March 



[904.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



197 



which is characteristic of our race, much of the desire to be a great world 

 power in the taking of the Philippines, but I believe the underlying mo- 

 tive in taking them was the same as that which induced us to give up 

 Cuba. We must defend those islands. 



We have 26,000 miles of seacoast to defend — more than any nation 

 except Great Britain. Leave it undefended and it is a pathway to our 

 enemies. Defended it is your greatest safeguard. We have no entang- 

 ling alliance with any other country and we shall enter into none. We 

 shall defend ourselves. Let us then be backed with God and with the 

 seas, which he hath given us for defense, impregnable, and with their 

 help alone defend ourselves, fn them and in ourselves our safety lies. 



[Applause.] 



* * » 



President Apsley next introduced Congressman DeAr- 

 mond, saying : 



Gentlemen : It may fairly be presumed that the members of this 

 Club have their minds largely centered upon questions which have spe- 

 cial connection with the rubber business, but we do not forget that we 

 are not only manufacturers and merchants, but citizens of the United 

 States as well, and are, therefore, deeply interested in all that concerns 

 the conducting of the business of our government, whether state or na- 

 tional, and we certainly desire that the power of the professional poli- 

 tician or the supposed interest of political parties may not interfere with 

 effective work on the part of all those who are in any way connected 

 with it. 



It is a great pleasure to me, personally, and the Club is to be heartily 

 congratulated on having here to night one of the very foremost men in 

 the national house of representatives, a gentleman of the highest possi- 

 ble character, and eminently qualified to handle the important subject of 

 "Civil Service Reform." 



I now have the honor of presenting to you the Hon. David A. De 



Armond, of Missouri. 



* * * 



Congressman DeArmond, who was enthusiastically re- 

 ceived, after paying a high tribute to the American navy, said : 



I have been convinced for some time that there is a great mistake 

 committed by making the tenure in the civil service practically for life. 

 I believe it is contrary to the genius of our institutions. I believe under 

 our system that the people ought occasionally, and perhaps quite fre- 

 quently, to have the opportunity to determine whether a man shall con- 

 tinue in the public service or not. I believe the effect of putting a num. 

 ber of men into the public service under a system which leaves many of 

 them there for life is bad. The first thing, under the present system, is 

 to get into the public service, with a reasonable assurance that you may 

 continue in it ; the next thing is to lessen the amount of services you 

 perform and increase the amount of compensation you receive. That is 

 human nature. Don't exhaust the job too soon. Don't do too much. 

 [Laughter.] 



I believe it would be better if persons were appointed to the civil 

 service for a definite period of time. Then there would be constantly 

 present in the mind of the employe the condition that in order to get an 

 extension of time by reappointment, it would be necessary for him to 

 prove himself efficient and reliable. 



Let me suggest, if there is anything in this matter of turns, that it is 

 about time we had our turn in the administration of national affairs. 

 [Laughter.] It is a great relief in an executive officer not to have con- 

 trol of patronage absolutely, merely to peddle out to party workers — 

 not that I decry the party worker — but for Tom, Dick, and Harry to 

 press upon a man who has many public duties, to perform the important 

 one of putting them into public employment, is really to wear out men 

 who might devote their time to more useful pursuits. I have no doubt 

 my friend, the secretary of the navy, appreciates that, great partisan as 

 he is, and a man can be a good partisan even though he is on the wrong 

 side, as he is. [Laughter.] 



The great disideratum in public affairs is absolute honesty. I be- 

 lieve one of the most profitable things this country has done in recent 

 years was parting with Cuba, when this country had the power to hold 

 it. It was not only honorable and creditable in us, but beneficial to us 

 for generations to come. 



At the conclusion of the speech making, " Home, Sweet 

 Home " was played by the orchestra, while the members de- 

 parted for their homes, all voting the banquet a marked suc- 

 cess. In this connection should be named the members of the 

 various committees having charge of the arrangements : 



Dinner Committee. — Frederick H. Jones, William Keyes, George P. 

 Whitmore, William J. Kelly, O. A. Barnard. 



Entertainment Committee. — Arthur W. Stedman, William F. Mayo, 

 E. S. Williams. Henry C. Pearson, Theodore S. Bassett. 



Reception Committee. — Arthur W. Stedman, Joseph Davol, Costello 

 C. Converse, Frederick C. Hood, Robert D. Evans. 



One of the pleasant features of the evening was the presence 

 of a number of ladies in the boxes in the balcony, who watched 

 the proceedings with interest to the end. It was the first occa- 

 sion when ladies had been present at one of the Club's enter- 

 tainments. One party was made up of the wives of President 

 L. D. Apsley and Colonel E. H. Woods, of the Boston Herald, 

 and a number of their friends. 



MANUFACTURE OF WEATHER STRIPS. 



ONE of the many minor lines of manufacture in which rub- 

 ber forms an important part is that of ordinary weather 

 strips for doors and sashes. These useful and sanitary ap- 

 pliances generally utilize only low grade reclaimed stock, 

 usually in the form of rubber coated sheeting and light cloth 

 insertion packing. A common method of combining the rub- 

 ber with either wood or metal strips is in the form of an open 

 tubular fold of sheeting, with the edges held securely in the 

 body of the strip. This form is known as the " double edge " 

 or "cushion " style, as distinguished from the single edge of 

 flat rubber packing formerly more commonly employed. 



In making the newer or double edge strip the rubber sheet- 

 ing is first cut very accurately parallel by rapidly drawing the 

 fabric between sharp knives set at proper intervals in a bench. 

 The edges are next glued by a simple device and are then 

 ready for insertion in the prepared molding, which contains 

 two fine parallel lengthwise cuts to receive the glued edges of 

 the rubber strip. The latter is quickly inserted into the cuts 

 by the aid of a simple grooved hand block or die, which folds 

 and fits the rubber into its place. These wood weather strips 

 are made in numerous neat designs, sizes, and forms, adapted 

 to every requirement of location. 



More attractive and durable, however, are the extremely neat 

 forms of weather strip attained by substituting thin sheet 

 metal — brass, zinc, or copper — for the clumsy wood moldings. 

 This newer form combines the merits of flexibility, durability, 

 and compactness. It is very inconspicuous when applied and 

 is the only kind adapted to many locations, as around sashes 

 of railway coaches for excluding dust and preventing vibration. 

 These rubber strips vary in width from Y% to ft of an inch, and 

 are frequently made continuous in 100 feet lengths. 



The manufacture of these strips is accomplished by swift 

 automatic machines with special dies and folding devices to 

 form the flat metal ribbon into neatly curved and creased 

 backs, with edges closely folded in to avoid cutting the rubber 

 surfaces, yet holding the rubber strip in a compact grip. After 

 forming the strip the machine automatically punches through 

 the metal back small holes at regular intervals for allowing the 

 passage of the brads used in applying the strip. These still 

 further aid to hold the rubber in place. 



Messrs. Earle Brothers, India-rubber brokers, No. 66 

 Broad street, New York, have favored The India Rubber 

 World with a copy of their annual Rubber Statistics for 1903— 

 a publication which has appeared regularly so many years. 



