April 1, 1916.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



371 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN BOSTON. 



By Our Rcgitlar Correspondent. 

 A LL branches of the rubber trade in this section report a 

 ** most prosperous business. In fact, there has hardly been 

 a time since the writer has represented the Indi.«l Rubber World 

 in this section that the story has been so universally one of pros- 

 perity. The belting manufacturers are benefiting by the scarcity 

 and consequent high cost of leather. Factories which hitherto 

 have used leather belting almost exclusively, are now buying 

 rubber belting as a matter not only of economy but of necessity. 

 This is a season when contracts are usually made for fire de- 

 partment hose, and there is evidence that there is more business 

 in prospect this spring than on any previous one. In the tire 

 business, manufacturers report orders ahead and some of them 

 are increasing their capacity. The footwear trade has been 

 especially favored. Not for years has New England been so 

 thoroughly covered with snow for so long a period, and the 

 consequence has been that trade here in rubber footwear has 

 fully doubled that of any normal season, and every rubber foot- 

 wear company has been entirely cleaned out of stock goods and 

 has more orders ahead than at any time in its history. The 

 clothing trade has been especially active, and factories making 

 clothing are running along to full capacity. Drug sundries' 

 manufacturers are having their share of the prosperity and, 

 taken altogether, the trade could hardly be in a better condition. 



The chief feature of the past month has been the Automobile 

 Show, which this year was a great success, not only as an 

 exhibition, but also as a business bringing project. A record 

 number of machines were sold. The general prosperity of the 

 country seems to be reflected in the demand for new machines, 

 both from veteran motorists and from those who this year are 

 buying their first car. Some considerable trouble was encount- 

 ered by exhibitors on account of the freight embargo, but, taken 

 as a whole, the exhibition of cars, both for pleasure and busi- 

 ness purposes, was far ahead of any previous one. The halls 

 were handsomely decorated, perhaps in a more picturesque man- 

 ner than at any previous exhibition of any kind given in this 

 great building. The central feature, which would at once attract 

 members of the rubber trade, was a gigantic tire placed in the 

 center of the grand hall, this tire being at the intersection of the 

 center aisles and supported by four mammoth figures, represent- 

 ing Invention, Progress, Industry and Success. Manager Camp- 

 bell may well be proud of the result of his labors. 



Not many tire manufacturers had special exhibits, but the 

 majority of the leaders were represented, their tires being shown 

 upon the machines exhibited. Several companies inanufacturing 

 specialties in the accessory business had interesting exhibits. 

 Not many novelties were presented, but many of the booths were 

 very attractive, and the attendants most enterprising in the 

 presentation of the values of their specialties. It would be an 

 injustice to others were I to mention any particular exhibit and, 

 therefore, it may be best to say that, taken altogether, the ac- 

 cessory features of the show were fully as thorough as were 

 the automobile exhibits themselves. 



Readers of The India Rubber World will recall the fact 

 that a new philanthropy was made possible by the munifi- 

 cence of Thomas .Alexander Forsyth and the late John 

 Hamilton Forsyth, of the Boston Belting Co., by the erection of 

 the Forsyth Dental Infirmary in this city. The first annual report 

 of this important institution is at hand and briefly states the ob- 

 ject for which the infirmary was founded and the work done 

 during the year 1915. That it must have been and will 

 continue to be a wonderful benefit in its field of usefulness 

 is shown by the fact that an average of 413 patients per day 

 were treated; that the operations amounted to over 130,000, 

 and that these were performed on 19,930 patients. Added 



to this there were a large number of clinical cases, while 

 professional lectures to the infirmary stafl and free public 

 lectures were given, all on dental subjects. The lectures for 

 the public arc held every Sunday. No one can read this 

 concise report without realizing that Mr. Forsyth has set 

 an example of public benevolence which might well be fol- 

 lowed by philanthropists in other cities, large and small, in 

 this country. 



The United States Rubber Co.'s new premises at 130 Essex 

 street arc approaching completion, and undoubtedly the offices 

 will be moved to the new location early this month. This re- 

 moval, which is simply across the street, will be no inconvenience 

 to the many customers who usually called at the old location, 

 while the change to the more modernized building will be a 

 welcome one to those occupying, and also those visiting, the 

 offices. 



The American Rubber Co. is already settled in its new quar- 

 trs, and certainly the premises show a splendid adaptation to 

 the needs of that business. 



Ellsworth H. Hicks, assistant manager of the clothing depart- 

 ment of this company, has recently returned from a very suc- 

 cessful trip over a large portion of the United States. Mr. 

 Hicks is well known from one end of 

 the country to the other and is one of 

 the leading salesmen in this trade. He 

 lias been interested in the waterproof 

 il>>thing trade his whole business life. 

 Imcii as a mere lad, so to speak, in 

 l.'^'<3, he began his business career with 

 the .•Xmerican Rubber Co., later travel- 

 ing for the company as far west as the 

 Missouri River, also taking in Canada 

 and the South. He was with that com- 

 pany for 12 years and then went to 

 the Boston Gossamer Rubber Co., rep- 

 resenting that concern on the road for 

 four years. For the last 15 years he has been with the 

 Stoughton Rubber Co., occupying most of that time the posi- 

 tion of vice-president and assistant manager. Upon the recent 

 consolidation of the Stoughton and American companies he 

 was made assistant manager of the clothing department. Mr. 

 Hicks is a thorough, wide-awake business man who has friends 

 in the trade wherever he has traveled, and that has been far 

 and wide over the United States and Canada, with an occa- 

 sional trip across the water, and I am pleased to be able to 

 show his face in this connection, knowing that it will be wel- 

 come to all those who know him. 



C. J. Bailey, the proprietor of the oldest rubber store in this 

 city, tells me that his is the only surviving one of 24 similar 

 stores which were in existence when he began business or 

 have started since. Mr. Bailey is one of the youngest old men 

 in the business and shows his enterprise by inventing and ex- 

 ploiting some new device in rubber with surprising regularity. 

 H. E. Bailey, his son, is an able assistant in the business and 

 attends to the publicity department, while C. J. Bailey II, now 

 a lusty youngster of four months, is already destined to suc- 

 ceed his grandfather and father as the leading rubber goods 

 retailer in New England. 



The Plymouth Rubber Co. is reported to have increased its 

 sales for January, 1916, 73 per cent over those of January of 

 the previous year, and this increase is the more noteworthy 

 since the business in January, 1915, increased 35 per cent over 

 that of the corresponding month in 1914. 



Ellsworth H. Hicks. 



