730 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[September 1, 1917. 



have been lun only a few thousand miles at this writing, a total 

 mileage report cannot be given now. 



The extreme lightness in gravity of Textile rubber suggests 

 its value in making pneumatic tires for airplanes. 



Jo.'iErH R. Sanford. 



Salisbury, Connecticut, August 18, 1917. 



,- THE OBITUARY RECORD. 



ORGANIZER. BUILDER AND CONTRACTOR. 



HARRY L. LEWMAN. president of the Ten Brocck Tyre Co., 

 Louisville, Kentucky, died in that city in July after a pro- 

 longed illness, aged 51 years and one day. Mr. Lewman was 

 born in Gosport, Indiana, July IS, 1866, though a large part 

 of his business life was spent in Louisville. For many years 

 he was in the general contracting business in association 

 with his father, M. T. Lewman. The firm was noted for 

 handling large contracts, prominent among which was the 

 erection of the government dam in Warrior River, Alabama. 

 This company made a specialty of courthouses and is said 

 to have built more courthouses in the South than any other 

 concern in the country. 



In 1913 Mr. Lewman founded and organized the Ten 

 Broeck Tyre Co., becoming its president and having per- 

 sonal supervision of the erection of the plant and the build- 

 ing up of the business, which he had the pleasure of seeing 

 develop to such an extent that it was deemed necessary to 

 greatly enlarge the original plant, and to add a textile mill 

 for the purpose of weaving its own tire fabric, and this 

 undertaking was nearly completed at the time of his death. 



Mr. Lewman was twice elected president of the National 

 Association of Master Builders. He was a member of Ma- 

 sonic orders. He was also a large property owner in Louis- 

 ville and possessed holdings in several local enterprises. He 

 is survived by a widow, a daughter and three brothers. 



A PIONEER TIRE EXPERT. 



W. Scott Alkire, prominent in the tire department of The B. F. 

 Goodrich Co., Akron, Ohio, died at his home in that city re- 

 cently, aged 54 years. 



Mr. Alkire was one of the few men who grew up with the 

 company. He entered its employ 26 years ago, and has seen it 

 grow from small beginnings to its present prodigious propor- 

 tions, and in its progress he was a factor. When the pneumatic 

 bicycle tire business became important, he entered the tire de- 

 partment, and with the rise and growth of the automobile tire 

 industry, he steadily progressed, becoming assistant superin- 

 tendent of that department, relinquishing that office to become a 

 prominent member in the experimental department, where his 

 practical knowledge proved of great value to the company. 



service. He had received his pilot's license and had been 

 detailed to active duty at the front at the time of the accident. 

 He was 22 years old. A brother, Harold, 20 years old, is 

 also in France. 



BOBE A WELL KNOWN NAME. 



Hon. Morton E. Converse, founder of Toy Town (Winchen- 

 don, Massachusetts,) died August 25, at the age of eighty. He 

 was of the Converse family, notable as the founders of the 

 Boston Rubber Shoe Co. He was a Civil War veteran, a mem- 

 ber of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate 

 and a member of many clubs and orders, and was noted for 

 his public spirit and broad philanthropy. 



BRITAIN PERMITS IMPORTS OF KUBBEK GOODS. 



Since May 10, 1917, the importation of rubber manufactures 

 into the United Kingdom has been prohibited. According to a 

 recent cable from London it is understood that Great Britain 

 is now prepared to license rubber imports to the extent of IS 

 per cent of the amounts imported in 1916. .Application should 

 be made to the Department of Import Restrictions, London. 



United Kingdom imports for the calendar year 1916 were as 

 follows: Waterproofed apparel, £9,518; boots and shoes, 250,746 

 dozen pairs, £438,196; insulated wire, £133,728; submarine cables, 

 £7; automobile tires and tubes, £2,207,210; motorcycle tires and 

 tubes, £93,173; cycle tires and tubes, £113,442; tires not specified, 

 £10,040. 



SON OF A PROMINENT RUBBER MANUFACTURER. 



H. Norman Grieb, son of William G. Grieb, president of 

 the Ajax Rubber Co., Inc., New York City, died in Paris, 

 France, August 26, of pneumonia, following injuries received 

 while flying. He went abroad in May, with the Yale medical 

 unit, but on his arrival in France joined the French aviation 



TENNIS SHOE PRICES. 



The tennis shoe season ends early in September, and it has 

 been the custom of the manufacturers of these goods to an- 

 nounce prices for the next season on September 1. This year, 

 however, the United States Rubber Co. sent out new price- 

 lists on August 1, and the other manufacturers were but a few 

 days behind with their announcements. 



With the enormous advance in costs of materials and labor, 

 it was natural to expect a heavy advance over previous prices, 

 and under the circumstances it was somewhat of a surprise that 

 the advance was so moderate. In some of the finer lines, those 

 wholesaling between $1 and $2.50 a pair, 10 to 25 cents was 

 added, but on those selling at less than $1 last September, 10 

 to 15 cents was the maximum advance. 



It may be remembered that last year another list was sent 

 out late in October which showed material advances over Sep- 

 tember, 1916, prices. The present price-list in some cases shows 

 no advance over the October one, while in few cases are the 

 prices more than IS cents higher, and most of these cases are 

 in lines which were not advanced in the October list. 



Whether these August, 1917, prices, which are "subject to 

 change without notice" will be supplanted by later announce- 

 ments this fall, is impossible to foretell. Costs of materials are 

 constantly increasing. Taxes are heavier. There are possibili- 

 ties of further labor demands. If the manufacturers readjust 

 prices later, as they did last October, there is no doubt that 

 many, or all lines of tennis shoes will be marked up from 

 August 1 prices. 



ASBESTOS MINE DISCOVERED. 

 An asbestos mine has been discovered at Horsehide Springs, 

 Rattlesnake Mountain, Wyoming, which promises commercial 

 value, even though the mineral will have to be conveyed 150 

 miles, probably by motor trucks, to the nearest railroad. The 

 find is reported by C. B. Stewart, secretary of the Utah Wool 

 Growers' Association, whose automobile broke down at the lo- 

 cation, thus leading to the discovery. 



NEW LINE TO CALLAO. 



W. R. Grace & Co., New York City, will establish a line of 

 fast steamers between that city and Callao, Peru, by means of 

 the Panama Canal, making the trip in 11 days. At present the 

 best service between New York and Callao requires about 20 

 days, making allowance for a delay of from 4 to 6 days on the 

 Canal Zone. The firm has a well organized branch in every 

 port along the Pacific coast of South America, and will be able 

 to supervise closely the work of discharging its own vessels. 



