284 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March 1, 1916. 



associate members, making a total of 324; on January 1, 1916, 

 there were 191 firm members and 227 associate members, making a 

 total of 418. It is significant that firm membership increased 

 nearly 200 per cent, during this period, proving the need of this 

 organization, and a recognition by the trade of its useful work. 

 Unquestionably our future growth as to members will not be 

 as marked as in the past. There are, however, desirable manu- 

 facturers who should be brought within our raflks, and each and 

 every member should use his best endeavors to interest any 

 concern whose membership would tend to strengthen our organi- 

 zation. Recent statistics collected by your secretary show ap- 

 proximately 430 rubber manufacturers in the United States. 



Legal: — The necessity safely to legally guide your board, offi- 

 cers and committees becomes of increasing importance with the 

 growth of the association. With the creation of your new or- 

 ganization your Board of Directors retained Sidney S. Meyers, 

 Esq., as counsel. To Mr. Meyers our appreciation is due for the 

 very able manner he has handled the association's legal business, 

 but more importantly for his excellent and skillful service in 

 handling- many novel and delicate matters submitted by the Rub- 

 ber Control Committee in connection with the British rubber 

 embargo situation. 



Conclusion: — I desire to call attention to the very satisfactory 

 manner in which the work at our office is being performed, and 

 particularly to give recognition to the capable and faithful ser- 

 vices of our secretary, Harry S. Vorhis. In the handling of 

 delicate situations Mr. Vorhis has exercised tact and discretion 

 and in the promotion of the usefulness of this organization he 

 has shown untiring zeal. Under his direction all branches of 

 our work are going forward with smoothness and efficiency. 



Our appreciation is also due to the members of the Executive 

 Committee for the energy and interest they have shown. The 

 meetings of the Executive Committee have been well attended, 

 despite the fact that some members have been obliged to travel 

 a considerable distance to attend. Due recognition should be 

 given to each member of the committee for his earnest and 

 impartial service in your behalf. 



In conclusion I take this opportunity of expressing my deep 

 appreciation to the members of the Board of Directors, to the 

 members of the several committees, and to the membership for 

 their assistance, support and cooperation. On behalf of my 

 successor and your new Board of Directors I ask that they be 

 given the same admirable support and cooperation that has 

 been accorded me. 



NEW DIRECTORS ARE ELECTED. 



The names put in nomination met with no opposition, and the 

 following is a list of the new Board of Directors, which was 

 elected by unanimous vote : 



William H. Bruyn, L. Littlejohn & Co., New York City. 

 Van H. Cartmcll, Kelly-Springfield Tire Co., New York City. 

 Harvey S. Firestone, Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio. 

 George E. Hall, Boston Woven Hose & Rubber Co., Cambridge, 



Massachusetts. 

 H. Stuart Hotchkiss, United States Rubber Co., New York City. 

 Frederick H. Jones, Tyer Rubber Co., Andover, Massachusetts. 

 William J. Kelly, Arnold & Zeiss, New York City. 

 P. \V. Litchfield, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio. 

 J. S. Lowman, Philadelphia Rubber Works Co., Akron, Ohio. 

 W. O. Rutherford, The B. F. Goodrich Co.. Akron, Ohio. 

 Henry Spadone, Gutta Percha & Rubber Manufacturing Co., 



New York City. 

 Charles T. Wilson, Charles T. Wilson Co., Inc.. New York City. 



NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS. 



President Hodgman announced that the question of national 

 preparedness had been called to his attention in such a way that 

 he had taken the responsibility of appointing a temporary com- 

 mittee to consider this matter. This Committee on Preparedness 

 consisted of R. B. Price, B. G. Work, Colonel A. F. Townsend 

 and J. K. Mitchell. 



The report which was read by the chairman, Raymond B. 

 Price, treated the subject of preparedness in a broad and com- 

 prehensive manner. The meeting directed that it should be 

 printed and distributed, so that all in the rubber industry may 

 gain benefit from it. This report was as follows: 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON PREPAREDNESS. 



When in August, 1914. the great European war broke out all 

 the theories of the altruists were "knocked into a cocked hat," 

 and the world was confronted with a condition. President Wilson 

 has finally come to realize that this condition brought serious 



responsibilities to his administration and it brings equally serious 

 responsibilities to every intelligent American. Quoting President 

 Wilson's speech of last Saturday in Cleveland, "Wherever there 

 is contact there is friction," he referred to international contact. 

