432 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[May 1, 1916. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN AKRON. 



By Our Regular Corrcsfondcnt. 



A GOODLY percentage of all the automobile tires manufac- 

 tured in the United States come from Ohio, and this State 

 has come to the front so prominently in the manufacture of 

 rubber goods that the suggestion has been made by an Eastern 

 advertising agency to change its historic appellation, "The Buck- 

 eye State" to "The Rubber Plant State." 



Men from all parts of the country are coming here, answering 

 the call of the rubber factory boom. Over $2,000,000 is being 

 spent to solve the housing problem. 



The first of last month Akron was host to the Ohio State 

 Automobile .'\ssociation, and every rubber company in the city 

 united with the .-Vkron Auto Club in entertaining the delegates 

 representing the automobile clubs throughout the State. 



An addition to the Ohio Building, now in progress, will be 

 occupied by the .^kron City Club, 33 to 50 per cent of tlie mem- 

 bership of which represent various branches nf the riibbtT 

 industry. 



The addition 

 of three great 

 buildings which 

 are nearing com- 

 pletion will make 

 the plant of The 

 B. F. Goodrich 

 Co. much the 

 largest rubber 

 factory in tin. 

 world. Befor. 

 these new buib: 

 ings were ercci 

 ed the Goodric 

 institution w a ■ 

 among the 

 world's largest 

 plants devoted 

 to the manufac- 

 ture of rubber goods, but with the 

 increased capacity provided b\' these 

 additions, which are in themselves 

 larger than many widely known rubber 

 factories, the Goodrich plant now ranks 

 far ahead of any others in the rubber 

 trade. The B. F. Goodric 



An idea of the size of the Goodrich Pl.vnt. 



plant may be gained when it is said that 



the group of fifty-seven buildings have a floor space of nearly a 

 hundred acres and that one would have to travel 3.8 miles to 

 circle the grounds. 



The largest of the new buildings is a finished goods ware- 

 house, 320 feet long and 280 feet wide, with one wing si.x stories 

 high and another of seven stories. This structure is nearly 

 completed. 



The second largest of the three new buildings is si.x stories 

 high, 300 feet long and 100 feet wide. It will be used for manu- 

 facturing and storage purposes. The third is a building that 

 will be utilized as a machine and pattern shop. It is five stories 

 high, 260 feet long and 100 feet wide. 



All the new buildings exemplify the latest ideas in factory 

 construction. Lattice steel columns and girders encased in re- 

 inforced concrete are used throughout for the frame-work. Each 

 of the buildings has concrete floors, brick walls and steel window- 

 frames and sash. They are equipped with elevators and enclosed 

 fire-escapes, and will have the same adequate sprinkling system 

 that contributes to the safety of all the buildings which consti- 

 tute the Goodrich plant. 



formerly occupied by the Lincoln Rubber Co. and purchased 

 the property used by the Woodruff Novelty Co, New machinery 

 is lieing installed, and the company expects to more than double 

 its capacity. The Lincoln company building will be used for 

 the vulcanizing tire repair department of the Akron Rubber 

 Mold & Machine Co., this department of its business having more 

 than tripled in the last year. 



The b'ircstonc Tire & Ruhl)er Co. is adding a fifth story to its 

 entire plant. 



Sherman L. Lewis has Iieen placed in charge of sales promo- 

 tion by the Firestone company. Mr. Lewis was formerly with 

 the Niagara Lithograph Co. and also in charge of trade aid work 

 for the Remington .'Krms-Union Metallic Cartridge Co. 



The recently reorganized American Tire & Rubber Co., mak- 

 ing tires, tubes and accessories, is installing new equipment to 

 meet increased demand. On .\pril I.S. a liability contracted by 



the old company 

 amounting to 

 $50,000 in mort- 

 gage bonds, ma- 

 tured and was 

 taken care of by 

 the present or- 

 ganization, whose 

 personnel was 

 given in the 

 March issue of 

 The Inpia Rub- 



B E R W n R L D. 



H. L. Houck, pre- 

 viously identified 

 with the Fire- 

 stone Tire & 

 Rubber Co., and 

 more recently 

 with the Swine- 

 hart Tire & Rub- 

 ber Co., is the 

 general manager 

 \nierican company. 



Four new buildings, comprising ten acres of floor 

 space, have just been completed at the plant of the 

 Ln.'s Goodyear Tire & RuIA>er Co. One is a three-story 



"L" shaped building, 180 x 160 feet, for the solvent 

 department. An eight-story building, 300 x 80 feet, 

 will be used for raw material and manufacturing, and two other 

 buildings, each seven stories high and about 200 x 60 feet 

 in dimensions, are for general manufacturing purposes. In addi- 

 lion, the Goodyear company has under construction, to be com- 

 pleted the first of next year, a crude rubber and manufacturing 

 building comprising 275,000 square feet of floor space ; a re- 

 claiming plant, 200,000 square feet; a warehouse, 250,000 square 

 feet; mechanical goods building, 280,000 square feet; a new 

 power house and addition to the main power house of 12,000 

 horse-power ; a garage, 25,000 square feet, and additions to the 

 general office, 40,000 square feet. 



The authorized capital of the Goodyear company has been 

 doubled from $25,000,000 to $50,000,000, to take care of a 100 per 

 cent dividend on common stock and a new issue of preferred 

 stock to replace the present issue, retired by redemption. 



George H. Pickerell, United States consul at Para, Brazil, has 

 been visiting F. A. Seiberling, president of the Goodyear com- 

 pany, having come to Akron for the purpose of interesting the 

 rubber concerns in the development of the Para rubber industry. 



The Akron Rubber Mold & Machine Co. has built a 60 x 115 

 feet addition to its plant and has also taken over the building 



The Swinehart Tire & Rubber Co. is turning out a new motor- 

 cycle tire with a tread of special non-skid construction. 



