June i, 1908.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



303 



THE RUBBER TRADE AT AKRON. 



BY A RESIDENT CORRESPONDENT. 



THE marked activity in the tire trade mentioned in these 

 columns a month ago, contrary to the expectation of some 

 manufacturers, has continued, and the present sees the 

 larger tire producing concerns here working their factories night 

 and day to full capacity. Every bit of space and machinery avail- 

 able for tire making has been utilized, and even with these 

 conditions some companies are understood to be thousands of 

 sets behind their orders. The sudden demand a month or two 

 ago was thought to be merely a spurt, but the continued and 

 growing inpouring of orders is convincing manufacturers that 

 the only explanation is that there is a reaction from the business 

 depression of last winter. 



'The amazing demand for automobile tires," said an official of 

 The B. F. Goodrich Co., "is partly due to the fact that even wealthy 

 men are reequipping last year's cars with new tires instead of 

 buying new machines out of the stock of the automobile manu- 

 facturers. We expect this rush to continue for a month or two." 



While Akron tire makers were eager to be represented in 

 every automobile contest that took place in former seasons, 

 they say that the number of these events has so increased this 

 7ear that only a part of them can be entered. Just now they 

 .are watching closely the preparations for the double transcon- 

 tinental tour for stock cars to be undertaken under the auspices 

 of the New York Times. They believe that the run will prove 

 to be a test for tires especially. 



On account of crowded conditions in the new six-story fac- 

 tory building of The Diamond Ruber Co. it is probable that a 

 new structure will have to be erected for the Marsh rim factory 

 when that is moved from Columbus to Akron. The recently 

 Ijuilt addition increased the floor space of the plant by more than 

 230,000 square feet, and it was designed to locate the rim fac- 

 tory in it, but the growth of the tire business is rendering neces- 

 sary a change of plans. 



The Miller Rubber Co. are about to begin the construction of 

 a three-story addition to their plant, 80 x 36 feet. W. F. Pfeiflfer, 

 secretary and treasurer of the company, said that it was ex- 

 pected to have the building ready in 90 days. .\ complete line of 

 ■dentists' sundries and molded goods will be manufactured. The 

 •company have been operating in the city over ten years. 



The Swinehart Clincher Tire and Rubber Co. are planning 

 important changes in the New York and Chicago branches. The 

 New York branch w^ill be moved from the present location at 

 No. 1843 Broadway to a three-story building recently leased at 

 :8-5 Seventh avenue, above Fifty-sixth street. The change will 

 "be made June i. A new enamelled tile building, three stories 

 high, 172 x 27 feet, is under construction at No. 1720 Michigan 

 avenue, Chicago, to which the branch store in that city will be 

 moved from No. 1231 Michigan avenue on July i. 



During the last two months the Swinehart company have been 

 extending the manufacture of their new demountable rim for 

 motor truck tires. As with the demountable pneumatic tire rim, 

 the new product for solid tires makes it possible to change tires 

 ■quickly, thus rendering it unnecessary to lay up trucks for re- 

 pairs on account of tire trouble. 



A number of Akron rubber manufacturers are cooperating in 

 the efforts of the commercial interests to organize an Akron 

 chamber of commerce. C. B. Raymond, secretary of The B. F. 

 Goodrich Co., and A. H. Noah, treasurer of The Diamond 

 Rubber Co., are directors in the organization, and a number of 

 other manufacturers are actively interested as members of pre- 

 liminary committees. A large part of the capital stock of 

 $100,000 has been subscribed. 



Mr. J. F. Singleton, advertising manager of the Firestone 

 Tire and Rubber Co., left on April 25 for a two months' pleasure 

 trip through the West. He has made stops at various cities 

 -through the Southwest and after spending some weeks on the 



Pacific coast and in the hunting grounds of Idaho, he will return 

 by way of the northern route. In his absence, Mr. W. G. Slater, 

 of Cleveland, an advertising man of experience, is acting as 

 advertising manager of the Firestone company. 



W. M. Perrett, for six j-ears manager of the Detroit branch 

 of The Diamond Rubber Co., resigned from that position four 

 weeks ago. George J. Bradley, manager of the Cleveland branch, 

 was made manager of both the Detroit and Cleveland branches. 



W. T. Heifer, formerly manager of the Boston branch of The 

 Diamond Rubber Co., and prominent in the rubber trade, was a 

 recent visitor to Akron. He is now engaged in the automobile- 

 body manufacturing business in Springfield, Massachusetts. 



S. G. Carkhuflf, secretary of the Firestone Tire and Rubber 

 company, left during the latter part of May for an extended 

 pleasure and business trip through the West. 



At the offices of The Diamond Rubber Co. considerable satis- 

 faction is expressed by reason of the showing made by the 

 Diamond demountable rim in the BriarclifTe races last month. 

 They were issued by the Lozier No. 7, the Thomas No. 12, the 

 Lozier No. 9, and the Apperson No. 3. The company have 

 issued a booklet containing the record of the tires in the races. 



A new chemical laboratory is to be built at once by Buchtel 

 College, of Akron, which will be equipped with a special rubber 

 laboratory. It will be provided with modern appliances for re- 

 search work in the chemistry of india-rubber, with a special 

 view of affording opportunities to chemists in local companies to 

 pursue advanced experimental work. 



THE RUBBER TRADE AT SAN FRANCISCO. 



BY A RESIDENT CORRESPONDENT. 



""THE period of two weeks celebration which San Francisco 

 ■*• experienced while the battleships lay in the harbor has 

 just passed; the ships sailed out quietly, and very differently 

 from the noisy reception of their entrance, and the vast as- 

 semblage of visitors is as quietly disappearing. While the fleet 

 was here the hotels, cafes, and kindred places were the great 

 centers of business activity, and such houses as the rubber stores 

 had almost as well have been closed. Nevertheless, the rubber 

 establishments now report that the city business has been bene- 

 fited to a very large extent, owing to the new money which 

 has been left here to circulate in all commercial channels. 



The wholesale business of dealers in rubber goods has shown 

 such a marked improvement during the past few weeks that 

 the merchants all look forward with confidence in the favorable 

 outcome of trade on the Pacific coast. The conditions are so 

 favorable throughout the interior of the states along the Coast 

 that only a greatly unexpected event would stem the tide of 

 prosperity. There is no one in the local trade who does not 

 expect to see the old time business activity revived within the 

 next two or three months. 



Mr. Chase, manager of the Bowers Rubber Works, states that 

 trade has shown continual improvement. "The conditions have 

 been somewhat peculiar," he said. "Each month we have been 

 wondering where the next month's business was coming from, 

 and we have wondered for the past six months, but by dint of 

 perhaps a little extra effort we have each time come out at the 

 end of the month with a flourishing business. We have been 

 remarkably fortunate in keeping our full force at work in the 

 factory, and even running full time." 



Morgan & Wright have discontinued their San Francisco 

 branch store, which since the fire two years ago, has been lo- 

 cated at No. 433 Golden Gate avenue, and the agency for their 

 automobile and solid vehicle tires has been placed in the hands 

 of the new and progressive firm of Weinstock & Nichols, for 

 Northern California and Nevada. The latter firm are located 

 at No. 602 Turk street, and are successors to the Harris Rubber 

 and Supply Co. 



The Chanslor & Lyon Motor Supply Co. have recently secured 



