THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



that only lolal figures for the entire industry will be published 

 and thai no one except carefully selected employes of the Guar- 

 anty Truit Company will have access to the individual returns. 



Your Board of Directors believes that if a little thought is 

 given to this matter along the lines of the foregoing it will be- 

 come apparent to you that the collection and compilation of the 

 statistics asked for is very much to be desired and that we shall 

 accordingly be favored with a prompt and complete response for 

 your company. 



A stamped envelope addressed to the Guaranty Trust Com- 

 pany, to whom the enclosed questionnaire is to be returned, is 

 sent you herewith for your convenience. 



.■\. L. ViLES, General Manager. 



INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE. 



Xew York, December 26. 1919. 

 To firm members: 



It is believed by the Association's e.xecutives that nearly all 

 manufacturers fully realize the unusual and radical changes that 

 have taken place with respect to the relation of employer and 

 employe, these changes being particularly emphasized by the 

 conditions arising during the war. 



The war period created a demand for many special products 

 and increased greatly the need for staple articles of utility. For 

 these reason.* a premium was placed on the labor required for 

 such unprecedented production. 



The unusual^ demands for labor of all kinds which accom- 

 panied production requirements soon led to wage adjustments 

 and many radical changes in working conditions to the extent 

 that nearly all the pre-war standards of employment were com- 

 pletely overturned and employers and employes obtained the 

 new viewpoint required under such changed conditions. 



On account of these conditions there seemed to be a desire 

 for a helpful medium in the Association through which discus- 

 sion and exchange of ideas might be had regarding industrial 

 relations. 



-At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Association, 

 held ori September 26, considerable discussion was devoted to 

 the desirability of appointing an Industrial Relations Committee, 

 which resulted in President Sawyer's consenting lo investigate 

 the situation with a view to placing a definite proposal before 

 the Executive Committee at a future meeting. 



Mr. Sawyer was aided in his investigation by directors and 

 superintendents of labor, also factory managers, serving as a 

 temporary committee, representing all of the various rubber 

 manufacturing districts or centers, and the information brought 

 forth by this investigation indicated clearly that much benefit 

 might result from the formation of an Industrial Relations Com- 

 mittee. 



-At the Executive Committee meeting of December S, it was 

 definitely decided to form an Industrial Relations Committee 

 along lines similar to the .Association's traffic organization and 

 that the total membership of the committee should not exceed 

 twenty-five, ten of which should constitute an Executive Rela- 

 tions Committee. 



It was further decided that the committee should be ap- 

 pointed with full consideration for territorial representation. 

 Consequently, there were selected four representatives from 

 Akron, one from Trenton, one from Canada, three from New 

 York and New England and one from the Middle West, as 

 follows, to constitute an Executive Industrial Relations Com- 

 mittee. 



AKHOIJ'. 



J. W. Thomas, Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. 



r. Jahant. General Tire & Rubber Co. 



M. A Flynn. The B. F. Goodrich Rubber Co. 



William Stepliens, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. 



TEENTON. 



C H. Oaklev, Essex Rubber Co. 



D. E. Beyr 



CANADA. 



, Dunlop Tire & Rubber Goods Co., Ltd. 



NEW YOHK and NEW ENGLAND. 



II. T. Martin, The Fisk Rubber Co. 



H. I.. Baxter. Hood Rubber Co. 



C. S. Ching, United States Rubber Co. 



MIDDLE WEST. 



Members of the Association in the middle western territory 

 have been asked to select their representatives, but we have not 

 yet received definite advices. 



The Executive Committee of the Association decided that the 

 Executive Industrial Relations Committee shall recommend the 

 additional fifteen members who, with the ten executives, shall 



make up a committee of twenty-five, and it is expected that the 

 recommendations shall recognize the idea of territorial repre- 

 sentation in the same manner as in the selection of the Execu- 

 tive Industrial Relations Committee. 



It is expected that the Industrial Relations Committee shall 

 first etideavor to analyze the methods now being used in the 

 rubber industry with respect to fundamental relations between 

 employer and employe, including the organization of factory 

 personnel or employment departments, the selection and assign- 

 ment of new employes, the medium of contact between employer 

 and employe, factory working conditions, health, sanitation, wel- 

 fare, training of foremen, and probably, wages. 



It is further expected that following the analysis and exchange 

 of ideas respecting the fundamental conditions referred to in 

 the foregoing, the committee shall convey to the membership 

 information and recommendations embodying the best features 

 of the various plans analyzed. 



It is hoped that the work of this committee shall become a 

 constructive and useful factor in association work, and also that 

 all members shall assist the work by presenting through this 

 office subjects or problems for analysis and discussion at the 

 committee meetings. 



.\. L. ViLES, General ^lanager. 



INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE MEETS. 



New York, December 26, 1919. 

 To firm members: 



The first regular meeting of the Executive Industrial Rela- 

 tions Committee was held at this office on December 12. The 

 election of officers for the year 1920 was first given attention 

 and the following members of the committee were unanimously 

 elected to the respective positions : C. S. Ching, chairman ; H. 

 L. Baxter, 1st vice-chairman; C. H. Oakley, 2nd vice-chairman. 



After the election of officers, the entire day was given to a 

 discussion as lo the information needed from firm member manu- 

 facturers respecting the present personnel or employment or- 

 ganizations, this discussion being predicated on the committee's 

 conclusion that, undoubtedly, every employer in the rubber in- 

 dustry desires to make adequate provision for efficient super- 

 vision of the relation between employer and employe. 



It was the further conclusion of the committee that the five 

 fundamental features of the employment or industrial relation 

 are as follows : 



1. Employment, 2. Health, 



3. Safety and sanitation, 4. Training of foremen, 

 5. General service. 



In order that the committee may give consideration to the 

 ipethods that may be productive of the greatest degree of ef- 

 ficiency, it desires to secure from each manufacturing firm mem- 

 ber detail information respecting the organization now in exist- 

 ence at each plant for handling this work. 



It is hoped that firm members will find it convenient to send 

 the desired information to this office as early as possible in 

 order that the committee may proceed with the work of analysis 

 of the various methods employed. The committee wishes to 

 emphasize that each firm member will ultimately receive the 

 benefit of a comprehensive plan predicated on the best that can 

 be drawn from individual methods and practices and the recom- 

 mendations or plans submitted by the committee will be com- 

 piled in chart form in such manner as to be flexible and easily 

 adapted to large or small organizations. 



.A. L. ViLES, Genera) Manager. 



MEETING OF THE SCRAP RUBBER DIVISION. 



At the meeting of the Scrap Rubber Division of the National 

 Association of Waste Material Dealers held at the Hotel .Astor, 

 New Y'ork City, on December 9, the former chairman, Herman 

 Muehlstein, was reelected to serve for the balance of the pres- 

 ent fiscal year. In view of the limited attendance of scrap rub- 

 ber members, no matters of importance were considered for the 

 reason that it is planned to hold a meeting of that division early 

 in January. 



NEW YORK RUBBER EXCHANGE. 



The delayed publication of this issue, due to the printers' strike, 

 permits the announcement of the organization by the New Y'ork 

 Rubber Trade Association, of a crude rubber exchange to serve 

 as a market for dealing in futures along the lines of other 

 market exchanges. The price of a seat is to be $1,000. 



