620 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[August 1, 1916. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN AKRON. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



THE Mason Tire & Rubber Co., at Kent, Ohio, is completing 

 installation of equipment in its new factory and expects to 

 start making tires within a few days. The plant is of steel and 

 concrete construction, is 220 feet long and contains about 40,000 

 square feet of floor space, having a capacity of 500 tires and tubes 

 per day. This structure stands in the middle of a 16-acre tract 

 of land, thus affording ample room for expansion. 



The officers of the company are: O. M. Mason, president; 

 1. R. Davies, secretary; D. M. Mason, general manager, and 

 A, S. Hetzel, sales manager. B. E. Frantz, superinteiicicnt, has 



Pl.\nt of the Mason Tire & 



spent 12 years in practical tire making, having been connected 

 with some of the largest Ohio plants; and H. H. Forrest, an- 

 other practical tire man, is in charge of the tire and tube de- 

 partment. 



It is stated that already plans are being made for increasing 

 the capacity to 1,000 tires per day, these plans calling for the 

 addition of a one-story mill and calender room of saw-tooth 

 construction and three-story cutting, tire-building and storage 

 rooms. 



The company is capitalized for $1,000,000, $650,000 preferred 

 and $350,000 common stock, the financing of which has now been 

 practically completed. 



Since 1910-11, when the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. moved 

 into its new factory, the sales have grown from $7,462,581.17 to 

 $25,187,884.33, making a total increase of 257 per cent for the 

 past five years. This past year, 1915-16, the increase to June 1 

 was 38 per cent over the showing of 1914-15. Since the new 

 factory was erected five years ago it has been tripled in size. 

 This has been done, wing by wing, these additions being made 

 v,;ithout loss in production efficiency. 



The annual picnic of the Firestone company was held on 

 Saturday, July 29. In the morning special cars carried the Fire- 

 stoneites and their families, numbering around 25,000, to Silver 

 Lake Park, near Akron. A soccer football game and a base- 

 ball game between department heads were keenly enjoyed by 

 both participants and spectators. Following bountiful midday 

 refreshments, varied athletic events provided wholesome fun 

 until time for the evening display of fireworks, which were shown 

 on the island in the center of the lake. 



.^l a rnccting of directors of the Portage Rubber Co.. on July 

 11, the capital stock of the company was increased from $1,250,000 

 to $3,000,000, $1,500,000 of this increase to be issued and disposed 

 ■of as common stock and $250,000 as preferred stock. 



The employes of the Miller Rubber Co. held their annual out- 

 ing at Silver Lake Park on Saturday. July 15. The picnic was 



largely attended and the days sport proved highly enjoyable, a 

 baseball game being the chief feature. 



The books of The B. F. Goodrich Co. were closed on July 

 1, for the purpose of determining the result of operations 

 for the first six months of 1916. They have not been 

 audited by public accountants, but the company's auditor 

 has submitted to the directors a statement of earnings for 

 the period. After making proper provision for maintenance 

 charges, depreciation, doubtful accounts, and all known out- 

 standing current liabilities, the net profits for the period 

 amounted to $4,800,000. 



The Goodrich company is the first among our rubber factories 

 to adopt the weekly pay system for its employes. Heretofore 

 the workers have been paid semi-monthly, and under that system 

 new workmen had to wait three weeks before drawing any 

 money, as the first pay was held back. This meant hardship in 

 many cases, especially among out-of-town workers who arrived 

 in Akron with only a small amount of money. 



The Goodrich and Goodyear companies gave $15,000 each to 

 the recent campaign for Akron hospitals. A. H. Marks, vice- 

 president of the Goodrich company, donated $25,000, and C. B. 

 Raymond, secretary of the same company, gave $10,000. F. A. 

 Seiberling, president of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., also 

 gave $10,000. 



The factory school of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., or- 

 ganized originally for the benefit of the workers in several depart- 

 ments, has been so successful that the classes are now thrown 



G()i)uvE,\R Employes Now at the Front. 



open to all employes of the company. Those wishing to im- 

 prove upon their early education can do so, by means of these 

 classes, in common school and high school subjects, arranged at 

 convenient hours; while in the citizenship classes, men of alien 

 birth are taught the fundamental principles of our government, 

 the geography of the country, and the subjects necessary to make 

 them intelligent citizens. 



Lucian L. King, advertising manager for the Goodyear Tire & 

 Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio, who is a member of the Hospital 

 Corps of Battery "B," Ohio Field Artillery, has been detailed to 

 special duty in inaugurating a publicity campaign to stimulate 

 enlistment in the National Guard. 



The capital stock of the Puncfureless .Auto Tire Co.. at Bar- 

 berton. Ohio, has been increased from $100,000 to $1,000,000. 



The Phoenix Rubber Co. is the name of a newly organized 

 concern to locate in East Akron. The company will make 

 molded specialties. 



.ho attended the outing of The Rubber Clul: 



