August 1, 1917.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



671 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN AKRON. 



By Our Rcguhir Correspondent. 



■ I "HE northward migration of negroes is becoming a problem 

 ^ in the Middle West. To Ohio, it is estimated, have come 

 during the past year or two 100,000 of the 700,000 blacks who 

 have been known to leave the South seeking advancement. 

 Attracted by the good wages paid by rubber manufacturers, the 

 negro population of Akron has doubled within a year and now 

 numbers about 3,000. A newer and larger negro district with 

 opportunities for thrifty blacks to buy homes on the instalment 

 plan will go a long way toward making the best of the situation, 

 and such a movement must, of course, be worked out by lead- 

 ing business men in conjunction with representative negroes 

 long resident in the city. Given proper home influences and a 

 fair opportunity to work, it is believed these newcomers will 

 become frugal, industrious, law-abiding citizens. 



Leading Ohio negroes, ministers, teachers, social workers and 

 members of the State War Board, realize the duty confronting 

 them, and on July 12 some 200 met in Columbus to discuss how 

 to house the negro, how to avoid race troubles, how to make 

 good citizens out of southern negroes, how to put it up to the 

 better class of negroes to see that the newcomers are disciplined, 

 and how to improve the moral conditions in negro districts. 

 Rev. R. A. Jones, pastor of the Second Baptist Church and 

 prominent in negro circles, was present from Akron. 



* * * 



The regular annual convention of the service men of the 

 Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., at Akron, is an institution of no 

 inconsiderable business and social value to those connected with 

 the large organization, coming from all over the country to 

 meet together at the home office. This year, owing to conditions 

 in national affairs, it was decided to abandon the elaborate plans 

 that had been made for the service convention. But in order 

 not to forego the benefits of this comprehensive review of the 

 year's work and plans for the year to come, the novel plan was 

 adopted of bringing the mountain to Mahomet, or specifically, 

 the convention to the men, instead of the men to the convention. 



Various members of the Akron organization who had planned 

 to address the service men during the convention prepared their 

 speeches in written form, one of these being a very interesting 

 treatise by G. R. Lamson, in charge of the Firestone Library,, 

 on the value of "courtesy" and "good will" as business assets. 

 These printed talks are being sent periodically to the men in 

 the various cities where the company is represented by branches 

 or agencies. 



The stock for which Firestone employes have subscribed un- 

 der the company's plan to allow its workers to become stock- 

 holders will be held by the firm should the employe enlist or be 

 drafted into any branch of government service, payments being 



postponed. 



* * * 



The Mason Tire & Rubber Co., at Kent, this state, is 

 progressing with remarkable rapidity. Net earnings for the 

 quarter to July 1 were at the rate of $300,000 per year. During 

 the past two months the company has paid eighteen months' 

 accumulated dividends due on the 7 per cent cumulative stock. 

 The fore part of August the dividend due on preferred stock 

 from January 1 to July 1 will be paid, and thereafter the 

 preferred stock will be upon a quarterly dividend basis. 



Four extensions to the plant are in progress, including a 

 warehouse, mill room, main plant extension and office building. 

 The present average production is 500 tires per day, and by the 

 first of January it is planned to extend the capacity of the 

 plant to 1,500 tires per day. 



Four direct factory branches are maintained, at Akron, 

 Cleveland, New York and Kansas City, and additional branches 

 will be opened in the near future. The company is making a 

 popular priced line of plain, ribbed, and non-skid tires and will 



Iiave a cord tire on the market by the first of next year. 

 Recent important acquisitions to the office personnel are 

 Dave Kennedy, formerly advertising manager of the Swinehart 

 Tire & Rubber Co., and John H. Diehl, sales manager, former- 

 ly with the Portage Rubber Co. in the same capacity. 



* * * 



The books of The B. F. Goodrich Co. were closed on July 1 

 for the purpose of determining the result of operations for the 

 first six months of 1917. They have not been audited by public 

 accountants, but the company's auditor has just submitted to the 

 directors a statement of earnings for the period. After making 

 full provision for maintenance charges, depreciation, doubtful 

 accounts, and all known outstanding current liabilities and ac- 

 cruals, the net profits for the period amounted to approximately 

 $5,200,000, exclusive of provision for excess profits tax not yet 

 ascertainable. 



The Goodrich school offers all employes an opportunity to 

 learn English, free of charge, the classes being arranged so as 

 to make it possible for workers on all shifts to participate. Upon 

 the request of a number of employes, who have realized the 

 growing importance of Spanish as a commercial language, classes 

 for the study of Spanish have also been instituted under the 

 direction of Dr. Junek. 



W. A. Johnson, former assistant, has become office manager 

 of the automobile tire department of The B. F. Goodrich Co., 

 succeeding A. J. Wills, who has assumed special duties in asso- 

 ciation with H. C. Miller, director of tire sales. Mr. Johnson 

 was at one time general sales and advertising manager of the 

 Pierce Cycle Co., Buffalo, New York. 



The Goodrich Girls' Country Club, now being completed at 

 Rex Lake, nine miles south of Akron, is for Goodrich women 

 employes exclusively. Tennis and croquet courts are now being 



laid out. 



* * * 



The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., in connection with the city 

 of Akron, held a mammoth celebration of Independence Day at 

 the company's recreation park, known as Seiberling Field. 

 There was a grand review of Akron boy scouts and scoutcraft 

 exhibitions, a base ball game, and a concert, followed by a com- 

 munity song festival, the largest affair of the kind ever held in 

 Akron and this part of the country. 



A fire on June 16 in one of the concrete storehouses of the 

 Goodyear company, believed to be due to spontaneous combus- 

 tion among the many compounding ingredients kept in the 

 structure, resulted in damages estimated at $40,000. None of 

 the manufacturing departments was affected. 



* * * 



The Amazon Rubber Co. has established a thoroughly equip- 

 ped chemical research laboratory with H. G. Arbogast in charge. 

 Mr. Arbogast was formerly assistant chemist in one of the 

 large local rubber companies. 



* * * 



J. W. Rock, vice-president of The American Rubber & Tire 

 Co., Akron, Ohio, announces the marriage of his daughter. 

 Hazel Kirk, to George A. Madole, who is connected with The 

 B. F. Goodrich Co. in a technical capacity. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN BOSTON. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



COME of the rubber factories in and around Boston are pre- 

 •^ paring to shut down a part of this month, but not on ac- 

 count of lack of business. All of them seem to have enough 

 orders on hand to warrant running right along, were the weather 

 better for good work, the employes less desirous of a let-up and 

 a vacation period, and were there no repairs and installations 

 necessary. The rubber shoe factories are pushing ahead on both 

 rubber footwear and tennis goods, for orders keep coming for 



