January i, 1908.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



129 



CONDITION OF THE INDUSTRY. 



Several rubber shoe factories were idle during the last two 

 weeks in the year, due to the unsettled condition of business 

 and the policy of not manufacturing for stocking purposes. 

 Notices of curtailment of work began to be given immediately 

 after the financial flurry reported in these pages a month ago, 

 and it was stated that goods would be made only on actual 

 orders. In several cases there has been more activity than was 

 expected, and the condition of the industry is more favorable than 

 was forecasted by the earlier reports. A member of the trade 

 estimates that the snowfalls during the first half of December 

 gave such an impetus to the movement of stocks of rubber foot- 

 wear as to call for a further two weeks' production. It is ex- 

 pected that the factories generally will be in operation from the 

 beginning of the year. 



Both in the footwear and some other branches some factories 

 have been running on shorter time, or with reduced forces. On 

 the other hand, a number of factories have been fully employed. 

 It has been pointed out that certain factories depending chiefly 

 upon demands from railway and other large corporations have 

 felt the loss of business more severely than those concerns 

 whose trade is more general in character. Concerns having a 

 large number of dealers as customers have enjoyed a more con- 

 stant demand than those who supply each a limited number of 

 corporations. 



UNITED STATES RUBBEH CO.S ISSUES. 



Transactions on the New York Slock Exchange for four 

 weeks, ending December 21 : 



Common Stock. 



Week Nov. 30 Sales 1150 shares High 17 Low 14 



Week Deo. 7 Sales 5775 shares High 23% Low 17% 



Week Dec. 14 Sales 2310 shares High 22 Low i8Ji 



Week Dec. 21 Sales 805 shares High igj/j Low i8}i 

 For the year — High, 52'/2, Feb. 16; low, 13!^, Nov. 21. 

 Last year — High, 59^2 ; low, 38. 



First Preferred Stock. 



Week Nov. 30 Sales 1510 shares High 67 Low 64V2 



Week Dec. 7 Sales 2330 shares High 80 Low 68J4 



Week Dec. 14 Sales 1454 shares High 79^^ Low 74% 



Week Dec. 21 Sales 1 100 shares High 76^ Low 75 



For the year — High, log^.g, Jan. 7: low, 61^, Oct. 30. 

 Last year — High, 115; low, 104^. 



Second Preferred Stock. 



Week Nov. 30 Sales 200 shares High 41^ Low 41J4 



Week Dec. 7 Sales 650 shares High 48'X Low 42 



Week Dec. 14 Sales 120 shares High 45 Low 45 



Week Dec. 21 Sales 160 shares High 45 Low 45 



For the year — High, yS'/i, Jan. 7; low, 39, Nov. 21. 

 Last year — High, 8754; low, 75. 



SHOE WHOLESALERS DISCUSS RUBBERS. 



The ninth annual meeting of The Western Association of 

 Shoe Wholesalers was held December 14 at the Grand Pacific 

 Hotel, Chicago. The chief topic of discussion was the rubber 

 footwear situation, which was considered satisfactory as far as 

 terms and discounts were concerned. Jobbers and retailers are 

 carrying large overstocks. The jobbers all expect curtailment 

 in the volume of leather and rubber shoe business this year. 

 E. F. Carpenter, of Chicago, was elected president and C. L. 

 Swarts, of St. Louis, vice president. S. W. Campbell, of Chicago, 

 was reelected secretary. His address is No. 218 La Salle street. 



TRADE NEWS NOTES. 



The United States Rubber Co. have leased the premises at No. 

 140 Essex street, Boston, for a term of years, to be occupied as 

 their Boston oflices after the expiration of their lease of No. loi 

 Milk street. 



The Elkhart Rubber Works (Elkhart, Indiana) are erecting 

 a considerable extension to their plant. 



The Western Rubber Co. (Goshen, Indiana) have just closed 

 the most prosperous year in their history. They are distributing 

 an attractive new catalogue of their mechanical rubber goods 

 products. 



TRADE NEWS NOTES. 



Why it is that the Arkay Rubber Co. (New York), distributors 

 of pure rubber bands, have chosen the tortoise to represent 

 them is a guess. Not that the brass paperweight in the shape 

 of a tortoise is not attractive, but it suggests a slowness of 

 which the Arkay people know very little. It may be that the 

 tortoise in question is a "snapper," and so are rubber bands. 



Harburger & Stack, import and export commission merchants, 

 No. 27 Ferry street, New York, have become incorporated under 

 the laws of New York state, with $200,000 capital, to provide for 

 the continuation of the business since the recent death of Julius 

 Harburger. Richard F. Stack is president, and Edward F. 

 Robertson, who now comes into the business, secretary and 

 treasurer. Harburger & Stack, through their Mexican con- 

 nections, are considerable importers of crude rubber. 



The Marvel Rubber Co. [see The India Rubber World Sep- 

 tember I, 1906, — page 405], engaged lately in making molded 

 rubber slides in one of the buildings of the National India 

 Rubber Co. (Bristol, Rhode Island), stopped work about the 

 first of December and probably will not resume. 



Edgar Watson, for six years manager of the rubber footw'ear 

 department of the Friedman-Shelby Shoe Co., of St. Louis, has 

 taken the management of the rubber department of F. Mayer 

 Boot and Shoe Co., of Milwaukee. The latter company make a 

 specialty of the "Wales-Goodyear" lines. 



The regular quarterly dividend of ij4 pc cent, on the pre- 

 ferred shares of the Rubber Goods Manufacturing Co. was pay- 

 able on December 16. 



The New York Park board has adopted a regulation pro- 

 hibiting vehicles having rubber tires over which chains are used 

 from running through any parks, or the various drives or roads — 

 such as the Riverside drive — over which the board has control. 

 The organized automobilists of New York and vicinity are pro- 

 testing strongly against this regulation. 



President Dunn, of The Fisk Rubber Co., was quoted on De- 

 cember 22 as saying that their tire factory had been running day 

 and night, and that the employes laid off a few weeks earlier 

 were now working overtime. 



Permission has been granted to the receivers for The Pope 

 Manufacturing Co. to continue the manufacturing business for 

 four months from December 28. 



A handsome album of views of "The World's Greatest Zinc 

 and Lead District," around Joplin, Missouri, embraces fine 

 pictures of the works of the Picher Lead Co. in that town, the 

 products of which are so widely known in the rubber trade; also 

 views of the residences of three members of the Picher family, 

 who own the works. 



The Waste Rubber Co., Limited (London), who have estab- 

 lished an oflnce at No. 10 Broadway, New York, in charge of 

 Arthur B. Cooper, have registered the trade mark "Nestor" for 

 their various shredded qualities of waste rubber. 



An appreciative rhymester who is evidently a user of Bailey's 

 "Won't Slip" tread tires has written a poem of six stanzas which 

 has been very much quoted. The following is a sample verse : 



They are not skidders that skidoo, 

 .All roads are oleasure roads to you; 

 The "Won't Slip" Tread says every lip, 

 Is rightly named "Won't Slip." 



WANTS AND INQUIRIES. 



[460] TVT'ANTED names of companies who sell wooden 

 " soled rubber or leather boots. 



[461] "Please give us the address of some manufacturers of 

 improved clothes, suitable for waterproofing, for linings and 

 coverts." 



[462] Names and address of manufacturers of firemen's 

 helmets. 



[463] Who supplies pontianak and tuno gums? 



