664 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[July 1, 1920. 



Activities of The Rubber Association of America. 



ANNUAL SUMMER OUTING. 



PREPARATION is being made for the annual summer outing of 

 The Rubber .Association of America, which will, if at all 

 possible, be held during the week of July 25, probably 

 Wednesday, the 28th, but the date and the location cannot yet be 

 definitely announced, due to the unavoidable delay in the selec- 

 tion of an appropriate place. Consideration has been given to 

 the Scaview Golf Club at .-Xbsecon, New Jersey, which was the 

 location of the 1919 outing, but it is hoped that arrangements 

 may be made for the outing to be held at an equally satisfactory 

 place nearer New Vork and consequently more convenient to 

 members in New England and in the Middle West. Definite in- 

 formation will be supplied to all members at the earliest possible 

 momem concerning the details of the arrangements. 



MEETINGS. 



EXECUTITE COMMITTEE, TIRE MAKUFACTUKERS' DIVISION. 



The June regular meeting of the Executive Committee, Tire 

 Manufacturers' Division, was held at the offices of The Rubber 

 Association on June 16, and a considerable number of matters 

 of a routine nature were given attention. Principal in interest 

 was the subject of determining recommended minimum and 

 maximum cross-section widths for pneumatic tires, as to which 

 it was not found possible to reach a final understanding and the 

 matter is still before the Committee. 



EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. MECHANICAL RUBBER GOODS MANUFAC- 

 TURERS' DIVISION. 



The Executive Committee, Mechanical Goods Division, held 

 its June regular meeting at the Yale Club on Thursday, June 24, 

 at which time several subjects of considerable interest were given 

 attention, Imt none of the matters have progressed to the point 

 at which definite advices may be promulgated. 



SPECIFICATION COMMITTEE, MECHANICAL RUBBER GOODS MANUFAC- 

 TURERS' DIVISION. 



For the convenience of several members of the Si>ecificalion 

 Committee who wished to attend the convention of The .American 

 Society for Testing Materials at the New Monterey Hotel, .\s- 

 bury Park, the June meeting of the Specification Committee was 

 held at that place on June 23 and 24. As has become the habit 

 of this Committee, a large docket of subjects was disposed of 

 and substantial progress was made in the working out of the 

 detail connected with the Committee's work in the direction 

 of improving and standardizing specifications for mechanical 

 rubber goods. 



INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS EXECUTI-VE COMMITTEE. 



The Industrial Relations Executive Committee met at Boston, 

 June 10, 11 and 12, at the invitation of the Hood Rubber Co., and 

 very satisfactory progress was made on the development of sev- 

 eral subjects now before the Committee, definite advices con- 

 cerning which will be disseminated from time to time through 

 the medium of circular letters and bulletins as the work on any 

 subject is completed. 



BULLETINS. 



The bulletins issued frequently during the past month by the 

 Association for the benefit of its members contained the fol- 

 lowing information of trade interest. 



It appears from the conclusion reached by the Research Staff 

 of the National Industrial Conference Board on the length of 

 the work week, in its study of the hours of work problem in 

 five major industries, that no single schedule of hours is 

 equally adaptable for all industries from the standpoint of 

 production. The evidence is overwhelming that maximum effi- 

 ciency cannot be obtained in all industries with any single 

 specific work-day. In general, the ability to increase hourly 

 efficiency and thus make up, either wholly or in part, for 

 reductions in hours is largely determined by the amount of 



iiandwork, as distinguished from automatic macliine work, 

 which is performed in any given process. 



With regard to medical supervision in industry, the cost is 

 not large, and the benefits derived far outmeasure the expendi- 

 ture. A compilation of data submitted by forty-one industrial 

 establishments with an aggregate of 223,416 employes showed 

 that in 1915 the average annual cost per employe was $1.88. A 

 later study covering the year 1916 and including ninety-five in- 

 dustrial establishments with a total of 479,634 persons indicated 

 an average annual cost of $2.21 for each person employed. 



A prominent construction company, employing several thou- 

 sand men and operating in the New England and Middle Atlantic 

 States, has for some time been making an interesting experiment 

 in educating its employes regarding labor costs. Recognizing 

 the value to its executive of graphs and diagrams as aids to 

 effective visualization of the status of work on the various jobs 

 upon which the company is engaged, the practice of preparing 

 charts for the foremen and workmen was recently adopted. 

 These charts are plotted week by week and show the unit costs 

 of each class of work, as, for example, excavation, making up 

 forms, erecting forms, placing reinforcement, pouring concrete, 

 etc. In order to be available without difficulty the charts are 

 posted in a weatherproof case on the outside of the field office. 



HOURS IN RUBBER -WORK- WEEK. 



The following tabulation was compiled from the responses of 

 187 rubber manufacturers; 



nber Ho 



of 

 Plants. 



Hours 

 of Work 

 per Week. 



Rhode Island.. ( 3 



ngton 



A NEW PRINCIPLE FOR WAGE INCREASES. 



The Industrial Court in Great Britain in a recent decision lays 

 down a new principle for determining claims for wage increases. 

 Hitherto the awards of the Committee on Production, and 

 subsequently of the Interim Court of Arbitration, have been 

 accepted as standard ; these provided for wage increases com- 

 mensurate with cost of living increases. The decisions, as a 

 rule, provided also for rehearings every four months, so that 

 if the cost of living were found to have increased, an equivalent 

 wage increase might be considered. 



