36 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



lOlTOHliR 1, 1916. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN AKRON. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



A STATISTICAL report for the state industrial commission 

 reveals the fact that during 1915 the rubber companies in 

 Summit County, Ohio, practically all of which are in Akron, paid 

 $21,733,088 in wages and salaries. This is 61.1 per cent of the 

 total payroll of the county, and is far in the lead, the second 

 largest being that of the foundries and machine shops, with only 

 $2,495,120 



.\lthough hundreds of new homes have been built in Akron 

 during the past summer, the housing problem is still unsolved. 

 Many changes at the factories are due to the fact that men come 

 here to work, expecting to bring on their families, and when, 

 after six months' time they are unable to find a house for rent, 

 return where they came from because they cannot afford to main- 

 tain their families in other cities. Officials of The B. F. Good- 

 rich Co. and other concerns employing thousands of men are 

 now working on plans to meet this growing need. A plan sim- 

 ilar to the farm credits system, where the men would eventually 

 become home owners, has been proposed. This, it is urged, 

 would not only insure permanent growth, but would induce 

 workmen to save. 



The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has solved the housing 

 problem for its employes by building houses on the easy payment 

 plan. An addition of 350 acres has just been made to Goodyear 

 Heights, a tract of land laid out for workmen in the plant of 

 the company. On this land employes can build their own homes 

 on the basis of rent, without any large first payment. 



.•\ctivities of Akron's building and loan associations will be 

 made clear to citizens who do not fully appreciate their work 

 when the Ohio Buflding and Loan Association meets in ."Xkron 

 October 11-12, in its annual convention. All visitors to the city 

 will be given rubber badges made in elaborate designs. When 

 this association was organized there was no state control of the 

 funds of building and loan associations, and through its efforts 

 a bill was passed submitting all such institutions to state ex- 

 amination so the interests of their patrons would be safeguarded. 



It is reported that the Kelly-Springfield Tire Co. has decided 

 to change its location to Cumberland, Maryland. It is under- 

 stood that the authorities of that city have offered very large 

 cash and land inducements, involving $750,000 and 75 acres of 

 eligibly located land for a factory site. 



:i: * * 



It was proposed at the meeting of the Firestone Tire & Rub- 

 ber Co.. held September 30, that the capital stock shall be in- 

 creased from $4,000,000 to $50,000,000, of which $40,000,000 is to 

 be common and the balance preferred. Present holders of 

 $1,000,000 preferred stock have been notified that the entire issue 

 will be redeemed at 110. November 1. It is also the present in- 

 tention to declare a 700 or 800 per cent dividend on the common 

 stock. The full report of this meeting will be published in 



the next issue. 



* * * 



The track team of The B. F. Goodrich Co. won the one-mile 

 relay race and the Police Trophy cup at the Police Field Meet 

 held at Cleveland, Ohio, last month. The Akron team walked 

 away with all the honors from Cleveland's best factory athletes. 

 They won first and second in the mile, second in the 220-yard 

 dash, second in the quarter, third in the high jump, and first and 

 second in the half-mile, or a total of 36 points, 19 points more 

 than the Hydraulic Pressed Steel Co. team, which was second 

 in the meet. 



* ^: >!- 



I'resent building operations of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber 

 Co. include more room for the office force as well as the factory 



workers and will provide a much larger capacity both for tires 

 and mechanical goods, one new building now ncaring completion 

 being devoted exclusively to the manufacture of mechanical 

 goods. To provide for the constant flow of electric power and 

 at the same time conserve the water supply which rotates the 

 10,000 K. V. A. turbine at the plant of the Goodyear company, 

 a battery of five cooling towers is being erected. 



At the Goodyear field and track meet held on Labor Day at 

 .Seiberling Park, more than 1,000 persons competed for suprem- 

 acy in the various sports. The field was resplendent with the 

 (joodyear colors, orange and black, and large American flags, 

 and the carnival opened with a baseball game between the .-^kron 

 and Boston Goodyear teams, won by the home team. While this 

 was in progress, boxing and wrestling events were conducted in 

 two separate rings. Races of every kind and description fol- 

 lowed, as well as fancy diving, quoits, tennis, bait casting, nail 

 driving, trap shooting, cock fights, clock golf and greased pig 

 chases. 



Woodson Reese, for the past two years manager of the Good- 

 year branch at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been transferred 

 to Akron as special factory representative. 



* * * 



The Denmead Rubber Co. will locate on the Denniead prop- 

 erty in East Akron. Nearly three acres of land compose this 

 property, which has the finest water privileges in the state, the 

 Little Cuyahoga River passing through a part of it. 



The Denmead company will take over from the Denmead Tire 

 & Supply Co. the manufacture of rubber heels and soles and also 

 the .good will of the latter company. 



* * * 



The capital stock of the Star Rubber Co. has been increased 

 from ,$200,000 to $400,000. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN BOSTON. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



PALL trade opens well in most lines of rubber business. In 

 * mechanicals the report is that the call for rubber belting 

 is greater than a year ago, a fact that has been attributed to 

 the great increase in cost of leather belting, material for which 

 is fully double its normal price. But two leading leather belt- 

 ing manufacturers have told your correspondent that the de- 

 mand for their product is up to the average, despite the high 

 prices, so that the increased demand for rubber belting must 

 be credited to a larger general demand for all kinds of belting, 

 or to a conversion of users to a preference for that made of 

 rubber. 



* * * 



There is a very general satisfaction shown by the trade that 

 the new tennis footwear price lists, which appeared early last 

 month, showed but a moderate increase over the figures of last 

 year. The higher cost of cotton duck amply justifies the ad- 

 vance in footwear made from this material. 



* * * 



Speaking of cotton duck brings to mind that the steady in- 

 crease in the use of automobiles, and the consequent present 

 and prospective demand for tires, is a matter which is being 

 given most serious consideration in the textile industry of New 

 England. The production of fabrics suitable for the manufacture 

 of tires has hitherto kept pace with the demand, but that it 

 will continue to do so is an open question, for two reasons. 

 One of these is the possible lack of supply of suitable raw ma- 

 terial, and the other, the insufficient productive capacity of the 

 factories equipped to make such fabrics. Of these mills, many 

 are situated in this section, and are largely financed by Boston 

 canital. 