 In this country we have insufficient contact. America to-day 

 is a mob of individuals filled either with indifference or with pet 

 theories, when the great need of the nation is for self-sacrifice 

 and unity of thought and action. This is no time for half way 

 measures. Either we must follow the lead of China, or we must 

 prepare immediately to face the world with all the thoroughness 

 and all of the organized resources of this country. 



Last week I spent an evening with a grounp of leading naval, 

 military and civil authorities, and the note of the evening seemed 

 to be one of hopelessness — the fear that America could not and 

 would not, because of her very habits of extravagance, indiffer- 

 ence and lack of unity, rise in time to meet the present emer- 

 gency. President Hadley, of Yale, who cannot be accused of 

 being an alarmist, ten years ago prophesied that unless America 

 changed its habits the end of democracy was in sight. 



The need in this country is to arouse the public conscience, and 

 for the business and scientific men of the nation to insist upon this 

 country being run along scientific business lines. I shall not bother 

 you with numerous details; but if you will read the pamphlets 

 which have reached you, or which will reach you in a few days, 

 those who have not already posted themselves will learn some- 

 thing of the military inefficiency of this country for the past 140 

 years. The lawyer and the politician phis the indifference of you 

 and me have permitted the critical condition which exist to-day. 

 When one pauses to consider that in the face of the dangers 

 visibly confronting us, our army and navy are still administered 

 as separate and frequently antagonistic units, that in the Philip- 

 pines we are constructing defenses approved by the Naval Board 

 and opposed by army experts as inadequate defense against land 

 attack, and those defenses are costing $34,000,000; when we 

 learn officially that the two battleships voted by Congress last 

 March are not yet under construction, and that they have been 

 apportioned to navy yards which cannot begin work on them 

 for months to come ; that the official intimation is that private 

 3'ards are too busy with private work to handle government work; 

 when reliable authority states that the private ship yards are in 

 position to lay down 13 capital vessels immediately; when we 

 remember that of the three largest battleships now under con- 

 struction, the "Idaho," being built by the New York Shipbuilding 

 Co., is SO per cent, advanced as to hull and 36 per cent, as to 

 machinery, but that the "California," authorized at the same time, 

 and being built in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, is only U'^J per cent, 

 advanced as to hull and 4 per cent, as to machinery; when we 

 listen to the arguments in favor of Government-owned munition 

 and shipbuilding plants because the private yards and manufac- 

 turers make excessive profits, and then listen to what our experts 

 say, that in case of need the combined public and private yards 

 and plants will be inadequate to our needs, every thoughtful 

 American must stop to think what this means to him, to his 

 family and to his country. 



Japan is building battleships in half the time that we require, 

 and building both merchant and naval vessels to the limit of her 

 financial and building resources. During the past year she added 

 650 sea-going steamers to her fleet, while we have surrendered 

 our last important fleet on the Pacific Ocean. Again, consider 

 that of the $850,000,000 spent on waterways by Congress, a half 

 billion dollars has been thoroughly wasted without benefit to the 

 nation, and when we think how we ourselves smile at the mere 

 mention of the pork barrel and tolerate such rottenness, which 

 is flaunted openly in our faces, the American business man has 

 indeed an accumulated responsibility to meet. 



Some years ago Senator Aldrich claimed that the Federal Gov- 

 ernment could save $300,000,000 per year by applying ordinary 

 business efficiency. About the same time Louis Brandeis claimed 

 that the railroads of the country could save $1,000,000 per day 

 by adopting demonstrated efficiency methods. Since then, under 

 tiie pressure of an inefficient government, the railroads have be- 

 come efficient. It is now time that the efficient railroads should 

 force an inefficient government to become efficient. 



The business men and industrial leaders of this country in 

 general, partiallv for political reasons, are in bad repute. Those 

 of us who believe that .\merican industries are founded essenti- 

 ally upon integrity and service have a right to take such action 

 as will tend toward a just public opinion, without which business 

 men will not be in position to do their full share in leading 

 the nation towards safer conditions. When railroad men were 

 unjustly assailed, they united and fought back, and to-day have 

 won public sympathy. 



The automobile industry represents an unprecedented industrial 

 achievement. This has been accomplished by standardization, 

 the result of scientific thoroughness, open-mindedness and willing- 



