254 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[May I, 1908. 



many others combined. It takes so much out of you in worry that 

 it causes you to lose money on other accounts because you can- 

 not handle them properly. The time used elsewhere means good 

 money pleasantly made. Class 3 for the worry account. 



To handle a claim to the queen's taste, I must first be sure 

 I am right and then get my man in my office. If I can look 

 him in the eye, I can generally convey my fixed conviction. The 

 ways and means diiter and require study, not only of the de- 

 tails of the case, but of the man. Sometimes I have had to do a 

 little bullying; I don't like this, but cases may justify such con- 

 (duct. In one case valves had been ordered by stock number 

 ;»nd supplied as ordered. I had an assistant report quantities, 

 ■dates, and stock numbers of all valves similar in dimensions or- 

 dered by this customer for some years back. Fortunately, I could 

 reach my man, the purchasing agent. I saw that he had been 

 Ijuying a higher grade of valve in smaller quantities and at longer 

 intervals for years. Then he switched to two lower priced stocks, 

 bought oftener and bought more valves. Evidently, the upward 

 tendency of rubber goods had decided him to try a cheaper 

 valve. I had to bully him a little at first, only a little, because he 

 ■did not want to take up with me what he had already taken up 

 ■with the traveler. But when I bullied him down to facts he 

 •could not but admit that I had proved my case. He has been 

 paying for the better valves ever since and saving money. 



I stated earlier that what is a defect to the user is not always 

 one to the maker. Your job is to see both view points and then 

 if you are right convince your customer that he should withdraw 

 his claim. For instance, a paper mill man ordered a belt from us, 

 just so many feet and so many plies of a certain width of a com- 

 mercial brand of belting. Very soon it came back, ripped from 

 tnd to end. I could see no evidence of defective construction. 

 It was the regular quality of its brand ; it was not over cured. 

 Letters passed, our man saw where it had run, on one of the 

 most difficult drives in a paper mill. The secretary of the paper 

 company called on me. We had a long talk. I did most of the 

 talking. Xo move by him. He adrnired our new catalogue. 

 "Yes," said I, "a fine catalogue ; good paper, good cuts, and well 

 bound. If the paper were not so high in grade, the cuts would 

 not show up so well. We might have used news paper and saved 

 money, but the cuts would not have shown up properly. Still 

 news paper is all right for the purpose for which it is intended." 

 "Certainly," said he, "but not for catalogues like that." I had him. 

 "Just like that belt ; all right for ordinary work, but not intended 

 for use on a centrifugal pump." He smiled ; he saw the point 

 and he settled like a man. From his original view point he was 

 correct in his claim. He said he had ordered a good belt and I 

 told him we had sent him a good belt. The fault lay with his 

 not ordering a belt suitable for the place, and there we stuck 

 till I got my catalogue inspiration. 



THE HARM THAT RUBBER TIRES DO. 



PROBLEMS of interest in connection with pneumatic tires 

 are to be discussed at an International Road Congress 

 ■which has been called at the instance of the government of the 

 French republic, to be held in Paris, October 11-17 next. The 

 United States government has received an invitation to be rep- 

 resented, besides which state and municipal government.s. 

 chambers of commerce, automobile clubs, transportation com- 

 panies, technical societies and the like are entitled to rep- 

 resentation. Officially it is stated that the congress is to be held 

 for the purpose of studying questions connected with the adap- 

 tation of roads to the new modes of locomotion. When Maca- 

 dam first put down the rock surfaced highways, now known 

 by his name in every civilized country, he figured Jiat the con- 

 stant passing of iron tired wagons over a crushed stone highway 

 ■would grind dust particles from the stones; that those particles 

 would fill in all interstices, and that wettings and rollings would 



not only give a hard, smooth surface, but that the highway would 

 improve with the passing of years. This theory was amply jus- 

 tified in practice until the advent of the automobile, since which 

 time in the opinion of many the highways have been dete- 

 riorating. While every iron bound wagon tire was doing its own 

 small percentage of rock crushing, dust making, road smoothing, 

 and rock tamping, every rubber automobile tire was undoing 

 that work by taking the dust away, through the tractive and 

 centrifugal force exerted by its rapidly turning wheels. 



Director L. W. Page of the office of public roads of the United 

 States department of agriculture says : "Nobody who has made 

 a study of the hard surface roads will deny that the motor car 

 is shortening the life of such thoroughfares, but this is no 

 reason for the condemnation of the automobile. The arrival 

 of this machine has created a new and unlocked for condition. 

 That means that the new condition must be studied and the 

 problems in road maintenance which have arisen must be solved." 



"EVERLASTING" BLOW-OFF VALVE. 



A BLOW-OFF valve constructed on an entirely new principle 

 ^"^ is called by the manufacturers the "Everlasting" having ref- 

 erence to its endurable qualities under conditions of unusual 

 severity. The valve is composed of a top and bottom bonnet, a 

 disc and a lever and post, and is rcfrred to as being exceedingly 

 simple in construction. The two bonnets are set together upon 

 an approved high pressure gasket with top bolts, giving quick 

 access to the inside, should it ever be necessary to renew the 

 disc or reface the seat. The "Everlasting" valve is designed 



"Everl.\stixg" Blow-Off V.\lve. 



primarily for blow-ofT service, but its rugged and substantial 

 construction has brought it into use largely in paper mills for 

 handling pulp, also in rubber and soap works and galvanizing 

 plants, where its nonclogging features, as well as its property of 

 keeping its seat always clean and pressure tight, have made it 

 desirable. This valve has been sold to a number of leading rub- 

 ber mills, where it is esteemed for its durability in connection with 

 heater vulcanizers, as the exhaust steam, containing more or less 

 sulphur and sulphuric acid, is apt to eat the seat out of brass 

 valves. [Osgood Savon. 421 Arcade building, Philadelphia.] 



CAUSE OF "ROTTEN HOSE." 



FKO.M THE NEW YORK ".T0URN'.\L OF COMMERCE." 



REFERRING to the question of the New York fire depart- 

 ment hose a prominent underwriter who is especially well 

 informed on fire department matters said recently : 



"In all the talk about 'rotten hose' it seems strange to me 

 that no one has touched upon the way of carrying the hose as 

 having anything to do with the "rotten' part. The hose now is 

 folded and packed in a wagon, and it goes without saying that 

 wherever there is a bend or a fold it will very soon become 

 more or less weak, and with a little extra pressure will break. 

 The hose should bo carried on a reel or in a coil so as to avoid 

 any bending or doubling of it. Just so long as it is folded we 

 will have hose which is weak at different points." 



