March 1, 1912.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



277 



boots and shoes, of many brands and several qualities, were 

 shipped to Boston, where Johnson, Moody & Co. hired a vacant 

 warehouse, ranged samples in case lots in convenient aisles for 

 inspection of bidders, and where Fred Nazro, the lightning cal- 

 culator and cyclone auctioneer, hustled off the lots at a speed 

 which almost took one's breath away. These people will re- 

 member the genial, soldier-like Mr. Moody of this firm, one of 

 the best-loved men in the trade. Luther R. Moody passed away 

 almost without warning February 12, He had for some time been 

 troubled with failing eyesight, which had reached a point where 

 he could not recognize friends on the street ; but he was still able 

 to get about unassisted. He had made an appointment with Fred 

 Nazro lo eat dinner with him at Young's Hotel on the fortieth 

 anniversary of their joining in business, but on that day he was 

 buried. He had a very wide circle of strong persona! friends. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN CHICAGO. 



By a Resident Correspondent. 

 /^HICAGO tire men never before gathered such a harvest as 

 ^-^ that reaped at the automobile show. Never were there so 

 many representatives of the tire branch of the rubber industry 

 in the city at one time, as during the two weeks that the show- 

 lasted. During the first week the gallery of the Coliseum was 

 devoted to exhibits of pneumatic and solid tires for pleasure 

 vehicles, while the last week was given over to the exhibition of 

 the heavy, solid truck tires. 



Orders are still rolling in as a result and the jobbers are 



working overtime to rush shipments. 



* * * 



The gathering of officials of the United States Tire Co. was 

 one of the largest. Among those who attended the show were 

 O. S. Tweedy, manager of the eastern sales district ; H. H. 

 Severance, of Detroit ; Charles Marshall, of Minneapolis ; J. A. 

 Weise, of Los Angeles ; George C. Hubbs, of New York, adver- 

 tising director ; and Harry Davis, of New York, publicit\' man- 

 ager. Practically all of the salesmen of the central district, 

 headquarters of which ara in Chicago, attended daily conferences 

 with A. I. Philp, central district manager, at which plans were 

 laid for the coming season. 



* * * 



One of the interested visitors at the show was Frank A. 

 Seiberling, president of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., 

 Akron. Ohio. At a banquet at the Congress Hotel, at which all 

 of the Goodyear branch managers and officers were present, Mr. 

 Seiberling declared that Chicago's exposition showed conclusively 

 that the company would have the biggest year in its history 

 during the coming season, and that the .Akron plant would be 

 forced to utilize every possible moment in filling orders already 

 assured. 



H. B. Hamlin, in charge of the motor truck tire department of 

 the Goodyear company, and S. .\. Falor, head of the motorcycle 

 tire division of the same company, also attended the show. 



* * sN 



Visitors to the show were surprised at the large sizes of pneu- 

 matic tires shown by the Fisk Rubber Co.. pioneers in the field of 

 interchangeable tires. Among the splendid examples exhibited 

 were one 5 x 43 tire and another 6 x 40. 



* * * 



In order to place before car owners the non-skid feature of 

 their tires in a practical way, the Republic Rubber Co. presented 

 each motorist with a miniature Staggard tread tire. There was 

 always a crush to be found around booths 30 and 31 of automo- 

 bilists seeking to obtain one of the Republic's unique little 

 souvenirs. The little tires— exact counterparts of the company's 

 Staggard tread tires — showed just how the heavy solid rubber 

 studs are set along the tread of the tires and how they are 

 "staggered" to prevent skidding. 



The company's exhibit was in charge of John H. Kelly, former 



Chicago manager and now manager of tire sales, with head- 

 quarters at Youngstown, Ohio. Mr. Kelly was warmly wel- 

 comed back to Chicago by his host of friends on "automobile 

 row" and is still in the city with his hands full of "aftermath" 

 of the show in the shape of fat orders. 



Mr. Kelly has been succeeded as Chicago manager by John W. 

 Maguire, who has been with the Republic company nearly seven 

 years. He formerly traveled for the company, making his head- 

 quarters in Youngstown. 



* * * 



With the establishment of a branch office of the Firestone 

 Tire and Rubber Co., in Minneapolis, shortly after the first of 

 the year, George Martin, formerly in charge of the St. Louis 

 agency, was placed in charge of the new agency. J. P. Patter- 

 son was transferred from the Chicago branch and placed in 

 charge of the St. Louis agency. He was succeeded by J. J. 

 Hegeman, credit man. 



* * * 



Paul E. Bertsch, general manager of the Motz Tire and Rubber 

 Co., was one of the visitors to the show who expressed himself 

 as greatly surprised at the large number of dealers in attendance. 



* * * 



"Nothing pleases a tire manufacturer quite so much to to have 

 a set of his tires give a mileage return far greater than the as- 

 surance embodied in his guarantee," said A. I. Philp, of the 

 United States Tire Co., recently. "And such results also appeal 

 to car owners. For this reason the establishment of a co- 

 operative relationship between the manufacturer and consumer 

 is advantageous to both." 



* * * 



Owing to a sudden change in the plans of the newly formed 

 Stearns Rubber Co., the spacious quarters occupied by the com- 

 pany at West Jackson boulevard and South Market street have 

 been given up, and Mr. E. G. Stearns, president of the company, 

 has removed to the Fort Dearborn building. 



* * * 



George M. Munsa, who covers the entire territory west of the 

 Mississippi river for the Empire Rubber Manufacturing Co., has 

 just returned from a trip to the coast and reports conditions 

 extraordinary. 



"Nothing but prosperity is in store for the rubber trade in the 

 west during the coming season as far as I can see," he said. 

 "I visited all of the large cities and conditions are great. One 

 jobber out in Kansas told the whole story in a nut shell when 

 he said: 'Even if we shouldn't have another rain before July 1, 

 we will beat all records of sales for former vears.' " 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN RHODE ISLAND. 



By a Resident Correspondent. 

 A N effort is being made to reorganize the Consumers' Rubber 

 **• Co., of Bristol, which went into the hands of a receiver as 

 a result of temporary financial difficulties during the latter part 

 of last December. The plan is to be carried out by two lawyers, 

 Percy W. Gardner and J. F. Dunbar, the latter of whom repre- 

 sents the George A. .\lden Co.. of Boston, and the New York 

 Commercial Co. 



The plan was outlined several weeks ago in a circular letter 

 sent to the stockholders, in which it was stated that a sale of the 

 assets in bankruptcy proceedings would hardly bring 25 per cent, 

 of the liabilities. From this would have to be deducted the ex- 

 penses of receivership. Many of the stockholders have already 

 given the lawyers the power of attorney to carry out the deal. 

 Briefly, the plan consists of an exchange of the stock of the 

 Consumers' Rubber Company for preferred stock in a financially 

 sound concern — not connected with the United States Rubber 

 Co. — and not a competitor of the Consumers' Company. The 

 name of this company has not been annoimced, the statement 



