February i, 1904.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



167 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN CHICAGO. 



BY A RESIDENT CORRESPONDENT. 



TO the Editor of The India Rubber World : This has 

 been an exceptional winter in Chicago, and as a result 

 the rubber trade in more than one branch is in a satisfactory 

 frame of mind. The rubber shoe trade has been especially 

 benefited. While the Chicago local trade in rubber footwear 

 has been heavy, the trade has also been good in the western 

 and northwestern territory supplied from Chicago, though the 

 really heavy snowfall has been confined to this city and its vi- 

 cinity, extending only a few miles west and south. The weath- 

 er, however, has been sufficient to make the demand for rub- 

 ber footwear so great that the manufacturers' agents in this 

 city have had their hands full in supplying the jobbers, and 

 they in getting the goods into the hands of the hundreds or 

 thousands of retailers. 



The demand for light rubbers in Chicago has been unprece- 

 dented, for the early part of the winter. This, of course, is di- 

 rectly traceable to the weather. Usually Chicago is without a 

 really heavy snowstorm until the latter part of winter, and this 

 year the snow was at least five weeks ahead of schedule time. 

 The snow came unannounced by the weather bureau, and block- 

 ed city and suburban traffic and transportation lines. It compell- 

 ed thousands of people accustomed to use the surface lines of cars 

 to walk to the elevated lines of cars, and the result was a perfect 

 rush to the stores for rubber shoes. The retailers were unpre- 

 pared for such a demand, and their stocks were soon depleted. 

 This was especially true in the big department stores, which 

 have an immense trade in the lighter grades of rubber footwear. 

 As a result of such demand, the jobbers were importuned to 

 rush the work of filling orders. 



In this connection the statement of Mr. Charles B. Allen, 

 Chicago selling agent of the United States Rubber Co. and 

 the Boston Rubber Shoe Co., is of interest. Mr. Allen esti- 

 mates that the jobbers in Chicago handle between $4,000,000 

 and $5,000,000 worth of rubber footwear each year. Of this 

 amount fully $500,000 reaches the consumer through the 

 big mail order houses and the department stores, the latter 

 distributing it to the local consumers, while the mail order 

 houses supply consumers all over a number of adjacent 

 states. 



" We simply cannot supply the demand for the lighter grades 

 of rubber shoes," said Mr. Allen. "Our Chicago trade is al- 

 ways large, and it is increased greatly in a season like this 

 because we are the only manufacturers maintaining an emer- 

 gency stock here from which to supply jobbers, making Chi- 

 cago a distributing center. This general trade has been aug- 

 mented considerably by the local demand on the jobbers for 

 rubbers as a result of the heavy snowfalls early in December, 

 which has been added to by more recent storms. This snow is 

 confined almost entirely to Chicago and its vicinity, and hence 

 the trade from the west, north, and south must be attributed 

 to other causes. Later storms may have an exhilarating effect 

 on the demand for rubber footwear. 



" Last year we had a good winter, December showing the 

 argest single month's business we have ever had in this line. 

 The fall of 1902 was unusually good. The spring of 1903 was 

 favorable, and then the floods came. It rained more or less all 

 through the summer. As a result the country dealers found 

 their stock at the close of their spring business depleted. It is 

 doubtful if their stock has been cleaner and lighter in many 

 years than it was at the close of the last season. 



" Hence, when the country retailer came to stock up again 

 he ordered in larger quantities than usual, and the jobbers' 



orders were correspondingly heavier. This has made the mills 

 busier than they have ever been. They could not begin to sup- 

 ply the demand. Because of our emergency stock here we 

 have been better equipped to care for the rush orders. We 

 carry from thirteen to fifteen brands of footwear here, and this 

 is important to every western jobber handling rubber shoes. 



" In regard to the local trade proper, all I can say is that the 

 jobbers are almost too busy to talk. The number of small deal- 

 ers indicates the volume of business done in Chicago during a 

 snowstorm, and immediately following. I will give you an ex- 

 perience I had thirteen years ago, when I first came here. 1 

 thought it wise to send circulars to the various retail shoe dealers. 

 I got the list and found there were between 2000 and 3000 

 dealers in Chicago who handled rubber shoes. They have 

 multiplied rapidly since then, and in addition the big depart- 

 ment stores have grown, so you can get an idea of what it 



means to supply all these retailers." 



» • * 



Among the manufacturers and selling agents of mechanical 

 rubber goods, there is a wide difference in opinion as to the 

 outlook. Some are inclined to be somewhat pessimistic, but 

 other concerns are inclined to take the other view of the situ- 

 ation ; their faith in the future has been shown by the runningof 

 their factories on full time, making goods which they expect to 

 have orders for later. In the latter class is T. F. Blanchard, 

 manager of the Mechanical Rubber Co. Mr. Blanchard is one 

 of those conservative men who seldom talks for publication 

 and for that reason his views are of interest. He says the job- 

 bers are late this year in sending in specifications, but he is 

 confident that the manufacturers will have a good year. Mr. 

 Blanchard said : 



" As an indication of how well grounded is our faith in the 

 future, we are going ahead and are manufacturing for a good 

 year, believing that the jobbers will soon send in their specifi- 

 cations with a rush, and then we will be prepared to look after 

 this trade and fill orders promptly. Of course if we are mis- 

 taken in our judgment of business conditions we will simply 

 have to run short time later on. But I see nothing to indicate 

 that this will not be a good year, notwithstanding the hesita- 

 tion of buyers during the first month." 



* # * 



The managers of the local branches of the rubber tire fac- 

 tories are preparing for an immense trade this season. It is 

 predicted that the automobile business in Chicago and its vi- 

 cinity will exceed that of the bicycle business this year. The 

 gain last year in this branch and the orders already booked for 

 the season clearly warrant this belief. 



Several automobile manufacturers have sold their entire out- 

 put, with the exception of a few machines held in reserve for 

 duplicate orders. Thomas B. Jeffery & Co. (Kenosha, Wiscon- 

 sin), manufacturer of the " Rambler," entered at this year's 

 shows an exhibit surmounted with a banner announcing that 

 they have no automobiles in stock for sale. 



The automobile orders so far this season have shown a tend- 

 ency toward heavier cars. There will be a large number of 

 heavy four cylinder cars in use in Chicago this season. Last 

 year there were not to exceed ten four cylinder machines in the 

 entire city. The tires on these big touring cars run into money 

 rapidly, and it is this kind of orders the manufacturers are 

 seeking. 



Local managers of concerns making automobile and bicycle 

 tires are pleased rather than otherwise over the continuation of 

 small snowstorms which followed the heavy one about the mid- 

 dle of December, because they feel that it means an early and 

 open spring, and everyone familiar with the tire trade knows 



