October 1, 1916.1 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



25 



I 



\'ery little study or interest has been given to the troi'bles and 

 l.riiblems of the mill engineer by the average machine shop, out- 

 side the walls of these plants, except in some few notable cases 

 where independent niaciiine shops doing general work have 

 really taken a leading part in the prixkiction of improved ma- 

 cliinery useful in the rubber industry. In the average case the 

 mechanical engineer has the whole burden of the development 

 of labor-saving machines. Machine builders as a rule have 

 been content to follnvv. rather than lead, and have contributed 

 very little towards the special equipment required in building 

 up their industry. Cases where any creative work in the line 

 of special machine design has been undertaken voluntarily and 

 on the sole initiative of the outside shop, are unfortunately far 

 too few. , 



The mill engineer welcomes assistance, and does everything 

 to encourage it, but the average machine shop for general work 

 waits to be told what to do and how to do it, rather than buck 

 up and give the mill engineer a helping hand. 



The doctrine of cooperation is the only sound one in indus- 

 trial development. The average plant producing rubber goods 

 is strong financially, and is willing to pay handsomely for the 

 proper sort of cooperation from outside sources in solving its 

 problems. When an industry devoted to the production of 

 rubber gocnls is obliged practically to go into the machinery 

 business, just so much of its energy, thought and .genius as it 

 bestows on the macliinery business are lost to the rubber busi- 

 ness. The machinery business is the business of machinists. 

 Mechanical problems are naturally the problems with which 

 the machinery business should cope, rather than leave their 

 solution to the .skill and ability of engineers in other lines. 



Of course it is not possible for machine builders to foresee 

 and to provide for all kinds of contingencies arising in the 

 constantly varying requirements, and new requirements, in the 

 production of rubber goods. It is not too much to ask, how- 

 ever, that a little more "pep" and "punch" be put into the 

 efforts of machine designers outside of the rubber plants. U 

 is not too' much to expect the experienced machinery houses to 

 bring out labor-saving machinery which would go the mill en- 

 gineer "one better." The mill engineer is only too willing to 

 pin a medal on the successful designer, and leave the honors 

 to the machinery trade, if only he can get from it the help he 

 needs and is willing to encourage liberally. 



The C.-vmerox M.achixe Co. 



Brooklyn, New York, September 20, 1916. 



[The India Rubber World has always made a point of en- 

 couraging cooperation between macliine builders and the trades 

 employing machinery. Its columns are always open to machine 

 builders who have produced something useful to the rubber trade. 

 In fact we write hundreds of letters each year inviting producers 

 of new machines to bring them before the trade through our 

 colum.ns. 



The products of the Cameron Machine Co. are cases in point. 

 The Cameron principle, the "Score Cut," appealed to us at once 

 and that is why we have so willingly given space to the various 

 Cameron slitting machines. Although it is perhaps not necessary, 

 we assure, them, or any other producer of rubber working ma- 

 chines or devices, that our columns are open to them provided, 

 of course, that their products are of value to the rubber trade. — 

 The Editor.] 



EUBBER MEN JOIN QUESTION CLUB. 



The Question Club is a unique and highly exclusive organiza- 

 tion which carefully preserves the secret of its name, purposes, 

 and qualifications for membership. Organized 12 years ago with 

 five members, five new members have been added to the roll, 

 each year since, in every case men of power in their respective 

 callings. Two of the five enjoying the honor of election this 

 year are Charles McCullough, of the Pennsylvania Rubber Co., 

 Jeannette, Pennsylvania, and William J. Lamb, of the Fisk 

 Rubber Co., Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. 



FROM A RUSSIAN PRISON CAMP. 



"T^HAT The 1xdi.\ Rubber World is considered the head- 

 ■*• quarters for all facts pertaining to the rubber industry 

 was brought vividly to mind recently by the receipt of a 

 postal card from a captured German soldier in a Russian 

 prison camp. The card is here reproduced photographically, 

 both the face and back. The face shows the address, and 

 also the permit or "frank" (in Russian and French) to allow 

 it to go througli the mails free of postage because sent by 

 a prisoner of war. The message on the back has been al- 

 lowed to go forward, after the censor has erased the name 

 of the firm, presumably a German one, and obliterated 



nOMTOBAH KAPTOHK 



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ll.'i iToii ■ ii>p<ini. iiuijieicfl m ii,i,ii ;ij|rfc i,. <^ y Mf* 







A Censored Post.\l Card from Russia. 



with dense black ink a portion of the address at the bottom. 

 A translation of the message is as follows: 



"Gorbatow, June 15, 1916. Prior to the outbreak of the war I 

 was in communication with Mr. Geo. D. Levysohn, one of the 



executives of — (erased by censor) 



I would be very thankful to you if you would inform mc of the 

 name of the firm with which he is now connected. I can com- 

 pensate you for your trouble only after the end of the war, for 

 I am now a war prisoner in Russia. Correspondence is only 

 allowed in German and French. Respectfully yours, Max Hack. 



My address is (in Russian), Boennoninny Maker .lahr, Top- 

 damobekara, Zcuckaa Anmeka, Topdamobr, Russia." 



The card is interesting as a side-light on the i en.sor.s'hip 

 cif the mails since the war began. 



Contract has been made for the first unit of the tire factory 

 of the International India Rubber Corporation at Soutli Bend. 

 Indiana, mentioned in the July issue of The India Rubber 

 World. The dimensions of the building will be 382 by 80 feet, 

 and it wm'11 cover 28,700 square feet of floor space. 



