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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[August 1, 1>19. 



progress. That their foreign commerce is greatly ham- 

 pered by failure to scrap these obsolete standards is ob- 

 vious, and that both must eventually accept the new order 

 of things cannot be doubted. 



With its raw material produced in the tropics and 

 manufactured in the temperate zones, the rubber industry 

 is of such a pronounced international character that it 

 would unquestionably be benefited by universal employ- 

 ment of the metric system, and the American rubber 

 trade at least will probably lend its hearty support to the 

 campaign for adoption by America and Britannia being 

 waged by the World Trade Club of San Francisco. 



PAY FOR RUBBER PLANTATION LOSSES. 



ANTICIPATING THE LIKELIHOOD of early Congressional 

 action on the Mexican problem, the National As- 

 sociation for the Protection of American Rights in 

 Mexico is circulating blank forms on which owners of 

 Mexican property who have suffered loss through revo- 

 lutionary activities may summarize their claims against 

 the Mexican Government for presentation to Congress 

 by the association. 



The information sought on which to base claims in- 

 cludes description and location of property lost, de- 

 stroyed, damaged or confiscated, and how ; the names of 

 the faction responsible and of the leader of the party, 

 also the amount of the claim. 



Full particulars are asked regarding all American cit- 

 izens killed or injured and regarding all American 

 women and children outraged. Corporations are asked 

 to state the number of male and female stockholders and 

 the amount of money paid in by stockholders. 



The losses of the American rubber interests in Mexico 

 will alone make a large total. Hundreds of thousands 

 of acres of rubber plantations have of necessity been 

 abandoned and buildings destroyed. Claims for these 

 losses should be satisfied. 



THE EMPLOYMENT MANAGER. 



EMPLOYERS have come to recognize that the science 

 of hiring men and keeping them requires an expert 

 with as keen an intelligence as is demanded in the sales 

 or purchasing department. Selecting the proper man for 

 the proper place, grading employes according to their 

 capabilities and starting them out with the realization that 

 loyalty to the firm will be recognized as a prerequisite 

 to advancement are essential qualities in the makeup of 

 the employment manager. One who possesses proper 

 qualifications is invaluable in any industrial establish- 

 ment and given a free hand can make his department of 

 the first importance. In dealing with the men he must 

 have not only a few simple rules of procedure, but a 

 knowledge in detail of the requirements of the work and 

 the fitness, ability and adaptability of the help. 



Once hired, a man should be kept unless experience 

 demonstrates absolute unfitness or lack of adaptability. 



Ceaselessly the employment manager must see that the 

 little causes of friction which constantly arise in the con- 

 duct of a shop or factory are ironed out quickly and 

 quietly. Tact in dealing with political, religious and 

 racial questions is also a prime requisite. When it is 

 necessary to transfer a man from one department to 

 another, the reasons therefor should be noted as a guide 

 to the future. 



There is, of course, such a thing as too much efficiency, 

 so much that the human element is lost sight of. If the 

 employe comes to feel that he is but a cog in the great 

 machine, a unit in a card-indexing system, the very 

 object for which the employment manager is working may 

 be defeated. There is no definite standard by which an 

 employment manager can regulate the conduct of his 

 department, but a careful checking up of results at the 

 end of a year will show whether he has been successful 

 or not. His job is in a class by itself, requiring a com- 

 bination of experience, diplomacy and knowledge of 

 human nature, second only to the head of the administra- 

 tion offices itself. 



PATENTS UNDER THE PEACE TREATY. 



OF MUCH MOMENT to the rubber and allied industries 

 is that section of the peace treaty which provides 

 that Americans who were prevented during the war from 

 patenting their inventions or registering trade-marks in 

 Germany or other signatory countries may now do so 

 within six months after the treaty became efifective. 

 Patents may be renewed in Germany or any of the other 

 signatory countries by fulfilling the requirements of the 

 war period beginning August 1, 1914. 



The licensing and liquidation of German-owned Amer- 

 ican patents by the United States during the war are 

 recognized as valid and remain effective. Germany 

 waives the liability of the United States for infringement, 

 but the right of Americans to sue for infringement dur- 

 ing the war by the German Government or German in- 

 dividuals is not waived. A list of the alien enemy rub- 

 ber patents available under license was published in The 

 India Rubber World, July 1, 1919. 



Had Germany been able to procure the amount of 

 rubber she required, the number of American infringe- 

 ment suits would doubtless have been considerably in- 

 creased. 



American ships loaded with goods will soon set 

 sail for Germany. England and France have already 

 issued permission for trading with the Teuton. The 

 much-talked-of boycott therefore falls to the ground. If 

 one sells to Germany, one must buy from Germany, which 

 is of course sensible and unavoidable. 



The Corn Products Refining Co. at its great 

 plant at Argo, Illinois, will, hereafter, refuse to employ 

 any who do not speak English. Some 700 aliens, said to 

 be I. W. W.'s, will be dropped through this ruling. 

 Tickets to Russia and a speedy bon voyage would be an 

 added relief. 



