less than one-third its 

 width and bales and bundles must be protected (a) by completely 

 wrapping in burlap, or (b) by overlap wrapping in waterproof paper 

 having a resistance of not less than 100 pounds to the square inch, 

 Mullen test, or (c) by overlap wrapping in crinkled waterproof paper 

 having a resistance before crinkling of not less than 100 pounds per 

 square inch, Mullen test, or (d) by overlap wrapping in two thicknesses 

 of waterproof paper fastened together with a waterproof composition 

 and reinforced with yarn or wire not more than one inch apart, the com- 

 bined material having a resistance of net less than 60 pounds per 

 square inch. Mullen test, or (e) by machine overlap wrapping with 

 waterproof paper and cloth the combined material having a resistance 

 of not less than 60 pounds per square inch, Mullen test, or (f) by 

 macliine overlap \\Tapping with waterproof paper having a resistance 

 of not less than 60 pounds to the square inch. Mullen test, or (g) by 

 machine overlap v.rarping with crinkletl waterproof paper having a re- 

 sistance before crinkling of not less than 60 pounds per square inch, 

 Mullen test. 



Section 3. All bales or bundles must be securely tied in not less than 

 three places with rope not less than J4-inch in diameter, or three niet^l 

 bands not less than U. S. Standard Gage No. 29. ;'2-inch in width, 

 securely fastened and properly spaced. 



RUBBER EXECUTIVES PREDICT EARLY BUSINESS 

 RECOVERY 



THAT THE RUBBER INDUSTRY is Unquestionably on the up-grade 

 once more, and that nothing short of a commercial cataclysm 

 can check its steadily forward course, is the consensus of opinion 

 of leading executives of five of the largest rubber manufacturing 

 companies in Akron. The industrial captains interviewed are not 

 of the class given to self-deception, and by reason of their large 

 interests, keen business sense, extensive experience, and ample and 

 intimate acquaintance with trade conditions, unusual interest 

 attaches to their views. 



It is pointed out that, aside from the stimulus to the tire trade 

 expected from the gradual improvement in the industries and com- 

 merce of the country, a condition that cannot fail to redound soon 

 and considerably to the advantage of tire manufacturers is that 

 during the past six months tire consumption has outrun tire pro- 

 duction. The bottom, it is claimed, was touched last December, 

 when but 506,111 tires were manufactured. In the same month 

 350,071 tires were sold to manufacturers for original 

 equipment, 977,082 to dealers for replacements, and 39,278 were 

 exported. Comparing this total of 1,366,431 with the month's pro- 

 duction of 506,111, there is a shortage of 860,320 tires. It is un- 

 thinkable, say the leaders in the industry, that a reaction from such 

 a condition should not soon ensue, especially when the passenger 

 cars and motor trucks of the country number at least 8,500,000, 

 needing about 30,000,000 tires a year, or 2,500,000 a month. Pro- 

 spective buyers' spares must soon give out, original equipment 

 demands are growing, and stabilized prices will encourage early 

 purchases. 



W. A. Johnson, manager of pneumatic tire sales for The B. F. 



Goodrich Rubber Co., estimates that by May 1, production is 

 bound to increase, and development from then on will be steady, 

 but not phenomenal. The Goodrich company, which has been af- 

 fected less by the business lull than probably any other company 

 he says, sees better times in the early future for the rubber indus- 

 try in general. • 



William F. Pfeiffer, secretary and treasurer of The Miller Rub- 

 ber Co., says that his company is experiencing increased business 

 in all its lines, some of them having almost returned to normal, 

 and in a few cases even making a better showing than for the 

 corresponding period in 1920. He regards the halting, conserva- 

 tive buying by dealers at this time as a favorable sign and as 

 tending ultimately to help sound trade. 



Harvey S. Firestone, president of the Firestone Tire & Rubber 

 Co., says that while he does not look for a quick rebound from 

 the recent depression, there will be, and there is now in progress, 

 a real, though gradual improvement in nearly all lines. As indi- 

 cating what tire makers may expect, he states that nearly all 

 automobile makers report increasing business, one concern showing 

 gains over the low point in December of from 50 to 250 per cent 

 weekly. 



William F. O'Neill, vice-president and general manager of The 

 General Tire & Rubber Co., also figures on a marked change for 

 the better by about May 1, and that soon after that date most of 

 the Akron concerns will be making tires at a normal rate. Inas- 

 much as the price of rubber, he says, is not likely to go above 40 

 cents a pound for a long time to come it will make possible the 

 production of hundreds of articles from rubber which hitherto 

 have been made of other materials, and a wide field of endeavor 

 opened up that will mean much to rubber mill-owners and opera- 

 tives, and supplement the tire business which is daily improving. 



W. C. Behotegny, manager of automobile tire sales for The 

 Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., says that no one in the trade ex- 

 pects an early repetition of the business experienced during the 

 "peak" period a year ago, and that it may even be a few years 

 before that condition repeats itself, but changes for the better are 

 positively in progress. He estimates that by the middle of spring, 

 dealers' business will be about 75 per cent normal and manufac- 

 facturers' about 50 per cent. Owing to the extensive use of motor 

 cars during the mild winter, tires have been largely consumed and 

 for this reason alone, apart from generally improving business 

 conditions, a noticeable change for the better in tire manufacturing 

 can be predicted for the early spring, and there is even a possi- 

 bility of an actual tire shortage. 



RUBBER DEPRESSED IN BURMA 

 Labor is the main difficulty of the present depression in the 

 tin and rubber markets of Burma. The tin miners are largely 

 Chinese, but the rubber tappers are Tamils from India. If 

 the depression is prolonged these laborers will have to be 

 sent home as they cannot find employment in other indus- 

 tries. This will demoralize trained organizations, making it 

 difficult to resume. There seems to have been overproduc- 

 tion for current needs in both tin and rubber, and prices are 

 about half of what they were during the war. It is reported 

 that the Government has asked banks not to accept rubber 

 or tin shares as security even for small loans. 



The unprecedented increase in the price of rice in Ceylon 

 has given rise to considerable discontent on the part of the labor- 

 ing classes. By the end of 1919 the price had more than doubled, 

 while there had been no perceptible increase in wages between 

 1914 and the end of 1919. The rubber estates have been adversely 

 affected as they found it necessary to furnish rice to the laborers 

 at a reduced cost— the only alternative to a general increase in 

 wages. The rubber estates are said to have been well able to 

 stand the increased cost of production, as net profits for 1919 

 ranged from 20 to 50 per cent. 



