July 1, 1917.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



399 



UNITED STATES RUBBER CO. JtAKES ARTIFICIAL LEATHER GOODS. 



Artificial leather is a new development of the rubber busi- 

 ness and is being much used for high-grade automobile- 

 topping and in imitation of leather articles of all kinds, such 

 as traveling bags, furniture upholstery, and similar articles. 

 The United States Rubber Co. is now manufacturing and 

 placing traveling bags on the market, but has thus far been 

 unable to meet the demand and is planning to enlarge this 

 department. 



At the Naugatuck, Connecticut, plant of the Goodyear's 

 Metallic Rubber Shoe Co. a new rubber fabrics department 

 has been started in the "Old Shop" on Rubber avenue. The 

 present capacity of the auto-topping department is 5,000 

 yards a day, but this will shortly be doubled and the output 

 will, eventually, be 20,000 yards per day. 



In conjunction with tliis department, it is planned to have 

 the rubberized carriage cloth and artificial leather plant, which 

 is now operated in Maiden, Massachusetts, moved to Nau- 

 gatuck, where it will be developed until it has a capacity of 

 10,000 yards a day. 



It is expected that the new rubber fabrics department will 

 require from ISO to 200 operatives in the near future. It will 

 be under the management of James W. Quirk, who has 

 had extensive experience at the National India Rubber Co., 

 Bristol, Rhode Island; the Canadian Consolidated Rubber 

 Co., Limited, Montreal, and the Boston Rubber Shoe Co., 

 Boston, Massachusetts. 



RUBBER MEN DISCUSS EXPORT TRADE. 



IN connection with the industrial trade exposition held June 

 23 to 30, at Springfield, Massachusetts, an export conference 

 was instituted as a prominent feature, and this brought together 

 many men now exporting, and others who are considering the 

 broadening of their business, by securing foreign trade. On the 

 opening day, Edwin F. Sweet, assistant secretary of the Depart- 

 ment of Commerce, was the principal speaker. The conferences 

 from Monday to Saturday were confined to special subjects, or 

 lines of merchandise, and on each day a number of leading men 

 in the chosen industries addressed the meetings. Wednesday, 

 June 27, was denominated "Leather and Rubber Goods Day," 

 and the rubber industry was represented by E. H. Huxley, presi- 

 dent of the United States Rubber Export Co.. Limited, New 

 York City, and J. B. Maus, export manager of The Fisk Rub- 

 ber Co., Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. 



PRACTICAL ADVANTAGES OF AN EXPORT BUSINESS. 

 Mr. Huxley delivered a carefully prepared address, showing 

 the advantages of an export business to American manufacturers. 

 Such business, he declared, because of its stability, offers a bal- 

 ance which becomes invaluable in times 

 of domestic business depression. For- 

 eign business is permanent and secure. 

 Unlike the domestic buyer, the foreign 

 customer is largely dependent on the 

 seller, and if his goods are properly 

 made, shipped promptly and exactly as 

 specified, he will conceive a loyalty and 

 trust in the seller hard to overcome. 



Contrary to general belief, Mr. Hux- 

 ley declared that records prove that the 

 ratio of selling expense is considerably 

 below that for a like amount of domestic 

 business, the reasons being that calls by 

 salesmen are less frequent and orders 

 average larger. Another advantage is that this business is for 

 cash, either before or coincident with the shipment of the goods. 

 To properly conduct an export business, one man at least 

 must know export, think export, sympathize with export and 



Edward H. IIi'xlkv. 



realize what it means. There are three ways for the smaller 

 concerns to build up an export business: (1) Utilize export 

 commission houses in this country; (2) send a representative to 

 make one trip and appoint local agents, or (3) cooperate with 

 other houses in non-competing lines and maintain a joint or- 

 ganization. Of these, he considered the last the least desirable ; 

 the second the most so. Mr. Huxley discussed the price ques- 

 tion, the matter of credits, and advised a careful and intelligent 

 handling of these subjects. He told those of his hearers who 

 have added an export business to consider it as a fixture, and 

 on no account let anything interfere with it, whatever may be 

 domestic trade conditions. He said : 



We are bound sooner or later to be forced into foreign trade 

 in spite of ourselves, and being so forced, it is the wise man who 

 recognizes the advantages to be obtained, who realizes the bene- 

 fits that must come to his domestic business, and who carefully, 

 slowly and intelligently develops part of his business in foreign 

 fields. 



RUBBER GOODS IN OVERSEAS TRADE. 

 John B. Maus, export manager of The Fisk Rubber Co., 

 Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, told of the growing importance 

 of the rubber industry, gave some account of the production 

 and uses of this material, and to this 

 added some statistics. Touching upon 

 its rapidly increasing use on account of 

 the war, he spoke of the opportunities 

 of American rubber manufacturers to 

 place their products in foreign countries. 

 To properly do this, he told his hearers 

 they must know geography, the customs 

 of the people, the shipping facilities, the 

 railway, highway and other develop- 

 ments to determine the possible markets, 

 and he described some of the more im- 

 portant ones. The importance of prop- 

 erly protecting trade-marks, the neces- 

 sity of using the native tongue of the 

 country in all correspondence, catalogs and advertising matter, 

 and the probability of being obliged to give long term credit 

 were touched upon, and the great advance in banking facilities 

 described. Mr. Maus recommended a broad system of commer- 

 cial education of young men. In conclusion he said : 



The business world to-day is vitally interested in this problem, 

 for no organization can succeed in a material degree whose 

 workers are not efficient. The foundation of national prosperity 

 clearly rests upon that result accomplished by its people to serve 

 real purposes in sympathy with current industry, science and gov- 

 ernment. If we can encourage early, direct business training, the 

 usefulness of the populace of our country will assure both "trad- 

 ing power and wealth. Now is the time to make arrangements 

 for after-war business, by a high standard of quality, an intelli- 

 gent representation, and sufficient encouragement by the financial 

 interest to permit a worldwide business. 



John B. Maus 



A GERMAN CRUDE RUBBER RUSE THAT FAILED. 



Some curious documents occasionally reach the British Prize 

 Court. One letter from a Hamburg firm to branches in Japan, 

 recently intercepted, discloses a subtle attempt to get much need- 

 ed rubber and copper through the British blockade into Ger- 

 many. The veiled instructions follow : 



"We request you to inform us if you will be able to supply 

 us with large quantities of very heavy copper and bronze vases, 

 also animals. You can send us the roughest and most faulty 

 examples. The animals must be massive, not hollow, and must 

 have the appearance of curiosities. If you can ship 10 to 20 

 tons per month direct to Sweden as curiosities * * * vi'e shall 

 be glad if you could arrange to pack the cases with raw rubber 

 so that the works of art should not sulTer." 



This is another example of the importance of rubber in war 

 times and reflects the extreme measures adopted by the Germans 

 to secure even the smallest supplies of this necessary material. 



