350 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March 1, 1917. 



TIRE PRICE ADVANCES JUSTIFIED. 



Ol'I-'lCIAL figures seem to show that rubber manufacturers 

 were fully justified in raising prices for their products, ^as 

 many of them did the first of the year. A comparative tabic 

 of the figures of three leading companies that have recently com- 

 pleted their fiscal years has been compiled by a leading financial 

 journal which shows the gross, net, an<l ratio of manufacturing 

 e.Npense to gross, as follows : 



Goodyear. U. S. Rubber. Goodrich. 



1916 gross $6.1,950,000 $125,000,000 'J/S.OOO.OOO 



1915 gross 36.490,000 9.'.861,000 55,416,000 



1916 net 7,003,000 12.500,000 9,550,000 



1915 net 5.137,000 11,539,000 12,265,000 



1916 manuf.ncturing ratio 89.0 per cent 90.0 per cent 86.9 per cent 



1915 niamifaclnring ratio 85.9 per cent 87.5 per cent 77.8 per cent 



•Estimated. 



It will thus be seen that The B. F. Goodricli Co. to gain $17,- 

 000,000 gross income over 1915 figures, had to spend $20,000,000 

 more than in 1915. The United States Rubber Co.'s increase in 

 gross income was $32,000,000, but its profits were only about 

 $1,000,000 more than the previous year. The Goodyear Tire & 

 Rulibcr Co.'s gross increase was 13 times as large as its net 

 increase. Such tigurcs arc the best evidence that last year's 

 selling prices were too low for safe business. 



TIRE rABRICS BOOMING NEW BEDFORD 



The unprecedented demand for tire fabrics has resulted in a 

 great boom for New Bedford, Massachusetts, and the cotton yarn 

 trade generally. It is estimated that fully one-third of the yarn 

 spindles in that city are now running on tire fabric yarns and the 

 consumption of long-staple cotton is tremendous. 



New Bedford to-day is to the American cotton industry what 

 Liverpool is to the British industry. It has become the largest 

 spot cotton center in the East. Southern shippers are sending 

 thousands of unsold bales there in order to make prompt de- 

 liveries when called upon, unaffected by transportation difficulties. 

 Storage facilities during the past year have been increased to the 

 extent of 100.000 bales, or nearly a quarter of the total con- 

 sumption of New Bedford mills, and are still inadequate. The 

 New Bedford Storage Co. is authority for the statement that 

 during this cotton season 1,500,000 bales will be used within a 

 35-mile radius of New Bedford. That city itself will take 450,000 

 bales. Fall River the same, and the mills around Providence, 

 Taunton and elsewhere in the vicinity will take 600,000 bales 

 more. 



Two new tire fabric \'arn mills are being erected ; the Sharp 

 with 100,000 spindles and the Manomet with 75,000. while the 

 new Rotch mill with 3.S0 to 400 looms, the first weaving mill in 

 New Bedford to make tire fabrics, seems likely to be the fore- 

 runner of a new and highly profitable industry there which is 

 only slightly seasonal in charaotor. .Xfotori'^ts do not put up their 



cars in winter as much as formerly and the demand for tire 

 yarns is reinarkably steady. It has been estimated that about 

 2.500,000 pounds are being purchased weekly. About 75 per cent 

 of all New Bedford tire yarn is made of Sakellarides Egyptian 

 cotton, the balance being Sea Island. Most yarns are 22J4 to 23 

 count with some 20 count, usually combed though sometimes 

 carded. For the inost part they arc sold single on section 

 beams and the weaving mills ply them, usually elevenfold. 



PROGRESS OF THE VICTOR RUBBER CO. 



At the recent annual stockholders' luceting of The Victor 

 Rubber Co., Springfield, Ohio, the following officers and direc- 

 tors were elected : II. II. Durr, president ; F. .R. Talbott, gen- 

 eral manager and treasurer ; Arthur Sackett, secretary ; C. A. 

 Swinehart, assistant general manager; H. J. Robben, vice-presi- 

 dent; Ben Johnson, and John L. Bushnell. 



General Manager Talbott reported satisfactory conditions for 

 the year 1916 and even better prospects for this year. The plant 

 has been in continuous operation night and day for over two 

 years and although the company carries on a large business in 

 rubber automobile mats, the principal increase has been in its 

 pneumatic tires and tubes. .'\ modern, second-story addition 

 covering the present plant and more than doubling the floor 

 space, will shortly be erected. 



KING TUBELESS RUBBER CO. LOCATES AT YOUNGWOOD. 

 PENNSYXVANIA. 



The King Tubelcss Rubber Co. lias contracted for the pur- 

 chase of the Fair Park at Youngwood, Pennsylvania, containing 

 30 acres and about 20 buildings of various sizes, about half of 

 which can be readily adapted for tire manufacture, and the entire 

 property will be reserved for expected future development. 

 W. E. Russell is president of this company, which controls the 

 use of all King Tubeless tire patents for the states of Pennsyl- 

 vania and Maryland, under license from The Punctureless .\uto 

 Tire Co., .'\kron, Ohio, owner of the patents. The present 

 branch office is at 3302 Grant Boulevard, Pittsburgh, Pennsyl- 

 vania, and a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, branch will be opened 

 in the near future. 



GORDON TIRE & RUBBER CO. 



A stockholders' meeting (jf the Gordon Tire & Rubber Co., 

 Canton, Ohio, has been called for February 28 for the purpose of 

 voting to increase the capital stock from $600,000 to $1,000,000 

 to provide for enlargements of the plant now under way and to 

 erect additions on the plot of land more than three acres in extent 

 purchased recently from the city of Canton. Some of the addi- 

 tions will be completed and in operation by ,^pril 1, liy which 

 time the force will be increased from 200 to 300 hands. These en- 

 largements are in the tire, tube and druggists' sundries depar- 

 ments. C. W. McKone has been promoted general superintendent. 

 W. E. Ballsborough, formerly with the Star Rubber Co., Akron. 

 Ohio, will have charge of the druggists' sundries department, 

 succeeding M. B. Clark, who recently resigned. H. R. Piatt, 

 formerly with the Batavia Rubber Co., has been made superin- 

 tendent of the tire and tube department. 



At the last meeting of the directors C. W. Keplinger was re- 

 elected president: II. R. McMaster, vice-president and general 

 manager; C. J. Keplinger, secretary and treasurer, and they, with 

 Isaac Harter, Judge Henry Harter, J. C. Keplinger, G. W. .'Xke 

 and Satuuel .Akc, form the board of directors. 



S. Hodge Smith, formerly at the Republic Rubber Co.. Youngs- 

 town, Ohio, has been inade superintendent of the Gilletlc Safety 

 Tire Co., Eau Claire, Wisconsin. 



Ch.\s. E. Miller's New Building .\t Anderson, Indiana. 



A. .\, Peterson will act as superintendent of the Globe Tire 

 Co.'s plant at Laporte, Indiana. 



