September I, 1919. 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



tires and inner tubes. The first factory unit will be built at 

 early dale. 



D 



NORMAN A. SHEPARD, PH. D. 



N'oKMAN A. Shepard, who, as was mentioned in The 

 India Rubber World last month as succeeding Dr. John 

 Ttittle as research chemist at the Firestone Tire & Rubber 

 Co.'s plant at Akron, Ohio, al- 

 though a young man, is well 

 known in the scientific world. 

 He was born April 8, 1890, 

 in New Haven, Connecticut, 

 where he attended school, 

 graduating from the high school 

 in 1907 as valedictorian of his 

 class. He then enrolled in the 

 chemical course of the Shef- 

 field Scientific School of Yale 

 University, from which he 

 graduated, with the degree of 

 I'h. B., in 1910. He continued 

 his study in the Graduate 

 School of Yale for three years, 

 majoring in organic chemistry 

 under Professor Treat B. John- 

 son, who is recognized as an 

 investigator of marked ability 

 in this subject. He was a member of the Yale faculty from 

 1910 to 1919, first as laboratory assistant and successively as 

 assistant in instruction, instructor, and assistant professor, which 

 office lie resigned last July to accept his present position. 



Dr. Shepard received his degree of Ph.D. in 1913, and three 

 years previous to this he was elected a member of Sigma Xi, 

 a national honorary organization of men and women interested 

 in original scientific research. 



Dr. Shepard has contributed several able articles to the 

 "Journal of the American Chemical Society." During the recent 

 war he was instructor in the Student Army Training Corps, 

 and was detailed on research work on high explosives in con- 

 nection with the government plant at Bound Brook, New Jersey. 

 He is considered a worthy successor to Dr. Tuttle, who becomes 

 chief chemist of the Firestone company. 



Norman A. Shep.^rd. 



MASON TIRE & RUBBER CO. EXPANDS. 



Following the detailed announcement of the building of a mill 

 to supply tire fabric, that appeared in The India Rubber World, 

 April 1. 1919, comes the report that The Mason Tire & Rubber 

 Co., Kent, Ohio, will double the capacity of its plant, contracts 

 having been placed for two large additions. This, it is claimed, 

 will place this company fifth in point of production among the 

 tire manufacturers in the .\kron district. This is the third time 

 the capacity of the plant has been doubled in the last three years. 



The establishment of the cotton fabrics mill, and the enlarge- 

 ment of the tire factory will require 500 additional employes, and 

 to provide proper living conditions for them. The Mason Housing 

 Co. was incorporated July 16, 1919, under the laws of Ohio, with 

 a capital of $100.0i)0, to assist and encourage employes to own 

 their own homes. The directors and officers of the company are 

 the same as those of The Mason Tire & Rubber Co. 



Two recent additions to the production list of the company are 

 40 by 8 pneumatic cord truck tires and 30 by 354 cord tires. 



The accompanying illustration shows leveling crews engaged in 

 razing one of the .'Kkron rubber industry's oldest lands marks. 

 The buildings in this group were the home of the American 



Hard Rubber Co., for a number of years and were originally 

 constructed by the Goodrich company about the year 1884. It 

 was in these buildings that the Goodrich company first manufac- 

 tured hard rubber products. Four years later the Goodrich 

 Hard Rubber Co. was formed, the land, buildings and stock 

 of the hard rubber department being transferred to the new 

 company. 



In 1898 the .-\nierican Hard Rubber Co., a combination of sev- 

 eral small companies, was organized, taking over the holdings of 

 the Goodrich Hard Rubber Co. This new company retained 

 possession of the buildings until last year, when they removed 

 to their new quarters in East Akron. 



.A. mammoth eight-story-and-basement building costing $1,- 

 500,000 will replace all of the buildings in this group. In fact 



Removing Old Goodrich Landmark. 



from the standpoint of floor space it will be the largest building 

 in Akron. The construction and equipment will be of the most 

 inodern type. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN MASSACHUSETTS. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



THE unusual midsummer QUIET of past years has not been 

 so marked this season in the rubber trade here, though, to 

 be sure, the footwear factories have been shut down for two 

 or three weeks. Considerable new machinery has been installed, 

 and more would have been added, but manufacturers of rub- 

 ber-working machinery and appliances are sold up to capacity 

 several months ahead. The tire business is naturally very brisk 

 at this season, all manufacturers reporting good business, while 

 many new enterprises in this field have started or are con- 

 templated. Clothing people have had some labor troubles, but 

 apparently these have been straightened out. Mechanical plants 

 are busy. The reclaiming business is the one which is feeling 

 the greatest absence of activity, due to the low price of crude 

 rubber. Manufacturers prefer to use new rubber rather than 

 reclaim at present rates, and the demand for the latter is little 

 if any over 50 per cent of normal. This condition is reflected 

 in the didlness of the waste rubber market, and dealers are carry- 

 ing inuch larger than average stocks, with little demand for 

 any scrap except inner tubes and boots and shoes. 



September 1 is the usual date when the manufacturers of 

 rubber footwear announce their prices for tennis shoes for the 

 succeeding season. Higher prices are anticipated, and naturally 

 so when the rise in values in all lines of merchandise is con- 

 sidered. Crude rubber, to be sure, has declined over 30 per cent, 

 but the rubber cost in tennis footwear is but a sinall proportion 

 of the total. With all other materials costing much more, and 

 labor costs soaring, there is every reason to believe that the 



