308 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN AKRON. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



AT the annual meeting of the board of directors of The B. F. 

 Goodrich Co., B. G. Work was elected president; A. H. 

 Marks, E. C. Shaw and H. E. Raymond, vice-presidents ; C. B. 

 Raymond, secretary, and W. A. Means, treasurer. The offices of 

 second vice-president and general manager have been abolished. 

 W. O. Rutherford, formerly assistant sales manager, was made 

 general sales manager, which position was relinquished by H. E. 

 Raymond, who will, however, continue to exercise active super- 

 vision over sales and advertising policies. 



Mr. Rutherford has been connected with the company for 17 

 years. Starting as a salesman, he has served as branch manager 

 at Denver, Detroit and Buffalo. From Buffalo he came to the 

 homo office nine or ten years ago as assistant to H. E. Raymond, 

 then general sales manager. 



It is estimated that The B. F. Goodrich Co. is spending $25,000 

 yearly for the protection of the health of its employees, which is 

 twice what the entire city spends for the health of its citizens. 



The Goodrich company is making extensive additions which, 

 it is said, when completed, will make its plant the largest ruliljcr 

 factory in the world. 



From the surplus at December 31, 1915, the directors voted to 

 set aside $1,700,000 to increase the reserve for contingencies from 

 $300,000 to $2,000,000, together with a sum of $100,000, as an 

 initial amount, for a pension fund. The directors were led to 

 appropriate this amount for contingencies on account of the gen- 

 eral unsettled conditions existing throughout the world and the 

 consequent desire to reinforce the fund available to meet unfa- 

 vorable conditions should they arise. 



The following tabulated statement of the year 1915 shows larger 

 net earnings than the advance statement published in the Feb- 

 ruary issue of The Indi.\ Rubber World: 



1915. 



Net sale, $55,416,866 



Manufacturing, selling and general administration expenses.. 42,825,908 



Net profit from oper.-,tion $12,590,957 



Miscellaneous income __.^!^ 



Total income $13,058,648 



Deprecation ^^^'S^^ 



tUeduction of preferred stock ' '•»'» 



Interest on bills payable ''6,546 



Net profit 12,265,679 



Preferred dividend 1,960,000 



Surplus M0,305.679 



Appropriation for contingencies 1,700,000 



Preferred stock redeemed 1,100.000 



Pension fund 'OO-OOO 



Previous surplus 3-l".910 



Profit and loss surplus 10,583.589 



♦Equal to 17.17 per cent earned on $60,000,000 common stock, against 

 5.62 per cent on same stock previous year. 



tRcduction of treasury preferred stock from cost to par value. 



Tlic consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 1915, compares as 



'"'"'''■ .KSSETS. 



1915. 



,099 



The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has purchased a large tract 

 on Market street, opposite its plant, and will erect a garage, esti- 

 mated to cost $50,000. 



English and citizenship classes are being organized for the 

 benefit of the 1,000 men of alien birth employed at the Goodyear 

 factory. Announcements of the proposed classes have been 

 printed in seven languages and distributed throughout the plant. 

 In the English classes speaking, reading and writing will be 

 taught, and for citizenship the instructor will cover such sub- 

 jects as history, the fundamental principles of American govern- 

 ment, and the geography of our country. 



A new organization of general office employees of the Good- 

 year company has taken over "The Colony," the old F. A. 

 Seiberling residence on Market street, for a community club 

 house. A steward and housekeeper have been installed and the 

 building is newly furnished. Present accommodations limit the 

 membership to 27 men. 



C. W. Seiberling, vice-president of the Goodyear Tire & Rub- 

 ber Co., gave a dinner on January 28 to 165 employees of the 

 company, including foremen and department managers. The 

 meeting is the beginning of a plan to bring employees of the 

 company into closer touch with departinent heads and foremen, 

 and to interest them in educational movements and hygiene. 



The General Tire & Rubber Co.'s new plant of steel and con- 

 crete construction, located in East Akron, is equipped with the 

 latest machinery and devices, and has both water and rail fa- 

 cilities. M. O'Xeil, the president, was formerly owner of a local 

 department store and is prominently identified with tire fabric 

 and other interests in Akron. W. O'Neil, the vice-president 

 and general manager, formerly operated the Western Tire & 

 Rubber Co., with which organization W. E. Fouse, the secretary, 

 was also connected. T. T. O'Xeil, son of the president, is the 

 manager of publicity. The factory staff is as follows : Charles 

 Jahant, superintendent; Robert Iredell, assistant superintendent, 

 and H. B. Pushee, chemist. The latter was formerly chemist for 

 the Goodyear Tire & Ruliber Co. 



An orchestra has been organized among the employees of the 

 Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., with S. W. Dickinson, of the 

 order department, as director. 



The swimming pool of white glazed tile for the new Fire- 

 stone club house will be 61 K' feet long, 20 feet wide. 8 feet deep 

 at one end and 4 feet deep at the other. 



The American Tire & KulAer Co. has recently reorganized. 

 The newly elected officers are: F. EI. Snyder, president; 

 Charles Dietz, vice-president, and George W. Kratch, secretary 

 and treasurer. The new directors are : Fred H. Snyder, Frank 

 H. Snyder, I. M. Taggart. \. J. Waltz and Louis P. Mauger. 

 The company will make tires, tubes and 



.\ Sunday school class for rubber workers has been organized 

 at the Grace Methodist-Episcopal Church in East Akron. It is 

 the first of its kind in the city and is known as the Rubber City 

 Men's Bible Class. Its activities are to be social as well as 

 religious. 



read & Tire Co. is planning tl 

 reinforced concrete factory addil 



has taken out a permit for a new three- 

 o cost $18,000. at Getz street and Cole 



The Mohawk Rul 

 to 350 tiros per day. 



Co. has increased its output 



250 



