June 1, 1920.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



by giving a dinner in his lionor and presenting him with twenty 

 S20-gold-pieces, one piece for each year of service. Mr. Leach 

 has a very wide acquaintance in the trade among buyers of rub- 

 ber goods and he has played an important part in guiding the 

 destiiMes of the Goodrich company in this part of the United 

 States. 



The K. W. Harris Tire & Rubber Co., 737 Boylston street, 

 Boston, is agent for Oldfield cord tires in this territory. 



V. J. Mulherin, of the Howe Rubber Co., 82S Boylston street, 

 Boston, is in charge of the New England distribution of Howe 

 tires and tubes. 



MISCELLANEOUS MASSACHUSETTS NOTES. 



The Boston Woven Hose & Rubber Co., Cambridge, has re- 

 ceived from the United States Government a distinguished 

 service citation and certificate of merit for its services during the 

 war. In congratulating the employes on the important part 

 played by them in this matter the management emphasizes the 

 importance of continuing the same initiative, energy and indus- 

 trial productivity in times of peace. 



The Boston Woven Hose & Rubber Co., Cambridge, is estab- 

 lishing a self-service cafeteria with a seating capacity of 250 

 for its employes. A good variety of wholesome food, drinks, 

 smokes and ice cream will be sold without profit. 



With eyes open to the gravity of the food situation, the ofificials 

 of the Monatiquot Rubber Works Co., South Braintree, Massa- 

 chusetts, have this year placed at the disposal of their employes 

 a good-sized tract of the company's land for gardening pur- 

 poses. As much interest is being shown in "peace" gardens as 

 was evinced in "war" gardens when America first entered the 

 great conflict. The spirit of rivalry is being encouraged and it 

 is expected that the present enthusiasm will be maintained 

 through the harvest season. 



The second "get-together dinner" of the employes of the Tyer 

 Rubber Co. was held at the November Club House, Andover, 

 Massachusetts, on the evening of April 20. The seventy-five em- 

 ployes present were all of the delegates and alternates of the 

 Tynan Service Committee, the representative committee of the 

 employes; all of the foremen, and the committee members of the 

 management. During the dinner a musical program of songs and 

 orchestral selections was rendered by the Tyrian Mixed Quar- 

 tette, by soloists from among the membership, and by the Tyer 

 Rubber Company orchestra. Following the dinner, informal 

 remarks were made by several members of the committee, and 

 Mr, Jones, the treasurer and general manager, paid a tribute to 

 Mr. Carlton, the late purchasing agent of the company. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN AKRON. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



AKRON NOTES. 



THE POPUL.^TiON of Akron, the rubber center of the world, 

 has been announced as 208,435 persons, as compared 

 with a population of 69,000 persons ten years ago. This is 

 an increase of 208.1 per cent. 



The history of the growth of the city of .\kron into tlie 

 "larger city" class is the history of the rubber industry. For 

 although the city had three sound and growing industries 

 when the automobile industry opened a new field for the 

 rubber products then made in a small way in the city, it was 

 the tire industry which made possible the expansion of the 

 industry which in turn made the city what it is today. 



The city grew, however, because it had industrial leaders 

 who were ready to take advantage of the situation. As was 

 pointed out in The India Rubber World several months ago, 

 Akron has few natural advantages which should make it tlie 

 center of the rubber world. 



When Dr. B. F. Goodrich came to Akron in 1869, after hav- 

 ing failed to organize the rubber industry in the East, the 



business men of Akron were ready to take a chance and 

 backed him with sufficient capital to erect a 40 by 100-foot 

 shop, in which he began the manufacture of rubber goods. 



.Although the succeeding years were hard ones, the men 

 who backed him did not lose faith, and when the liicycle wave 

 swept over the country these same and other men were ready 

 to advance a greater capital to make it possible to furnish 

 tires for the bicycles. 



When the bicycle tire demand had been met by tlie rubber 

 industry and no further fields seemed available, came the 

 invention of the automobile and the necessity for rubber tires 

 of larger sizes, and again the business men of the city backed 

 tlie increased plants and the rubber industry of the city set 

 the pace in the manufacturing of automobile tires. In every 

 instance it was a case of men having faith in their own 

 judgment of the future and being ready to back their judgment 

 with their money. 



At the present time the capitalization of the 22 rubber 

 plants in Akron is placed at $227,119,275 by the Chamber of 

 Commerce in official publications, the number of men and 

 women employed in the industry at approximately 75,000, 

 manufacturing $427,796,317 worth of goods a year and having 

 a pay-roll of $101,178,591 a year. 



In the history of the development of the city the names 

 of Goodrich, Seiberling, Firestone, Work and Gammeter 

 stand out. The rubber industry is so young that the men 

 who were instrumental in founding the business are still at 

 the helm at the period of its larger expansion. 



The future of Akron appears as bright as it did five and 

 ten years ago. Men familiar with its history and prospects 

 do not hesitate to place the ultimate population at 500,000 

 with the same confidence with which they placed it at 200,- 

 000 by 1920 two and tiiree years ago. 



The war brought to Akron the beginning of what is con- 

 sidered by rubber men as the next great industry — dirigibles 

 and airplanes. 



The manner in which Akron men have taken to the new 

 industry is similar to the manner in which they grasped 

 former opportunities, and if the industry develops as antici- 

 pated it will be found in ten years that .Akron will be one 

 of the centers of aviation. 



A flying club having approximately two hundred members 

 has been organized in the city and efforts will be made to 

 increase this membership. The club is being fostered by the 

 large manufacturers, and a local company has given enough 

 land for a hangar near the city. 



John Gammeter, one of Akron's pioneer bird men and head 

 of the experimental department of The B. F. Goodrich Co., 

 is one of the leaders in the new club. Mr. Gammeter was 

 recently elected president of the flying clubs of the state of 

 Ohio at a convention held at Columbus. 



The B. F. Goodrich Co. has taken out a building permit 

 for a factory building to cost approximately $400,000. The 

 company now has more than $1,000,000 worth of building 

 under way. 



C. D. Studcbaker lias been appointed district sales manager 

 (if The B. F. Goodrich Co. for the Akron territory, which 

 includes Cleveland, Youngstown, Erie and Pittsburgh. Mr. 

 Studebaker started with the company as a New York sales- 

 man. 



Only six persons wear the Goodrich 25-year service pins. 

 Of the 157 pioneers, 126 w^ear the 10-year service pin and 

 26 the 15-year service pin. 



The Miller Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, will continue its 

 .Americanization classes until the middle of June. Mrs. Louise 

 I*". Copp has been appointed plant director of the work in 

 this department and five employes of the company recently 

 received certificates showing that they had completed 75 or 



