THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[Decembkr 1, 1915. 



the retail store of that company in this city. When the cuni- 

 pany. following the trend of tlie times, l)egan manufacturing antn- 

 mobiles, he did his share in the sales department, until I'X).^. 

 when he became purchasing agent for tlie company. 



On November 15 lie assumed the management of the sales de- 

 partment of the Kelly-Springl'ield Tire Co. in this city. His 

 many friends predict lor liini an assured success in his new 

 position. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN TRENTON. 



liy Our Rci^iilar CorrcsfnndcnI. 

 171 l\l-; nt nivsterious origin swept through one of the great wire 

 ■* rope shops of the John A. Roebling's Son's Co.. No\em])er 15. 

 resulting in a loss of about one million dollars. In addition to 

 the damage sustained by the company, 29 houses in the vicinity 

 of the shop were Imdly damaged. It is said that a large order 

 of wire for one of the big tire companies was destroyed. 



Rumors were rife that the blaze had been started \i\ (iernian 

 agents on the supposition that material for the allied arinies w;is 

 in process of maiuifacture. Tlie cnuipaiiy denies tliat any war 



material was being turned out in the plant, and scouts the idea 

 that a spy started the lire. They are. nevertheless, unaiiie to 

 account for the start of the conflagration. 



The insulated wire department of the Roebling's, which was 

 destroyed by a mysterious blaze some months ago, is about ready 

 to begin operations in a building" erected on the site of the old 

 structure : and it is pointed out as significant that the second fire 

 should have occurred just at this time. It was commonly reported 

 that war supplies were being made in the insulated wire depart- 

 ment at the time it was destroyed. The work of rebuilding the 

 wire rope shop on the site of the old structure will lie begun 

 without delay. 



lieeii a lienclit to the company, as it served to clear up, to the 

 satisfaction of tlie rtien, ijiany of the imaginary ills under which 

 they had been convinced by outside labor agitators that they were 

 working, .\moiig other things, it was charged that the plant was 

 unsanitary. An inspector from the State Department of Labor, 

 on invitation of the factory officials, visited the plant, and after 

 an extended inspection declared that condition? were highly satis- 

 factory in every respect. 



The Essex company report an extraordinary increase in the 

 sale of rubber (pioils during the past si.x months. 



Several of the ruliber nianufacturers who niainlain tlieir own 

 machine shops have been atTected by a strike of the Machinists' 

 Union, which is demanding an eight-hour day. The men are 

 still out at some of the places, including the shops devoted ex- 

 clusively to the making of rubber machinery. It is thought, 

 however, that in a majority of cases a compromise will be speedily 

 arrived at. The Mercer .Automobile Co. and The United & 

 Globe Ruljber Manufacturing Cos. reached an agreement with 

 their men, wiiu pmniptly returned to their places. 



The John E. Thropp's Sons' Co., manufacturer of presses, tire- 

 nuiking machinery, etc., has had plans drawn for an addition to 

 complete its new machine shop, which will then be 65 x 325 feet, 

 with a gallery on one side 23 feet wide. It is completing a 

 |)ciwer plant which will be equipped with two 300-hp. boilers, a 

 43(l-hp. engine, with a 2S0-kw. generator, steam pumps and one 

 7.S0-foot air compressor, all of which have lieen contracted for. 



Tlie Royal Rubber Works, which has been operating in a small 

 frame structure, is erecting a new brick and steel plant SO x ISO 

 feet, to take care of increased orders. About seventy-five people 

 will be employed when the new plant opens. This concern manu- 

 factures druggists' sundries. In its new plant a specialty will be 

 made of a particular type of ice bag. S. Reinhart, head of the 

 company, told The 1nd].\ Rubber World correspondent that he 

 visited several other cities before deciding where to erect the 

 new plant and came to the conclusion that no other locality 

 offered anywhere near the advantages of Trenton for the produc- 

 tion of rubber goods. 



I he Lakeside Rubber Co., Messrs. McCue & Pierce, are building 

 a larger boiler room and installing a lioilcr and engine of in- 

 creased capacity. 



.\ new addition is being erected at tlie plant of the Joseph 

 Stokes Rubber Co.. to help take care of their increased orders 

 for hard rubber goods. The addition, as planned, will lie 75 x 90 

 feet and two stories high. When it is completed the firm will 

 give employment to about 100 additional hands. 



The LaiTibertville Rubber Co. has about completed the erection 

 of an addition to the factory costing several thousands of dollars. 

 The product of this company appears to be steadily increasing in 

 popularity and the outlook for the coming year is bright. 



The laljor troulile which for a time threatened to tie up the 

 plant of the Esse.x Rublier Co. has lieen adjusted and most of the 

 old operatives are liack at work. A L'nited States commissioner 

 visited Trenton and talked the matter over with the strikers, 

 who then decided that the offers made to them by the Essex com- 

 pany two weeks before the strike was declared were perfectly sat- 

 isfactory. .At the time of the settlement of the trouble the company 

 agreed to take back the old employees as rapidly as possible, .-.n- 

 nouncement was made, however, that none of the men who went 

 to work in the places of the strikers would be dismissed to make 

 room for the old employees. The strike is said to have actually 



Cliarlcs L. Huston, of New ^■ork, has bought at receiver's sale 

 the automobile tire manufacturing plant at Plainfield, of Leon 

 Jaffress, bankrupt, for $23,300, in addition to a mortgage for 

 $15,000. 



The Ogren car, driven by Tom Alley in the 3S0-mile Astor 

 Cup race, which finished fourth, was fully equipped with the 

 Thermoid Rubber Co.'s Nassau tires. Not only did these tires 

 require no change during the race, but at the finish they were in 

 almost perfect condition — "good for another race," as Mr. \lley 

 stated it. 



