July 1, 1916.; 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



567 



THE UNIVERSALITY OF THE RUBBER HEEL. 



"T^HE nerve-relieving quality of the jarless rubber heel has 

 *■ received world-wide recognition ; and in frugal countries, 

 where economy is a prime consideration, the demand for rub- 

 ber heels on that score has constantly increased. It is safe 

 to say that rubber heels of one variety or another are worn 

 today in practically every civilized country, one style being 

 particularly popular in one quarter of the globe and another, 

 perhaps totally diflferent, being preferred somewhere else. 

 For instance, in the United States there are comparatively few 

 revolving rubber heels worn. While the rubber heel in this 

 country has long enjoyed a considerable vogue, it is almost 

 invariably the solid rubber heel having practically the same 

 shape as the leather heel it displaces and being quite as im- 

 movable. But in many other countries the revolving heel that 

 permits the wearer, by changing the position of the heel from 

 time to time, to get the maximum amount of service, is held 

 in high esteem. The following brief review of the trade and 

 varying tastes in rubber heels, in certain selected districts, may be 

 of interest. 



In England, according to reports, the solid heel is very 

 little worn, and the revolving heel has also lost favor. But 

 quarter tips, which are applied to that part of the heel that 

 first strikes the ground in walking, are very generally affected. 



In France, high-quality heels are most in demand, the cir- 

 cular heel, turning freely, being the only kind used. In Havre 

 there is an extensive trade in these heels. A practical two- 

 part heel has been put on the market, having a section at- 

 tached immovably to the heel of the shoe, and a circle of 

 rubber fitting into it and turning freely, both being of the 

 same material. 



In the principal cities of Bohemia — -Prague, Pilsen and Bud- 

 weis — the use of rubber heels has become general, and it is 

 reported that in other towns and villages in Austria the de- 

 mand for them is growing. Low-quality heels of reclaimed 

 rubber, although stifTer and less elastic than those made of 

 new rubber, are in greater demand because of the difference 

 in price. Almost all the rubber heels used in this country 

 are manufactured in Vienna. Of course, the continuance of war 

 and the increasing scarcity of rubber greatly lessens the present 

 use of rubber heels of any variety throughout Austria and 

 Germany. 



The two styles of rubber heels most popular in Spain are of 

 German and American make. The American heels — bought 

 from a leather house in Madrid — are the best wearing on the 

 market, yet it is said that before the outbreak of the war their 

 sale was exceeded twice over by those of the Germans. In 

 Almeria round rubber heels are worn extensively. They are 

 fastened with a single screw and may be revolved when one 

 point is worn. The stock is drawn mainly from Barcelona 

 through agents in that city of German and British manufac- 

 turers, and the selling price is nearly double the purchase 

 price. 



In Basel. Switzerland, the rubber heel is popular, especially 

 with the middle classes, who conserve the life of the shoes by 

 heavy leather soles, and heels reinforced with rubber. The 

 heel-shaped rubbers with leather inlay are the most used, 

 the heel being fastened on by wooden pegs driven through 

 the leather inlay. They also use the rubber-edge, covering 

 only the portion of the heel most exposed to wear, and the 

 round, metal-cross-center rubber heel. 



In the larger cities of the Union of South Africa rubber 

 heels are worn by a majority of the population, the round 

 and square heels having the greatest sale in tlie district of 

 Johannesburg. Buying through local agencies is preferred, 

 and the establishment of American agencies in this district 

 is recommended by the local consul 



In the island of Jamaica it is estimated that about one-tenth 

 of the population wear rubber heels. The round heels and 

 those shaped to fit the latest style shoes are most in demand. 

 Buying is done direct from the manufacturers or through New 

 York commission houses. 



An importer in Rosario, Argentina, who has handled a 

 variety of heels, now imports almost exclusively a high-grade 

 American make which he sells to retailers at $3.82 per dozen 

 pairs. 



A SPANISH HUBBEHSOLED SHOE. 



The fame of The Indi.\ Rubber World is exemplified when 

 a shoe manufacturer in Spain, and 30 miles from a railroad, sends 

 here a sample of his work for examination. Armando Fernandez 

 has had excellent results with a rubber sole, claimed to be made 

 entirely from reclaimed rubber from automobile tires, and this 

 sole is so firmly attached to the leather upper that even on the 

 cobblestone pavements of Cordova it has shown no signs of 

 separation until worn out. The maker claims it will wear three 

 times as long as a leather sole. His method of fastening to the 

 welt is by the usual machine or hand sewing, the first layer of 

 rubber being less than one-eighth of an inch in thickness, and to 

 this is cemented a second layer which covers the stitches. The 

 heel is built up of lifts, the outer layer of the sole continuing 

 along the shank, down the breast of the heel and folding over to 

 form the top lift. The sole and heel are deeply scored by diagonal 

 lines forming diamond studs. It is said that the French Govern- 

 ment has found these so durable that after a trial, an order 

 was given for 700.000 pairs through the Parisian agent, Ricardo 

 Vazquez. Certainly this Spanish inventor has produced a won- 

 derfully fine piece of rubber if, as he claims, it is made from 

 automobile casings, though from its red color it may have been 

 made entirely from inner tubes; and his method of attaching 

 seems to have some points which might be worthy of emulation 

 by American manufacturers. 



AN INTERVAL TIMER. 



Small rubber articles, such as rubber heels— usually called 

 mechanical rubber goods— are made in metal molds, and subse- 

 quently cured in a steam-heated press vulcanizer for a certain 

 period of time. The 

 old way was to chalk 

 down on some post or 

 convenient surface of 

 the press, the time 

 to take the molds out 

 of the vulcanizer. The 

 inevitable results were 

 the loss of consid- 

 erable time through 

 the necessity of con- 

 stantly watching the 

 clock and the produc- 

 tion of overcured 

 goods caused by negligence on the part of the forgetful oper- 

 ator. 



The Acme Interval Timer is a specially constructed clock, 

 operated by electricity, and would appear to be almost infallible. 

 It is extremely easy to operate as the following directions in- 

 dicate : Note the position of the dial hand when the mold is put 

 in the press, or if more convenient turn the hand forward to 

 the zero position shown in the illustration. Press the button 

 opposite the numerals representing the number of minutes de- 

 sired for the cure. When the time has expired the bell will ring 

 — then pull the button out as far as it will go. Thus any num- 

 ber of cures, up to thirty, can be taken care of at the same time. 

 [Acme Supply Co., Ionia, Michigan.] 



