THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[September 1, 1919. 



new price lists will show material advances over last year s. 

 rates. 



* * * 



The Boston Woven Hose & Rnbber Co. reports a remarkable 

 call for jar-rings. Even though the normal wholesale season is 

 over, the retail demand, now at its height, is being reflected by 

 the reorders from wholesale distributers. 



This company is building for completion and occupancy about 

 October 1 a one-story brick and steel building, 165 by 50 feet, 

 to be used for the manufacture of imitation leather. Consid- 

 erable new equipment will be installed to double the present 

 output. In addition to motor fabrics, material is being produced 

 for baby-carriage manufacturers, handled in conjunction with 

 the company's tire business; also imitation leathers for the shoe 

 trade to which the company furnishes heels and soles. 



George and Samuel Grow have formed the George Grow Tire 

 Co. and purchased and equipped the plant of the C. C. C. Fire 

 Hose Co. at Canton, Massachusetts. The manufacture of cord 

 and fabric tires has been started with an output of 75 tires per 

 day, which they expect to increase to 500 tires by next spring. 

 The cord tires are all hand made, and machines are used in 

 producing the fabric tires, all of the latter being oversize and 

 containing one ply more of fabric than the standard. 



George Grow will have charge of sales. The factory super- 

 intendent is L. J. McDonald, for twelve years with the Revere 

 Rubber Co. and the Patterson Rubber Co., and for nearly five 

 years with the Needham Tire Co., the last year as superin- 

 tendent of the latter company's factory. 



The Vaughn-Upton Co., manufacturer of fountain pens and 

 hard-rubber pencil holders for the stationery trade, recently 

 removed its plant from Causeway street to North Washington 

 street, Boston. The present plant occupies the entire top floor 

 of the Trade Building, is excellently lighted on three sides, and 

 is laid out to facilitate manufacturing operations to the best 

 advantage. 



Seaver & Co., 120 Milk street, Boston, manufacturers of fine 

 ivory and bone black, will be located at 3 Tremont Row, in the 

 Olympia Building, after September 1, 1919. 



The First National Bank, Boston, has purchased the Equit- 

 able Building on Milk street and the properties immediately ad- 

 joining at the rear, the total having an assessed valuation of 

 almost $2,000,000. The present buildings on the site will be torn 

 down and a new one erected which will be one of the finest 

 banking houses in the country. 



* * * 



Last month there was an auction sale in Boston of 43,000 pairs 

 of hip rubber boots salvaged from the steamship Port Hunter, 

 which was sunk off Long Island more than a year ago. The 

 goods were owned by the Government, and despite the fact that 

 they had lain for several months under water they were found 

 in surprisingly good condition. The boots were offered in 500- 

 pair lots, well sorted as to sizes, and no bidder was allowed to 

 buy more than four lots. The lowest price at which they were 

 sold was $2.45 per pair, and the highest $2.51. As the trade 

 price of hip boots runs from $4.50 to $4.75, and these were 

 specially heavy and sold to the Government at a much higher 

 figure, the buyers must have considered them bargains. 



Business at the Boston establishment of The B. F. Goodrich 

 Rubber Co., of Akron, Ohio, was suspended on August 7, when 

 the entire force participated in an outing at Nantasket Beach. 

 The company assembled at the Goodrich Building, on Boylston 

 street, and, headed by a band, marched to Rowe's Wharf. Ar- 

 riving at the beach, a program of sports was offered by the 

 general committee, of which F. T. Moore, New England man- 



ager of the company, was chairman. Afterwards there was 

 dancing in the hotel ballroom, visits to Paragon Park and other 

 forms of entertainment. 



One of the most interesting events was the fat men's race, 

 which was won by Manager Moore, with W. H. Hickey second. 

 There were no entrants in the fat girls' race, but a number re- 

 sponded when candidates were called out for "pleasingly plump 

 girls." Miss T. G. Ribbs won first prize. There were three-legged 

 races, pie-eating contest for the office boys, various dashes for 

 men and girls and other events. The party returned to Boston 

 on an evening boat. 



Herbert T. Mason, recently with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber 

 Co., Akron, Ohio, is now treasurer and sales manager of the 

 Quabaug Rubber Co., North Brookfield, Massachusetts. 



The Tyer Rubber Co., Andover, Massachusetts, is planning 

 an extension of its welfare work and service to employes. This 

 began by the employment in June of Mrs. E. A. Webster Cross, 

 an American nurse, who had served for about three years with 

 the British Army in England and France, and who for a con- 

 siderable part of that time was engaged in the industrial service 

 of the British Government for munition workers. During the 

 first month Mrs. Cross has treated about 150 cases, and while 

 the injuries were not in many cases of a serious nature, it is 

 estimated that much real trouble has been avoided by prompt 

 treatment, so that time has been saved both to the individual 

 employe and to the company. Excellent hospital rooms are 

 being fitted up in two of the buildings of the company. 



In July an employment and service department was established 

 under the direction of Ralph E. Nash, who has had several years 

 experience in industrial service work overseas. He undertakes 

 the work with no fixed plan, both he and the company feeling 

 that whether or not his work follows the approved and accepted 

 methods of this country or the more recent liberal English 

 methods, depends quite as much upon the employe as upon the 

 company. The introduction of such a department indicates 

 the attitude of the company towards cooperation with its em- 

 ployes, to which it feels a hearty response will be accorded. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN RHODE ISLAND. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



THE MONTH OF AuGUST has in a great measure been a recon- 

 structive one for the manufacturers of rubber goods in 

 Rhode Island, as it has been the first period in nearly four years 

 when there has been so near a complete cessation of production. 

 In consequence of the long period of continuous operation, an un- 

 usual amount of overhauling and repairing of the machinery and 

 other equipment of the several plants has been necessary to 

 bring them back to the normal standard. Renovations, rearrange- 

 ments, extensions and the erection of several additions have been 

 among the activities noted at the various concerns. 



The help situation continues to harass the manufacturers, with 

 but little hope of any immediate relief. The abnormal wages 

 paid to laborers during the war by industries that were engaged 

 on governmental contracts attracted hundreds of employes, and 

 few have returned to their regular vocations. It is safe to say 

 that the manufacturers of rubber goods in this city and vicinity 

 could immediately place at least 1,000 employes in their various 

 departments. 



The plant of the National India Rubber Co. at Bristol, which 

 closed down July 31 for two weeks, did not resume operations 

 at the date expected, but was idle for an additional week because 

 of the tie-ups occasioned by the strike on the railroad system. 

 It was not until the 25th that the first of the departments started 

 up, and a week later before all departments were in operation. 



During the shut-down the gum-room building in the central 

 part of the factory was raised from two stories to three in 



