530 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[May 1, 1920. 



Activities of The Rubber Association of America. 



EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TIRE MANUFACTURERS' DIVISION. 



THE REGULAR April meeting of the Executive Committee of 

 the Tire Manufacturers' Division, lu-ld in the Association 

 rooms April 21, was well attended. Particular interest 

 centered about the discussion of the subject of establishing mini- 

 mum and ma.ximum cross section widths for pneumatic tires, 

 and to enable the subject to be thoroughly covered in both its 

 commercial and technical phases, a conference had been arranged 

 by the Executive Tire Committee with the Executive Committee 

 of the Tire and Rim Division of the Society of Automotive En- 

 gineers. A lengthy discussion of several suggestions respecting 

 the way in which to accomplish this end which seems to be the 

 desire of all manufacturers, resulted in no definite recommenda- 

 tion and the subject was given to a special sub-committee ap- 

 pointed at the meeting, that will make a detailed study and 

 report to the Tire E.xecutivo Committee at its next meeting. Sev- 

 eral matters of a routine nature were also given attention by 

 the Executive Committee. 



MECHANICAL RUBBER GOODS SPECIFICATION COMMITTEE. 



On .-\pril 2 there was held in the association rooms a meeting 

 of the Mechanical Rubber Goods Specification Committee at 

 which a large number of subjects connected with the negotiations 

 of the Specification Committee with users of specification me- 

 chanical rubber goods was handled. 



The work on these problems was principally of a routine 

 nature, but definite conclusions were reached with respect to 

 some matters, principal among which is the decision to recom- 

 mend to all manufacturers of mechanical rubber goods that 

 bids on M. C. B. air brake hose be confined to the 1913 M. C. B. 

 Specifications as last amended by the Manual of Standard and 

 Recommended Practice of the Master Car Builders' Association, 

 for 1919. It is to be understood distinctly, however, that the 

 foregoing has no application to car signal hose which may be 

 furnished to a railroad's individual or any other specifications. 



The committee felt also with respect to the matter of inspec- 

 tion and tests for rejection of specification mechanical rubber 

 goods, that it should recommend to manufacturers that the 

 period for acceptance or rejection, upon test, shall be limited 

 to 60 days from date of shipment. In this connection it was 

 also decided to recommend further to manufacturers, that all 

 specification rubber goods be tested for acceptance or rejection 

 at the point of manufacture. It is planned for the Specification 

 Committee to hold its next meeting in Asbury Park during the 

 week of June 22. 



UNIFORM BASIS FOR COMPUTING EXTRA CHARGE FOR MAKING 

 RUBBER BELTS ENDLESS. 



Some time ago the Executive Cominittee of the Mechanical 

 Rubber Goods Manufacturers' Division recommended to belting 

 manufacturers that they adopt a uniform basis for computing 

 the extra charge for making belts endless, which has been very 

 generally in effect, on the following basis : 



For belting under 12 inches in width, 6 additional feet. 



For belting 12 inches or more in width, 8 additional feet. 



Recent examination of the file on this subject indicates that 

 acknowledgments from all interested companies approving the 

 recommendation of the Executive Committee have been received 

 and manufacturers have been so advised. This should insure 

 uniform conditions in the rubber belting manufacturing busi- 

 ness in this connection. 



FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES RELATING TO INDUSTRIAL 

 RELATIONS. 



New York, April 14, 1920. 

 To firm and affiliated mcmhcis: 

 Please refer to our Circular Letter G-43 of March 19, announc- 



ing the distribution by the Republican National Committee, 

 through its .\dvisory Committee on Policies and Platform, of a 

 questionnaire on industrial relations and the problems of cap- 

 ital and labor. At that time we advised that because of the 

 broad questions of industrial relations policy and practice in- 

 volved, the Industrial Relations Executive Committee of this 

 .Association would give consideration to the specific questions set 

 forth in the questionnaire with a view of making an analysis 

 upon which it might predicate helpful information and sugges- 

 tions to be offered to our members for consideration by them 

 in connection with the questionnaire. 



The Industrial Relations Executive Committee of the .Associa- 

 tion recently met and made an exhaustive examination and 

 study of the questions presented in the questionnaire, and we 

 are sending you with this letter a pamphlet entitled "Industrial 

 Relations," in which there is set forth all of the questions con- 

 tained in the Republican National Committee's questionnaire and 

 there is shown in italics the views held by our Industrial Rela- 

 tions Executive Committee. 



The committee wishes to be clearly understood respecting its 

 purpose in making an analysis of the questionnaire. It desires 

 to place particular emphasis on the fact that the political origin 

 or purpose of the questionnaire had no place in the consideration 

 of this matter and that it is not sent to you as an aid to political 

 thought or action, but is intended to be non-partisan and non- 

 political and is presented for the single purpose of offering to 

 our members the benefit of the conclusions of experienced and 

 practical minds in our industry who are giving all tlieir time 

 and energ>- to one of the most important problems in industry, 

 namely, industrial relations. 



The Republican National Committee's questionnaire presented 

 questions respecting industrial relations which include nearly the 

 whole range of fundamental principles relating to this important 

 problem of our industrial life and had these questions originated 

 with another political party or with other representative and 

 responsible sources that would insure a wide distribution, our 

 Committee would have felt that it was not meeting its duty if 

 it did not attempt a conservative analysis for the purpose of offer- 

 ing assistance to the membership of this .Association. 



There is no doubt that each of the principles connected with 

 the questions and suggested answers set forth in the attached 

 pamphlet would have received attention by your Industrial Rela- 

 tions Committee in due course and it is perhaps fortunate that 

 so complete an analysis of these primary principles of Industrial 

 Relations can be made at this time in order that our members 

 may clearly understand the viewpoint of the Industrial Relations 

 Executive Committee which is predicated on the broad experi- 

 ence of its members in industrial relations work in the rubber 

 industry. 



The Committee hopes that its suggested answers to the ques- 

 tions set forth in the Republican National Committee's question- 

 naire may be of some assistance to those of our inembers who 

 .desire to respond to the questionnaire, but the primary purpose 

 of distributing the attached pamphlet is to suggest to our inem- 

 bers basic principles for conducting industrial relations work and 

 to indicate the composite opinion of your Industrial Relations 

 Executive Committee respecting those principles. 



.\. L. ViLES. General Manager. 

 ANNOUNCEMENT BULLETIN AND INFORMATIVE SERVICE. 



New York, April 22, 1920 

 To firm and affiliated members: 



This is the first of the bulletins which members of this Asso- 

 ciation will receive under an extension of the bulletin service 

 heretofore conducted by this office to a limited extent through 



