THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



Rfg. United States Pat. Off. Bee. Dnited Kingdom. 



Fubliihed on the 1st of each month by 



THE INDIA RUBBER PUBLISHING GO. 



No. 25 West 45th Street. New York. 



Telephone — Bryant 8576. 



CABLE ADDRESS: IRll'ORLD. NElf YORK. 



HENRY C. PEARSON. Editor 



Vol. 54 



JULY I, 1916 



No. 4 



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COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY THE INDIA RUBBER PUBLISHING CO. 

 Entered at the New York postoffice as mail matter of the second class. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS ON LAST PAGE OF READING. 



THE CENSUS OF INDUSTRY. 



' I 'HE best fighting- force in the world is useless with- 

 out arms, ammunition, food, clothing, medicines and 

 transport. It is with these facts in view that the Com- 

 mittee on Industrial Preparedness of the Naval Con- 

 sulting Board of the United States is taking an inven- 

 tory of the resources of manufacturers of such lines as 

 would he needed in war. It is also planning for the 

 development of increased efHciency in lines that are not 

 up to the requirements. 



Many factories whose products cannot be considered 

 war necessities, have machinery easily adaptable for the 

 production of war materials. .A part of the comprehen- 

 sive plans of the commission is to make these potential 

 forces ])ractical. It is proposed that the normal require- 

 ments of our army and navy be so divided and distrib- 

 uted that ever\- plant capable of such manufacture be 

 ^ given a share at cost, plus a reasonable jirofit. If these 

 22 requirements are not sufficient for this ])urpose, such 

 goods as would not deteriorate might be made and storcil 



for later, or emergency, use. In order to encourage 

 those factories which are not now making war mate- 

 rials, they may be given sufficient orders to justify adapt-^ ^'^^ 

 ing enough of their present equipment, and training ••♦y 

 portion of their help, to such manufacture, so that thej'M^i;^^, 

 will have a practical knowledge of such work, and can 

 quickly turn over more of their machinery, and instruct 

 a larger proportion of their help, to greatly increase 

 their output of these lines should occasion demand. 



ICvery rubber mil! is now, or could be quickly equipped 

 with llie machinery needed to furnish necessan.- mate- 

 rial for use in time of war. The proofing of fabrics 

 for tents, ponchos, ground sheets, etc., and of textiles 

 for balloons and aeroplanes ; the preparation of hospital 

 sheetings; the manufacture of druggists' and..&u.rgical 

 sundries: the making of automobile truck- tires, ai-T^ tlie 

 production of footwear and insulated wire are all regu- 

 lar lines of the rubber industry which would be called 

 for in case of war. 



.As a preliminary move, rubber manufacturers are 

 being requested to supply answers to a series of ques- 

 tions regarding their business for the industrial inven- 

 tor\-. This information is to be held strictly confiden- 

 tial, and the work is non-partisan, non-political, and 

 wholly ])atriotic. 



x-\mong the questions to be answered are the names of 

 officers, principal stockholders, and directors, and wheth- 

 er each of these is an American citizen, and if not, what 

 is his native country. Much detailed information is 

 requested as to the value of land, buildings, machinery, 

 tools, e(|uipment and merchandise; a full description of 

 the plant, with its ground plan and total floor areas; 

 with a list of apparently non-pertinent questions as to 

 feeding, housing, and caring for employes, the num- 

 ber of the latter and their nationality ; whether the_\- are 

 union or non-union, whether the work now done bv men 

 could be done by women; kind and animuit of material 

 used, and from whom purchased ; principal products 

 manufactured, and amounts; where and how marketed, 

 details of shipping, etc. 



The form supplied for recording all this information 

 is rather formidable. Were each manufacturer able to 

 answer the questions ofThand it would be a task of con- 

 'iiderable size. This, however, will be attended to by 

 volunteer workers, trained men of technical education. 



No doubt the rubber trade will respond freely and 

 fully, and — this for a guess — it will be found already 

 c(iuipped with men and machinery capable of furnishing 

 supi)lies faster than men could be recruited to use them. 



