FtBKlARV 1. 1920.1 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



277 



Annual Meeting of The Rubber Association of America. 



TiiK FIFTH ANNUAL MEETING (under the present charter) of 

 The Rubber Association of America, Inc., was held at the 

 Waldorf-Astoria, New York City, on the afternoon of 

 January 5, 1920. 



President Homer E. Sawyer presided. The session was a 

 short one. such formalities as the reading of the call and the 

 minutes of the last meeting, etc., being dispensed with, upon 

 motion from the floor. 



There were distributed a printed report of the general man- 

 ager and secretary, and the financial statement prepared by the 

 treasurer covering the year 1919. 



PRESIDENT SAWYER'S REPORT. 



In making his report Mr. Sawyer spoke in part as follows: 

 The principal activity of your president, at least during the 

 past year, has been the endeavor to organize the Association 

 along lines which it quickly became apparent, this year, were 

 necessary. Prior to the war, as we all knew, we were largely a 

 social body, and we had good times, but we did not conduct, 

 between the good times, much business. Our annual banquet 

 and our annual outing were the principal features of the year 

 and in between times we simply attended to our own business 

 and paid little attention to the business of the Association. 



CONTIiroiTy NEEDED IN ASSOCIATION ACTIVITIES. 



During the war, under the administration of Mr. Firestone 

 and Mr. Work, everybody worked, and it did not become 

 apparent that the Association as an association was not organ- 

 ized to carry on the regular work of the Association. We have 

 had associated with us, fortunately, as the head of our Traffic 

 Committee our Mr. Viles, and nothwithstanding the fact that 

 the United States Government tried very hard to steal him 

 from us, we finally succeeded, on the first of July last, in in- 

 stalling Mr. Viles, as not only secretary, but general manager 

 of the Association. Since that time I do not hesitate to say 

 that he has done all the president's work. Seriously, however, 

 It was essential that we should so organize as to have con- 

 tinuity in the work of the Association for the future. That 

 there has been some real work done. I know is known to many 

 of you individually. I feel sure that many of you have indi- 

 vidually received help and benefit from Mr. Viles' organization. 

 That will be the aim of the Association to provide more eiifi- 

 ciently for in the future. 



COMMITTEES DOING VALUABLE WORK, 



It may be, that in the individual committees there is a feel- 

 ing that we do not accomplish enough in those divisional com- 

 mittees. I am inclined to think sometimes, however, that the 

 things that some of us would like to accomplish in those divi- 

 sional committees, the authorities in Washington would frown 

 upon somewhat ; and secondly, many things which might be 

 very good for us, from our standpoint, cannot properly be done 

 or undertaken. 



The greatest committee, the committee having the largest 

 problem, is naturally the Pneumatic Tire and Truck Division, 

 so ably presided over by Mr. Stadelman and by Mr. Broadwell 

 as vice-chairman. They have done splendid work throughout 

 the year. .A.side from the divisional committees there are com- 

 mittees of general character like your Traffic Committee, your 

 Legislative Committee, your Statistical Committee and Indus- 

 trial Relations Committee. If they alone were all that we could 

 expect from the Rubber Association they would. I believe, war- 

 rant all of your support, both moral and financial. 



Mr. Viles will a little later speak more specifically regarding 

 his report, and I know that you will excuse the Chair if he 

 closes his remarks simply with a strong plea for your hearty 

 cooperation with your board of directors and with your officers 

 and Willi >(uir general manager in the coming year. 



GENERAL MANAGER VILES' REMARKS. 



Amplifying liis printed report, Mr. Viles outlined the con- 

 templated work of the Association more in detail, emphasizing 

 the importance of cooperation on the part of members. Said he : 



PROMPT OPINIONS FHOM MEMBERS HELPFUL 



Every communication that is sent out from the Association 



offices we l)elievc to be of some importance, perhaps not of so 



great importance to some branch of the industry, but yet of 

 some importance to individual members ; and I would like to 

 say it would be very helpful in connection with all communica- 

 tions particularly asking for an expression of opinion to receive 

 a reply from every member. It hampers the work of the divi- 

 sions to a great extent in the failure to receive, without four 

 or five written letters being sent, replies giving the members' 

 views on various questions of importance. 



