January 1, 1919.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



211 



being discharged from public service; and recognizing the ob- 

 ligation of the managers of industry to promote and safeguard 

 the health, comfort and welfare of the workers, pledge this as- 

 sociation to use its best endeavors to secure those results. 



At the evening meeting, which assumed the character of a 

 Victory Rally, Vice-President Thomas R. Marshall, Major- 

 General Clarence R. Edwards and Howard Cooley, former vice- 

 president of the association, and now vice-president of the 

 Emergency Fleet Corporation, were the principal speakers. 

 Music was furnished by the United States Aviation Band. 



At the annual meeting of the Employment Managers' Associa- 

 tion of this city, Fred S. Sparrow, formerly with the Hood 

 Rubber Co., Watertown, was elected vice-president. Ralph G. 

 Wells, of the E. I. du Pont de Nemours Powder Co., president 

 of the National Association, was one of the speakers. He out- 

 lined the policy and program of the organization to develop 

 and strengthen existing local associations, and to assist in the 

 formation of others. The readjustment of employment methods 

 to meet the coming needs, and the trade tests applied to those 

 called to the colors, were subjects of other addresses. 



Mr. Sparrow, mentioned above, for six years employment 

 manager, has severed his connection with the Hood Rubber Co., 

 and is succeeded by Herbert L. Baxter, formerly assistant 

 manager of the culling room. The employment manager's 

 position with this company is one of unusual importance, as the 

 company hires its workmen not only in the rubber industry, but 

 in many lines of labor in the building trades, doing its own 

 work of this kind instead of having such work done by contract. 



* ♦ ♦ 



The gross sales of the Boston Woven Hose & Rubber Co. 

 in its fiscal year ended September 1 last totaled $10,200,000, an 

 increase of 30 per cent over the 1916-17 figure of $7,800,000, 

 and by far the largest twelve months' business in the history of 

 the company. A goodly portion of this business was for govern- 

 ment account but, being in the company's regular lines, did not 

 entail rearrangement of plant or equipment to any great extent. 

 The signing of the armistice found the company with no large 

 army orders on hand, however. It still has contracts for fur- 

 nishing goods to the Na\'j' which will not be cancelled. 



The national interest in canning and preserving food during 

 the year stimulated the demand for jar rubbers and this resulted 

 profitably for the Boston Woven Hose & Rubber Co. The 

 sales for the year ending September 1 totaled nearly 4,000,000 

 gross or nearly 10,000,000 pounds of rubber rings. The com- 

 pany makes public no income account, but from the balance 

 sheet it would appear that net earnings last year approximated 

 $1,000,000 after depreciation, taxes and other property setups. 

 At the close of business September 1, the company had net 

 quick assets of $3,175,000, or approximately $500,000 more than 

 the working capital of the previous year. 



It is reported that Albert H. Hadley, of the Chemical Research 

 Co., of Lynn, has discovered and perfected a substitute for 

 rubber cement, the result of fifty years' investigation of cements. 

 His family was among the first people in the country to make 

 rubber cement. 



* * * 



Boston imported crude rubber to the value of $2,550,124 in 

 the year ended September, 1918, as compared with $920,040 for 

 the corresponding period in 1917. The exports of manufactured 

 rubber goods for the same periods were $1,166,4S2 for 1918 and 

 $1,212,560 for 1917. 



ANNUAL S. A. E. MEETING. 



The annual meeting of the Society of Automotive Engineers 

 will be held in the Engineering Societies' Building, West 39th 

 street, New York City, February 4-6, 1919. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN RHODE ISLAND. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 

 'T'HE year 1918 closes with the several plants constituting the 

 •*• rubber industry of Rhode Island being operated at the same 

 capacity-breaking schedule that has been the record for nearly 

 four years. Although there has been considerable cleaning up 

 on government contracts and sub-contracts within the past month 

 or six weeks, no anxiety has been caused as to the prospects of 

 plenty of work for an indefinite period among the rubber workers, 

 as all the mills are so far behind on regular goods that it will 

 take many months to overtake ihe normal demands. 



The New Year finds a great change in the labor situation 

 that is one of the chief topics of interest among the manufac- 

 turers of all lines throughout the State. Up to within a few 

 weeks there has been the same persistent and insistent demand 

 for labor that has prevailed during more than four years. At 

 the present time there appears to be more men seeking positions 

 than there is demand for. The result is that manufacturers, 

 planning for the reconstruction period, are able to be more 

 selective in taking on additional help. 



All of the rubber concerns of Rhode Island have materially 

 improved their plants and facilities during the past year, and a 

 number have plans now perfected for a further expansion and 

 improvement. Changing conditions will, it is believed, afJord 

 them the desired opportunity of carrying to a successful termina- 

 tion certain plans which, in a number of instances, have been 

 under consideration for a long time. Not only has considerable 

 attention been given to the increasing of the facilities of pro- 

 ductiveness in the factories, but the health, welfare and comfort 

 of the employes— individually and collectively— have been looked 

 after in a manner never before equalled in the industrial history 

 of this section. 



* * * 



Plant extensions of the United States Rubber Company 

 furnish convincing proof of the belief of its officials that 

 pneumatics are to be the truck tires of the future, and that 

 the demand for solid tires v/ill be less and less, even for 

 heavy hauling purposes on big trucks. By the end of Janu- 

 ary, the new tire plant of this company, at Providence, Rhode 

 Island, will probably be completed. It will employ 5,000 

 'men and will be capable of turning out $20,000,000 worth of 

 solid and large pneumatic tires annually. Further expansion 

 calls for the building of a new cord tire unit in addition to 

 the plants at Providence and Detroit. Michigan, the location 

 of which has not yet been determined. 



The plant of the National India Rubber Co. at Bristol is the 

 scene of continual activity because of the improveinents that 

 are constantly being made. Not only are there numerous addi- 

 tions, alterations and renovations in progress all the time but 

 many new and novel innovations for the comfort and better- 

 ment of the employes are being introduced. Everything possible 

 for the health, safety and general welfare of the operatives is 

 being done by the management, one of the latest acquisitions 

 along this line being the holding of dental clinics, plans for which 

 are now being carefully worked out. The employes are to 

 benefit by the plan, as attention will be given to employes' teeth 

 without delay whenever necessity arises. A dentist will devote 

 regular hours at a room which is now being fitted up for the 

 purpose, and emergency cases will be immediately looked after. 

 Should an employe's teeth require more attention, the patient 

 will visit the dentist at his local ofifice. 



The company is also engaged in the preliminary work of 

 organizing a band of 35 pieces, the company to provide the 

 instruments, and the band to be under the direction of a leader 

 who is to arrange for meetings for practice at certain periods 

 each week. 



Women employes of the National company have entered into 



