482 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[July 1, 1912. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN BOSTON. 



By a Resident Corres[>undent. 



A GENERAL round of the various rubber establishments 

 finds a fair degree of contentment with the general trend 

 of trade. To be sure quotations of crude gum of several varieties 

 are not exactly satisfactory to either buyer or seller, and sales 

 are not reaching that magnitude which has sometimes been the 

 case. However, a good deal is moving in the aggregate, even 

 though individual transactions may seem small. 



There has been a more contented spirit displayed by the 

 rubber clothing men than by the garden hose manufacturers, 

 but the latter seem to be having their inning about this time, 

 and they are improving their opportunity. 



The demand for mechanical goods seems to have, to some 

 extent, deteriorated into a retail business. Purchases are smaller, 

 but to compensate, at least in part, there are more of them. 

 Druggists' sundries are going well. Boots and shoes have been 

 in good demand, as far as orders are concerned. Automobile 

 tires are being made and sold in prodigious numbers, and as 

 far as your correspondent has been able to learn, every pro- 

 ducing plant is behind its selling agencies in filling orders. 



Speaking of automobile tires, the Back Bay, out towards 

 Brookhne, is rapidly being monopolized by the automobile 

 trade. The Goodyear Improvement Company has purchased a 

 large tract of land, nearly 130,000 feet, on Brookline avenue 

 near the junction of Commonwealth avenue and Beacon street. 

 The lot fronts the new Fenway Park baseball grounds, and 

 extends 460 feet along Brookline avenue, and has a varying 

 depth of from 175 to 380 feet, the whole having an assessed value 

 of $88,600. The purchase price is reported to be considerably 

 above that figure. Plans are now being prepared for the erection 

 on this lot of a handsome brick-faced, reinforced concrete 

 structure, to be occupied by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. 

 of Akron as a distributing point for No-Rim-Cut tires. This 

 company built its present Boston salesroom, a handsome five- 

 story building on Boylston street, three years ago, but has found 

 it altogether too small for the business it is doing. The com- 

 pany has adopted the policy of owning its headquarters in the 

 various large cities, and this move is in line with that policy. 

 As an indication of the extent of the business of this company 

 a few figures from a confidential communication sent the mem- 

 bers of its sales force may be of interest. On June 5 the day's 

 production of automobile tires was 4,431 casings and 5,000 tubes. 

 June 6 the number of casings was 4.600, and on June 7 the fac- 

 tory turned out 5,002 casings and 5,510 tubes. 

 * * * 



Probably the proudest moment in the life of Francis H. 

 Appleton was when he first met King George V of England, and 

 presented to him the certificate of honorary membership in the 

 Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of this city. The 

 second proudest time is yet to come, when as captain of this 

 noted military organization, he will hob-nob with His Majesty 

 on the 15th of this month at Buckingham Palace. The third 

 proudest moment is pictured here. It is the moment when 

 Governor Eugene N. Foss, of Massachusetts, delivered to 

 Lieutenant Appleton the spontoon, the symbol of his new rank, 

 captain commanding of the company. "Artillery Election" is an 

 annual event in Boston, and June 3, 1912, was the 274th con- 

 secutive time that the members of this company have deposited 

 their ballots on the head of the big bass drum. 



The anniversary ceremony was an elaborate one. Fifers and 

 drummers sounded the reveille at daybreak in front of the 

 State House and the down town hotels. (In ancient days this 

 was done under the windows of the members of the company.) 

 The company assembled, marched to the State House, where 

 the governor and staff took position in the line, then proceeded 



to the historical Old South Church, where the election sermon 

 was preached. Then the company marched to Boston Common, 

 where- the drum-head election followed, and Governor Foss 

 received the resignations of the retiring officers and bestowed 

 the insignia upon the newly elected ones, who were hailed by 

 the booming of cannon. 



C.^PT. Appleton Receiving St.\ff froii Gov. Foss. 



Captain Appleton presided at the dinner which was held in 

 the historic "Cradle of Liberty" — Faneuil Hall — at which many 

 notables were present. Several members of the rubber trade 

 who were included in the assembly were warm in their praise 

 of the grace and dignity with which he presided, and of the 

 eloquence of his address. 



;1; * ^ 



The Hub Rubber Co., the incorporation of which was men- 

 tioned on page 457 of our June issue, will change its name to 

 the Hubmark Rubber Co.. in order to more fully advertise the 

 trade mark of the Hub, which will hereafter appear on all the 

 first-quality rubber boots and shoes made by the Boston Rubber 

 Shoe Co. The Hubmark company will, for the coming season, 

 confine its business to New England and the vicinity of New 

 York City, and will enter upon an extensive advertising cam- 

 paign, which will be in charge of Chester J. Pike, who has 

 recently allied himself with the A. W. Ellis Advertising Agency 

 of this city. 



He * * 



Harry Converse caught a good string of fish while on a 



recent outing at Rangeley. His best catch was an eight-pound 



salmon. 



* * * 



The J. H. Stedman Co. is the new name of the well-known 

 concern J. H. Stedman & Co., Inc., at 555 Atlantic avenue. 

 There is no other change but the name, which is more euphoni- 

 ous and significant of the corporate character of the business. 

 The same officers remain, the accounts continue, and the busi- 

 ness shows no change except that it is increasing steadily in im- 

 portance and extent. The premises have been improved, the 

 offices rearranged and enlarged, thus giving the main business 

 office and the accounting department the needful additional 

 space, and new offices at the Atlantic avenue front of the build- 

 ing for Messrs. Stedman and Turner. 



Charles A. Coe, of the United States Rubber Co., is summer- 

 ing at Annisquam, on Cape Ann, and his principal recreation is 