MOTOR VEHICLE CONFERENCE ON PROPOSED LEGISLATION. 



Xow, we formed in connection with the Tire Division a motor 

 vehicle conference. That conference is composed of represen- 

 tatives of six associations : The National Automobile Chamber 

 of Commerce, The Motor and Accessories .Association, the 

 Three A's, the Trailers, The National Auto Dealers' Associa- 

 tion, and the Rubber Association, who have made a contract 

 with the Law Reporting Co. for a report of all legislation that 

 is proposed in each State Legislature throughout the year, that 

 report to be made to the Motor Vehicle Conference immedi- 

 ately after the bill has been printed or typewritten in the various 

 Capitols. Now it is proposed, in that way, to keep an absolute 

 check, and to be in a position to shape policies with respect to 

 all legislation in respect to the automotive industry; and any 

 of the individual members located in the various states can 

 greatly help that service, if they know of any local situation or 

 any municipal situation, or county situation which they believe 

 the weight of the division can help them correct; or if they 

 believe that the Conference Committee's records or the counsel 

 can be of any use to them. So I ask you to give special con- 

 sideration during the year to any matter coming from the 

 Motor Vehicle Conference through the Tire Division with 

 respect to legislation. 



IMPORTANCE OF QUESTIONNAIRES. 



Now. you will find a reference here, in the general remarks 

 right next to the last page, to the questionnaire situation. I 

 presume the term "questionnaire" is like castor oil and a lot of 

 other things that have a bad taste to some; but I feel that there 

 is a little misunderstanding, and, perhaps, a little lack of appre- 

 ciation for the necessity for that sort of thing at this time. The 

 form of the questionnaire has been given a great deal of atten- 

 tion by our Statistical Committee. They believe that the indus- 

 try not only wants to know its condition in so far as the figures 

 will reflect its condition, but they also feel that in legislative 

 work which is now before us. and the legislation that will come 

 up in the various states and in the coming legislation, that 

 those figures are going to be e.Ktremely valuable from a defen- 

 sive standpoint and if the necessity for them arises, that is, for 

 their immediate use, arises, they are worth 100 per cent more, 

 if we have them right on tap. I feel that for our activities in 

 Washington alone, for the next few years, these statistics are 

 going to be very valuable. 



WILL HELP SOLVE TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS. 



In your transportation work, you are facing the most chaotic 

 situation that this country has ever known. I do not feel that 

 the transportation managers of Washington know where they 

 are coming out of the thing. A United States Senator remarked 

 to me a short time ago that there are 98 Senators, and that 

 they have 98 different ideas as to how these railroads are going 

 to be handled, and I think you are going to have 98,000 dif- 

 ferent propositions with respect to how adjustments should be 

 made and operating service maintained and as to the various 

 other questions that come up within the next two or three 

 years ; and you will have situations respecting our industrial 

 work, you will need every ounce of energy, and every bit of 

 cooperation that the Traffic Committee can give ; and their work 

 will be augmented to a very large extent if we have the statis- 

 tics from the questionnaires, so that we can come before any 

 railroad committee or any legislative committee or body acting 

 on railroad matters, with facts, show our position and support 

 it, and get a reasonable measure of justice. I feel that the ques- 

 tionnaire is a vital thing and should have the support of every- 

 body. I do not think that many of you realize what these fig- 

 ures mean when they arc all put together, and I further think 

 that a great deal more can be done with them. 



TRAFFIC BUREAU READY TO ASSIST 



The Traffic Committee during the year has increased to a 



committee of 22, starting with only four a little over a year and 



