Ai'RiL 1, 1910.J 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



373 



yielding raw material The lecture was illustrated with numerous 

 lantern slides, which showed the young trees from the time they 

 are planted until ready to receive their tirst "tapping." 



He showed and explained the various processes by which the 

 latex, after it is secured from the rubber tree, is cured and 

 made ready to be shipped to the market, and spoke of the prac- 

 tice followed by the United States Rubber Co. in the care of its 

 employes and laborers on the Island of Sumatra. He also spoke 

 at considerable length on the work in the laboratory department, 

 which has by various experiments succeeded in getting tlic most 

 out of the plantation home products. 



Albert \V. Perkins gave a short talk on "Employment." and 

 was followed by Arthur H. Carr, superintendent of the plant, 

 who discussed "Production," and W. Ross Gates, a department 

 foreman, who talked on "Safety First" measures. During the 

 brief business meeting which preceded the dinner the following 

 members of the dinner committee were elected : For two years, 

 Frank O. Miles, office manager ; Luther T. Benyon, clerk in 

 office, and Albert E. Ludlam, assistant superintendent ; for one 

 year, A. N. Smith, William Enright, foreman, and J. Congdon. 

 The committee of arrangements for the first banquet consisted 

 of W. R. Gates, J. T. Brogden, M. L. Cofifey, A. .\. Smitli, H. A. 

 W'aite and A. E. Perkins. 



Between forty and fifty operatives employed in the new tennis 

 shoe department of the Millville plant of the Woonsocket Rub- 

 ber Co., which is owned by the United States Rubber Co., be- 

 came dissatisfied with the piece rate the company was paying in 

 the manufacture of this line of work, and quit work on March 

 18. They were immediately paid off and discharged, foUuwing 

 which the management paid off all the help in the department, 

 which has been in operation only about a month, and the an- 

 nouncement was made that the manufacture of this class of 

 work at Millville would be suspended. 



On the day in question some of the help in tlie new depart- 

 ment, who were mostly young men and women, went to the 

 management and demanded five cents a pair for their work 

 instead of 4 cents, the price that they had been receiving. They 

 refused a compromise offer of Ayi cents a pair and a number 

 of them left. The management claims that employes in the 

 new department, who had previously earned about $9 a week, 

 had been able to earn about $12 when the trouble came. The 

 jieople discharged were mostly of Polish extraction. The prin- 

 cipal output of the Millville plant is rubber shoes and "lum- 

 bermen's." 



The Xational India Rubber Co. is placing a new pressure vul- 

 canizer of the most improved modern type and size in its 

 factory at Bristol. Other vulcanizers of a similar type were 

 placed in the factory a few years ago. and found to be very 

 satisfactory. The brick foundations for the new machine were 

 completed about the middle of the past month, and the work 

 of erecting the machine is being pushed as rapidly as possible, 

 and it will be in operation in a short time. The output of tennis 

 shoes and insulated wire from this plant has increased greatly 

 since the first of the year. 



.As has already been mentioned, the United States Rubber 

 Co. has resumed manufacturing at the Lycoming rubber mill at 

 Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Thomas S. Walker, for several 

 years prominently identified with the rubber industry in Woon- 

 socket, but more recently at Xaugatuck, Cimnccticut, has been 

 sent to the Williamsport plant, where he will lie employed as 

 chief pattern-maker. 



Aubrey C. Bartlctt has filed notice with the city clerk that he 

 is the owner of the Mc.Xaull Tire Co., SO Franklin street, 

 Providence. 



The Fisk Drug Co., which opened a new store at Weybosset 

 and Union streets. Providence, the first of last month, will 

 specialize on Davol rubber goods. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN AKRON 



B.V Our Regular Correspondent. 

 VVT H.-\T was almost a local holiday for the entire city was the 

 '''' gathering of the salesmen at the B. F. Goodrich Co. conven- 

 tion on the second and third of last month. The selling forces 

 of this company in all parts of the country, with the exception 

 of the Pacific Coast, were brought to Akron, as much for the 

 purpose of engendering good fellowship and loyalty to the 

 company as for instruction. The affair was a wonderful 

 success from beginning to end, every participant showing 

 enthusiasm during the two days of the convention and depart- 

 ing with an even higher estimation of the company which they 

 represented. 



Four special trains of Pullman cars brought the visitors 

 to this city in the early morning when they were greeted by 

 the committee chosen for that purpose, and taken in auto- 



Al-TO 



0(i< 



ICH S.\LE?MEN 



mobiles on a trip through the principal streets of the city, 

 where many citizens had decorated their stores or residences 

 with bunting and Hags as a welcome to the visitors. Of course 

 the Goodrich plant was quite elaborately decorated, as was 

 also the convention hall, in each case the general scheme 

 Ijeing green and white, with a large amount of imitation rub- 

 ber leaves, while the entire route from depot to factory was 

 marked with Goodrich sign-posts. .After the parade the sales- 

 men were taken to the Portage and Howe hotels, which had 

 been specially ornamented for the occasion, the entrances and 

 lobbies of each being transformed by decorations of rubber 

 leaves covering the walls and ceilings giving them a sem- 

 blance of an Amazon rubber forest. The decorations of the 

 hotels and factory were designed by F. C. Inglehart, of the 

 advertising department. Some of the delegations carried 

 appropriate pennants or banners, while others wore dis- 

 tinguishing costumes, a peculiarly appropriate example being- 

 the Quaker hats of the salesmen from Philadelphia; and many 

 amusing banners served to show in a humorous way the 

 homes of several of the delegations. 



The conference was held at the plant of the Goodrich com- 

 pany. The Thursday morning session was opened by W. O. 

 Rutherford, whose recent appointment as sales manager of 

 the company made him the subject of many congratulations. 

 In his opening address he stated that this was not to be con- 

 sidered as simply a business convention, but rather a return- 

 ing home of the members of one big family; for, as he said, 

 in no other way could an appreciation of the good fellowship 

 existing and the growth of the institution and the modernize 

 ing of manufacturing methods be realized. 



