September i, 1908.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



413 



THE RUBBER INDUSTRY IN AKRON. 



BY A RESIDENT CORRESPONDENT. 



""PHE announcement of rubber tire prices due on September 

 ■^ I is lool<ed forward to with interest, especially as a slight 

 reduction is confidently expected. The rubber tire trade the past 

 year has been heavy, notwithstanding the flat business conditions, 

 and although the end of the 1908 season is near, the plants are 

 still quite busy, many of them running at night. 



The experts of the Nederlandsch Guttapercha Maatschappij 

 (Netherlands Gutta-Percha Co.), manufacturers of automobile 

 tires at Singapore [see The India Rubber World, July i, 1907 — 

 page 318] have been investigating the different types of tires in 

 the market, and have decided to manufacture the Swinehart tires, 

 according to a statement made by the Swinehart Clincher Tire 

 and Ru'bber Co. This company claims that 90 per cent, of all 

 solid rubber tires in the world are manufactured under the 

 Swinehart patents — either side wires or clincher — though the 

 claim is disputed by competing companies. 



Some interesting figures regarding the extent of the Akron 

 rubber industry have been compiled by W. A. Johnston, presi- 

 dent of the Rubber Products Co. According to them the twelve 

 principal rubber manufacturing plants of Akron, including Bar- 

 berton, in 1907, had an output of $33,000,000 worth of goods, 

 which is equal to one-third of the entire rubber goods output of 

 the United States five years ago. The capital invested in these 

 rubber factories is placed at $23,000,000; expended for labor an- 

 nually, $9,000,000, or $30,000 daily. These last figures do not in- 

 clude what is expended in machine shops for rubber machinery, 

 nor that expended for merchandise, printing, shipping, and other 

 like purposes. The total of $33,000,000 includes the product of 

 the hard rubber and reclaiming plants. About one-third of it 

 relates to rubber tires alone. About 10,000 people are employed 

 in the Akron rubber industry. In reference to the rubber worker 

 and a "rubber" city, Mr. Johnston says : "We have one of the 

 best cities in the United States, and it is made so because rubber 

 factories are better for a city than iron, steel, or glass, as the 

 rubber worker is paid good wages with steady work the year 

 around, while the iron and glass business is dulled by many shut- 

 downs — throwing thousands out of work for months at a time — 

 which results in rubber workers as a class being better citizens." 



The rubber manufacturers of Akron are taking an active in- 

 terest in the formation of a chamber of commerce, something 

 that this city has been sadly in need of for years. The cham- 

 ber has been organized with 60,000 shares, insuring an income of 

 $6,000 a year. O. C. Barber, millionaire manufacturer and a di- 

 rector in The Diamond Rubber Co., has been elected president, 

 and A. H. Noah, treasurer of the Diamond company, and C. B. 

 Raymond, of The B. F. Goodrich Co., are on the board of di- 

 rectors, Mr. Noah having been chosen chairman. Other rub- 

 ber men on important committees are the following: Transpor- 

 tation — E. L. Tragesser, The B. F. Goodrich Co.. chairman; H. 

 B. Bryant, The Diamond Rubber Co. ^Municipal — Joseph Dangel, 

 American Hard Rubber Co.. chairman. Industries — E. C. Shaw. 

 Goodrich company, chairman; A. H. Marks, Diamond company; 

 H. S. Firestone, Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. Publicity — 

 James Braden, Diamond company ; E. C. Tibbetts. Goodrich 

 company. 



The Palmer-Hawkins Rubber Tire Co. has been incorporated, 

 under the laws of Ohio, with the right to manufacture rubber 

 goods of all kinds, but the primary purpose is to put upon the 

 market a new heavy motor truck tire patented by H. A. Palmer, 

 who is president and general manager of the company. Mr. 

 Palmer is president of the .\kron city council, and has had many 

 years experience in the rubber business,. being actively engaged in 

 the manufacture of both solid and pneumatic tires. His invention 

 of this sctional tire is the result of years of constant study as to 

 the best practical method of overcoming the difficulties encount- 



ered in the use of heavy motor truck tires. A. W. Hawkins, a 

 prominent business man and manufacturer, is secretary and 

 treasurer of the company. The new tire is regarded as having 

 an important future. 



Another new Akron rubber company is the Empire Rubber 

 Manufacturing Co., organized by C. W. Wickline, M. G. Snyder, 

 William J. Yeager, Forest Firestone, and Fred J. Gostlin. The 

 company will make rubber goods, chiefly automobile supplies and 

 rubber cements, at a factory at No. 200 East Exchange street, 

 with offices in the Walsh block. 



The annual outing of The Diamond Rubber Co. was held at 

 Meyers lake, Canton, on July 25, when five special trains were 

 run over the Baltimore and Ohio raidroad, and many went by 

 interurban cars. It was one of the largest picnics in the history 

 of the company, and the day passed off without an accident. A 

 sport program occupied the day. The annual outing of The B. 

 F. Goodrich Co. occurred a week later, on August i, and over 

 15,000 people were on the Silver lake grounds, where the pic- 

 nic was held. The company furnished tickets to and from the 

 grounds, and included admission, one boat ride, and dancing. 

 A sport program began in the forenoon and lasted all day, con- 

 cluding with a balloon ascension in the evening. Trap shoot- 

 ing was another unusual sport. The Alkali and American Hard 

 Rubber companies joined in with the Goodrich company. 



At the annual meeting of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. 

 on August 26, it is understood that President Firestone will re- 

 port an increase in business of 33 per cent, over last year. The 

 company are preparing to add to their plant a four-stoo' build- 

 ing 125 X 75 feet. 



The Aladdin Rubber Co., whose plant at Barberton burned a 

 year ago, resumed operations on August i. The plant has been 

 rebuilt, and sufficient machinery placed in it to double its former 

 capacity. The company has been reorganized, but James Christy, 

 the chief factor financially before, remains as president and gen- 

 eral manager. The company is getting started again on a large 

 reclaiming business. 



Mr. Walter Hazlett. manager of the Akron Rubber Co.'s office 

 in Pittsburgh, and Miss Bessie Harrj-, of Akron, were married 

 in this cit)- on .August 10. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN SAN FRANCISCO. 



BV A RESIDENT CORRESPONDENT. 



T'HE merchants in the rubber lines assert this month that busi- 



1 



ness is fairly good, and there is a show of some improve- 



ment, which they believe to be permanent. Many things point 

 to advancement on the Pacific coast. Railroad construction is 

 being carried on extensively, not only in and about San Fran- 

 cisco, but throughout the interior, where interurban electric rail- 

 roads are becoming very common. Building is going on steadily 

 and extensively in San Francisco. Business is better in nearly 

 all lines than it was two months ago. It is not anticipated that 

 there will be much in the way of milling business, although there 

 is to be a meeting of the mill owners shortly to discuss the ad- 

 visability of having a winter run, in which case there will be 

 considerable business in this field for the San Francisco rubber 

 houses. 



Mr. W. F. Bowers, of the Bowers Rubber Works, introduced 

 an innovation on this coast by giving a big picnic to all of their 

 employes. The picnic took place on August i. and the men were 

 given full pay for the day. ^Ir. Bowers chartered the steamer 

 Carolina, and took the employes — nearly 200 — up the Sacramento 

 river to one of the islands. There they had a big banquet pre- 

 pared by a special caterer. A band on board supplied music, and 

 there was dancing aboard and ashore. The party returned at 10 

 o'clock in the evening. This outing was called the first an- 

 nual picnic, uhich indicates that such occasions are to be of 

 regular annual occurrence. 



