440 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[May 1, 1917. 



Happily, rubber manufacturers have long been among 

 the leaders in welfare work, which has in recent j'ears 

 expanded tremendously, offering congenial occu])ation 

 for the spare moments of those who had few advan- 

 tages in youth. Partly an expression of the desire for 

 maximum efficiency through advancement of men from 

 the ranks to responsible positions, it is also in large 

 measure an embodiment of the American spirit which 

 welcomes the alien to our shores and encourages him 

 to enjoy American institutions with us. The feeling 

 grows that we owe more than a day's wage to those 

 men and women who have chosen yVmerica as the place 

 in which to work out their destiny and who have 

 crossed the ocean to make it their home. 



This social obligation is recognized and being met in 

 the principal factories and many others of lesser im- 

 portance. Club rooms and even club houses are being 

 provided with restaurants, rest, reading and music 

 rooms; auditoriums for lectures, entertainments and 

 motion pictures ; libraries of rubber and educational 

 books and magazines ; game rooms, swimming pools 

 and sanitary conveniences ; hospitals and free dental 

 service. Outdoors there is often a field and grand- 

 stand for baseball, football and other athletic games. 

 These benefits conserve health, promote a high moral 

 standard, and, together with periodicals published in 

 the interests of the employes, broaden acquaintance, 

 keep all in touch with the news of the plant, and en- 

 courage firm spirit and team work. 



Every man is urged to improve his education, and 

 aliens are encouraged to become American citizens. 

 Free evening instruction is provided in several in- 

 stances, and foremen have instructions to tell aliens 

 of the free evening classes of the public schools and, 

 wherever available, of the correspondence courses of 

 the state university extension service. Both the Y. M. 

 C. A. and the Y. W. C. A. are active in social, religious 

 and educational benefits, and the Boy Scout movement 

 is claiming many of the more youthful operatives. 

 Every man is made to understand that education means 

 advancement and that long service is rewarded by an- 

 nuity. The increase in capital stock of several com- 

 panies and the reduction in par value to $10 a share 

 is enabling some of the workmen to invest their sav- 

 ings profitably, while others are embracing oppor- 

 tunities afforded them by their employers to buy home 

 sites and houses on easy, advantageous terms. 



The manner in which our foreign cousins are re- 

 sponding to these influences for betterment is very 

 gratifying. It is to be expected, however, that en- 

 thusiasm will sometimes lag in the schoolroom after 

 eight hours' labor in the factory. This is particularly 

 true in English language classes, for the alien finds 

 ours a difficult tongue to learn. Various means of 

 stimulating renewed interest have been tried, but prob- 

 ably the most unique and successful is that of devot- 

 ing several minutes of the class time every day to 



singing American patriotic songs to piano accompani- 

 ment. To see 200 aliens representing 18 nationalities 

 joining heartily in singing "America" is indeed an in- 

 spiring sight that augurs well for the future. 



AN ASSOCIATION FOR BETTER LEGISLATION. 



IN the Associated Industries of Massachusetts the Bay 

 State has an efficient and much-needed orgatiization. 

 Its membership comprises most leading manufacturers 

 of the state, including several rubber, textile, machinery 

 and footwear firms familiar to readers of this paper, who 

 are cooperating in bringing the influence of intimate 

 knowledge and expert experience to bear upon all pro- 

 posed industrial legislation. 



The active work of the association is divided between 

 the Central Legislative and Technical Advisory Commit- 

 tees. The former reads the bills, decides upon the desir- 

 able action, and refers its reconmiendations to the Exec- 

 utive Committee for approval. It maps out the line of 

 action at hearings, and assists and directs the work until 

 the measure is finally disposed of. 



The Technical Advisory Committee organizes technical 

 boards representing every industry and composed of men 

 well informed about manufacturing operations, whose 

 duty it is to supply state boards, commissions and legis- 

 lative committees with facts and expert information as 

 to the probable workings of proposed rules or codes reg- 

 ulating factories, to assist in drafting new and perfect- 

 ing existing codes, and report on their actual workings. 



That the scope may be made broader and more liberal, 

 a Council of Associations is being organized which will 

 eventually be composed of one representative each, from 

 the various business organizations, such as the National 

 Metal Trades Association, the Boot and Shoe Associa- 

 tion, etc. By such council and concerted action it will 

 be possible to express very nearly the thought and senti- 

 ment of the entire business community of the common- 

 wealth for constructive and defensive purposes. 



GUMSHOE MARMALADE IN GERMANY. 



THE daily press of late has been favoring us with 

 several more or less accurate pictures of the food 

 situation in beleaguered Germany. Some of the state- 

 ments appeal to reason : others do not. Certain it is that 

 substitutes of many sorts are in daily use. Nevertheless, 

 we can hardly credit the recent assertion that wornout 

 gumshoes treated with nitric acid, to which are added 

 wood pulp, artificial seeds and a little chemical flavoring, 

 now pass there as marmalade. We agree with the writer 

 that this vague recipe suggests neither a savory nor a 

 toothsome delicacy, hut in Germany military needs ever 

 take first place and rubber is far too scarce to feed to 

 the populace. Rubber scrap and fatty waste are as pre- 

 cious as diamonds and gold nuggets in Germany today, 

 and it is a safe bet that every available ounce of the 

 former is reclaimed and utilized in the manufacture of 

 armv and navy equipment. 



