AiRii. 1, 1920.1 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



455 



Acti\ ities of The Rubber Association of America. 



ASSOCIATION MEETINGS. 



THE RhxiuLAR MONTHLY MEETINGS of the Kxeciitive Comiiiiltee, 

 .Mechanical Rubber Goods Manufacturers' Division, and 

 the Executive Committee of the Tire Manufacturers' Divi- 

 sion were omitted in March. The Executive Industrial Relations 

 Committee met on March 12 and 13 and gave its attention to mat- 

 ters of general interest to rubber manufacturers. A report of the 

 Committee's activities at this session was distributed to members 

 o: the Association through the medium of several communications 

 dealing with the specific subjects. 



REDUCTION IN CARLOAD FREIGHT RATES ON TIRES IN SOUTH. 



In a recent decision of the Interstate Commerce Commission 

 upon complaint as to the ratings applying on tires and tubes from 

 points north of the Ohio and Potomac Rivers and west of the 

 Mississippi River to southern points, the Commission directed 

 that ratings be established to become effective on June 2. 1920, 

 which shall provide third class rates, minimum carload weight 

 of twenty thousand pounds on pneumatic tires in straight carloads, 

 and third class minimum carload weight thirty thousand pounds 

 on solid tires in straight carloads, mounted or unmounted, and 

 on mixed carload shipments of pneumatic and solid tires and 

 tubes third class rates, minimum carload weight thirty thousand 

 pounds. 



Heretofore, carload rates have not been in effect on shipments 

 of tires and tubes to southern points and" this reduction in the 

 rates will result in a great saving in transportation charges on 

 carload shipments to southern territory. 



The Interstate Commerce Commission held hearings in Wash- 

 ington on March 22 to 24, inclusive, at which proposals of the 

 carriers, railroad security owners and the shipping public were 

 received with a view to assisting the Commission in deciding the 

 matter in which that feature of the Transportation Act of 1920 

 relating to the grouping of the carriers for rate-making purposes 

 and the basis upon which the 5yi per cent guaranty return on 

 the aggregate value of the railway properties shall be determ.ined. 



In view of the importance of this question, the settlement of 

 which will determine the increase in transportation charges that 

 will be necessary to furnish the carriers with sufficient revenue 

 to conduct their business properly for the two years following 

 September 1, 1920, the Traffic Department of The Rubber Asso- 

 ciation was represented at these hearings for the purpose of keep- 

 ing in close touch with the situation. 



Based upon the representations made to the Commission, it is 

 felt that that body will decide that for present purposes the in- 

 vestment account of the carriers will be used for the basis for 

 .•'lauring the 5^ per cent return, and that the three existing freight 

 lassification territories will be used for grouping the carriers 

 rir rate-making purposes. The investment account will probably 

 be subject to such corrections as the Commission may consider 

 necessary. 



UNSOUND NATIONAL ORGANIZATION SCHEMES. 



New York. March 16, 1920. 

 Tn firm and affiliated members: 



In discussing the work of the Industrial Relations Committee, 

 it is found that practically every member of the committee has 

 had numerous representatives of national organizations solicit 

 their companies for financial support, and endorsement of var- 

 ious schemes. Many such propositions, although their objects 

 may be laudable, do not have the organization or practical 

 executives to carry on the work successfully. Many others do 



not have the merit of being sound, although a superficial exam- 

 ination might lead one to believe that they are worthy of support. 

 The committee believes that they can render a service to the 

 members of the Rubber Association by investigating such organ- 

 izations, and giving the members the benefit of iheir views on 

 such matters. Therefore, if at any time, member companies 

 desire to secure information in regard to any such organizations, 

 if they will communicate with the general manager of the Rub- 

 ber .Association he will refer it to the Industrial Relations Com- 

 mittee for a report, and the committee will give their views on 

 the matter. 



.Along this line, at the present time, a man named Albert St. 

 Peter, from Pittsburgh, is endeavoring to build up a national 

 organization for carrying on -Americanization work. The com- 

 mittee has investigated this organization, and emphatically dis- 

 approves of the plan. The name of this organization is the 

 National Institute for Americanization and Education. The 

 committee believes that an organization such as this cannot carry 

 on this work efficiently and they further believe that Mr. St. 

 Peter himself has not demonstrated that he has executive ability 

 to put through any such comprehensive plan, judging by his 

 record in similar propositions with which he has been identified 

 recently. A. L. Viles. General Manager. 



INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS. 



New York. March 16. 1920. 

 To firm and affiliated members: 



The Industrial Relations Committee wishes to call (he atten- 

 tion of members to the bill recently enacted by the Kansas Leg- 

 islature, for the establishment of Industrial Courts. A. similar 

 bill is now pending in the Legislature of the State of New Jersey, 

 the number being Senate Bill 281. 



The Kansas Industrial Relations Court law would seem to 

 be, in the opinion of your committee, a justifiable experiment. 

 Its successful working out can only be determined when proven 

 by the test of time. 



Your committee also wishes to impress on every member the 

 importance of becoming thoroughly familiar with the report of 

 the President's Second National Industrial Conference, which 

 is now in the hands of the printer, and will be published within 

 a few days. The Rubber .Association will try to furnish each 

 firm member with a copy of this report, as soon as it can be 

 obtained from the printer ; also copies of the Kansas and New 

 Jersey bills. 



The President's Industrial Conference, in all probability, will 

 recommend the establishment of regional courts, and a national 

 tribunal for the handling of all industrial disputes. 



Your committee believes that there are some phases of this 

 plan which should be given very serious consideration, since this 

 is such a radical departure from present methods. Although 

 some tribunals and courts may seem to ofter a solution, theo- 

 retically, it would seem that there might be a possibility of 

 such machinery creating more industrial disputes than we now 

 have. Labor organizations would have everything to gain and 

 nothing to lose, by getting a dispute before such a court, and 

 once the machinery is eslablishcd, there would be a great tempta- 

 tion on the part of certain people to use it. Further experiences 

 show that the type of individual selected to serve in such positions 

 is not the type who understands business or industrial problems, 

 and in most cases people are selected because of their political 

 affiliations rather than their practical knowledge of matters 

 which come before them. 



Your committee will discuss at its next meeting the report 

 as a whole, and will furnish to member companies an expression 

 of its opinion. .A. L. ViLEf, General Manager. 



