November 1, 1911. 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



87 



FOSTER RUBBER CO AT THE INDUSTRIAAL FAIR. 



THE NEW WIRE CODE SPECIFICATIONS. 



THE Boston Rubber Co. e-xhibited at the Boston exposition a 

 complete line of its patented specialties, including the Fos- 

 ter, Cat's Paw and Tredair heels, Foster sole, crutch tips, horse 

 shoe pads, and automobile tires, all made with patented fabric 

 tread. 



The illustration below is from a photograph of the company's 

 exhibit and shows the various goods which were on exhibition, 

 as well as the numerous black cats — the trade-mark of the Foster 

 Rubber Company, as applied to rubber heels, and especially to the 

 "Cat's Paw" fieel. This particular heel has during the past few 

 years reached a large sale and at the present time the company 

 is manufacturing between twenty-five and thirty thousand pair 

 daily. The feature which the Cat's Paw heel claims over the 

 ordinary rubber heel is that the patented friction plug prevents 



IT is held that in view of tlie constantly increasing adoption of 

 electric lighting, the danger of fire arising from defective 

 insulation is a growing source of hazard to life and property. 

 While it had been supposed that the tests of insulated wire 

 adopted early this year by the National Board of Fire Under- 

 writers, had fully covered the important question at issue, re- 

 cent experience is understood to have demonstrated that wire 

 capable at time of inspection of standing such tests, failed more 

 or less to retain its capacity of doing so; the element of dura- 

 bility being evidently of equal or greater importance as compared 

 with initial properties. 



Hence the introduction of more stringent tests has been 

 under discussion between the National Board of Fire Under- 

 writers and the principal insulated wire manufacturers, with the 



Foster Rubber Co.'s Exhibit. 



slipping on wet sidewalks, and at the same time gives extra wear. 



A RUBBER TREE IN BOSTON. 



When the announcement was made a few weeks ago that 

 Arnold Arboretum, connected with Harvard University, was ex- 

 perimenting with a Chinese rubber tree to see if it could be 

 made to grow successfully in the United States, a great deal of 

 interest was awakened in rubber circles, but no one expected to 

 see a rubber tree yielding a generous amount of latex in the 

 vicinity of Boston in the immediate future. It was quite a 

 surprise, therefore, to the visitors at the Industrial Exhibition 

 held in Boston during October to come upon a rubber tree con- 

 nected with the Hood Rubber Co. exhibit, which, from time to 

 time, gave forth a plentiful supply of latex. Whether this was 

 purely the work of nature or had more or less artificial assistance 

 it is not necessary to discuss. 



result, it is understood, that fresh tests of efficiency will be in 

 force from January 1, 1912, in respect to which alone, the under- 

 writers' stamp will be applied after that date. 



While a new and higher standard is thus being introduced on 

 January 1, it is fully recognized that in justice to manufacturers, 

 dealers and contractors, they should be allowed to dispose of 

 such stocks of old code wire as they may have on hand at that 

 date. A further concession will probably be the permission to 

 use old code stamps on hand, upon wire manufactured after that 

 date. However, it is anticipated that after January 1 the greater 

 proportion of old code wire will be unstamped. Up to July 1, 

 1912, its use would, however, be allowed where permitted by the 

 Local Board of Fire Underwriters. After the latter date its 

 employment would not be authorized by the Underwriters. Of 

 course there will still be a market for a long time for old code 

 wire to be used in connection with repair work. 



