StPTEMBtR "1, 1916] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



679 



The Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. is condiictiiiK an extensive 

 plan of window displays in all its branch agencies. Appreciat- 

 ing the value of attractive exhibits. K. S. Babcox. manager of 

 the advertising department, has had made various cut-outs, 

 show cards, etc., for such use. and these are arranged in a win- 

 dow at the factory and photographed. Then these various ac- 

 cessories are shipped to the agencies, together with the photo- 

 graph, by which means the display can he duplicated in all the 

 principal cities. The illustration shown is one of these displays. 



.\ folded cardhnard background is handsomely lithographed in 

 colors, while the signal posts are cut out and arranged to stand up- 

 right in the window, the rest of the display being taken from 

 the stock of goods in the store. .Another lias a large picture of 

 a cyclist and a motorcyclist being photographed by a "movie" 

 camera man, whose cut-out, electricallj'-propelled arm, turning 

 the crank, is an eye-catcher. This campaign has now gained 

 such prominence, that the agency windows in various cities are 

 regularly observed by many for the changes. 



On August 26 the foremen, superintendents and officials of 

 the Firestone company, to the number of 225, held their annual 

 MUting. F.arly in the morning 50 automobiles carried them to 

 the large farm of .\mos C. Miller, vice-president of the company, 

 at Castalia. where a sumptuous midday dinner was heartily en- 

 joyed. The early afternoon w'as spent in ball games, quoits, etc.. 

 after which the entire party journeyed to Cedar Point, Sandusky, 

 where they were the guests of President Firestone. Bathing in 

 Lake Erie was followed by supper at the Hotel Breakers and the 

 following morning, after breakfast at the hotel, they returned to 

 .\kron. 



ughs, th. 

 ndacks. 



stone, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford 

 laturalist. are "roughing it" togctln 



,d John 

 in the 



Mention has been made of the remarkalile ikiiartnuiil in the 

 factory of the (joodyear Tire & Rubber Co. composed entirely 

 of deaf mutes, whose affliction oidy serves to heighten their effi- 

 ciency in factory work. For .some time a fraternity has existed 

 among this band of workers, and a club has now been formed to 

 promote good fellowship among them. Tlie (ioodyear officials 

 cooperate in every way to conserve the safety and add to the. 

 pleasure of this department, and many of the deaf mutes are 

 very good athletes, contending for Goodyear honors on the foot- 

 hall, baseball and ba.sketball teams. 



The name of the safety department of the Goodyear company 

 has been changed to that of "police department." with P. J-. 

 Hutchison, as police chief. Goodyear police patrol the factory 

 and have authority to stop all dangerous work, and censure or 

 (li'icharge careless workmen. 



A "Suggestion System," in use by the Goodyear company, 

 encourages employes to offer ideas for improving machinery, 

 methods, conditions and product in the factory, hundreds of 

 dollars being paid annually tc. the employes for suggestions ac- 

 cepted by the company. 



Shelby A. Falor, manager of the motorcycle tire department 

 of the Goodyear company, has been elected president of the 

 Federation of American Motorcylists. 



The General Tire & Rubber Co. has applied for an increase 

 of capital from $200,000 to $500,000, to care for the growing 

 demands of its business. A 60 by 200-foot addition is soon to be 

 erected, which will be used for an additional tire building room. 



M. O'Neil, president of the The General Tire & Rubber Co.. 

 has leased to F. A. Seiberling, president of the Goodyear com- 

 pany, the eight-story Ohio Building and a large plot of land ail- 

 joining. This office bulding has been completed less than a year 

 and contains the quarters of The Akron City Club, a new organi- 

 zation of .^kron business men, the club occupying the three 

 upper stories of the building. 



The Portage Rubber Co. has just completed a three-story 

 building, 60 by 80 feet in dimensions, that is being used for man- 

 ufacturing automobile tires, and has begun the erection of a 

 two-story building. SO by 150 feet, the lower floor of which will 

 be used for a shipping room and the upper floor as a stock room 

 for tires and tubes. All the buildings of this company are of 

 structural steel construction surrounded with concrete and brick. 



The $250,000 worth of new preferred stock of the company, 

 mentioned last month, has all been taken by the stockholders at 

 105 per share and paid for on .August 1. 



A two-story building of the .Miller Rubber Co.. in wliich 

 chemicals were stored, was recently burned to the grmuul. 



P. H. Goodall has been made assistant sales manager of the 

 Mohawk Tire & Rubber Co. Mr. Goodall was formerly branch 

 manager in Cleveland for the United States Tire Co. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN BOSTON. 



liy Our Regular Correspondent. 

 'X'HE vacation season is about over. Many of the mills 

 shut down during the excessively hot spells of the past 

 month and took this opportunity for making such alterations 

 and improvements as will put them in proper shape for the 

 large amount of business which they have on hand for the 

 coming season. Most lines of the rubber business are in 

 pretty good condition, with enough orders on their books 

 or business in prospect to keep them going well along into 

 the season, and the outlook for orders during the early fall 

 is most encouraging. There is a diversity of opinion as re- 

 gards the tire business, some producers reporting orders 

 ahead of production, and others admitting that they could 

 do more business than they have on hand. In rubber boots 

 and shoes, the manufacturers have had a busy season and 

 have not caught up, so the summer shutdowns have been 

 shorter than in some former years. It is evident that retail 

 stocks in rubber footwear were practically sold out last 

 winter and, as a consequence, large orders were taken by 

 every producer — in fact, the capacity of every factory has 

 been strained in order to be able to deliver the early fall 

 orders. .Mechanicals have felt the effect of the spring and 

 early summer weather as regards the garden hose business, 

 and it is evident that a considerable amount of last year's 

 goods arc still in retail stocks. The demand for rubber 

 belting in part makes up for the loss of the hose trade, the 



