318 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March 1, 1915. 



Victor Rubber Co., Springfield, Ohio; II. II. Durr. 



Vulcanized Rubber Co., 251 Fourth avenue, New York: Sam- 

 uel 11. Dodd. 



Whitall Tatum Co., 46 Barclaj street, New York; II. II. 

 dy. 



Whitehead Brothers Rubber Co., Trenton, New Jersej : Alfred 

 Whitehead. 



A DECIDED STIR IN THE TIRE MARKET. 



THE MECHANICAL RUBBER GOODS MANUFACTURERS MEET. 



The first general meeting of the Mechanical Rubbet G Is 



ufacturers' division of the Rubber Club of America was 

 field Tuesday, February 16, at 33 West Fortj second street. 

 Twenty-six different companies were represented at tfiis meeting. 



William T. Cole, of the Fabrii Fire I l<>>e Co., was elected 

 pi rmanent chairman of the division, and John J. Voorhees, 

 president of tfie Voorhees Rubber Manufacturing Co., was 

 elected \ ice-chairman. 



It was voted that tlie annual meeting of tfie division should 

 be held on the same <la> as that of tfie Rubber Club of America, 

 and that regular quarterly meetings of the division should fie 

 field quarterly after the first annual meeting. The following 

 executive committee was appointed: William T. Cole, chairman, 

 Fabric Fire Hose Co.; George li. Hall, Boston Woven Hose & 

 Rubber Co.; C. C. Case, Revere Rubber Co.; Henry Spadone, 

 Gutta Percha & Rubber Manufacturing Co.; C. Edward Murray. 

 Empire Rubber & Tire Co. ; J II. Kelly. Republic Rubber Co.; 

 Howard E. Raymond, The B. F. Goodrich Co.; John J. Voor- 

 hees, Voorhees Rubber Manufacturing Co.; George H. Wies, 

 Eureka Fire Hose Manufacturing Co. 



RUBBER BOOTS REDUCED IN PRICE. 



' | "HE United States Rubber Co. announced its new footwear 

 •*• prices for the coming season on March 1 instead of as 

 hitherto on January 1. There is no change in the price in the 



lists, but tfie entire line of I ts has been reduced in price 



-in hi average of From 4 to 5] ■ per cent. Tfie net prices of Hip 

 Boots and Short Knots, as they appear in tfie lists of the Boston 

 Hub-Mark Brand, are given below, together with the prices of 

 January 1, 1914, which were in force up to March 1. There is 

 a corresponding reduction of price in Sporting and Storm King 



Boots. Net Price. Net Price. 



Hip Boots. Jan. 1, March 1, 



1914. 1915. 



Men's Hip Duck or Warrior $4.53 $4.28 



Men's Hip Duck Trawler 4.89 4.63 



Men's Hip Jungle (Duck Vamp) 4.28 l.Oo 



Men's Hip Gum Dull Finish 4.05 3.85 



Boys' Hip Gum Dull Finish 3.31 3.14 



Short Boots. 



Men's Short Duck or Warrior J 24 3.09 



Men's Short Duck Trawler 3.60 3.44 



Men's Sfic.rt Jungle (Duck Vamp) 2.94 2.79 



Boys' Short lungle (Duck Vamp) 22X 2.17 



Men's Knee Gum Dull Finish 3.14 2.99 



Men's Short Gum Dull Finish 2.75 2.61 



Boys' Short Gum Dull Finish 2.14 2.03 



Youth's Short Gum Dull Finish 1.60 1.52 



Men's Short Pebble Leg Bright Finish 2.75 2.61 



Short Pebble Leg Bright Finish 2.14 2.03 



Youths' Short Pebble Leg Bright Finish.... 1.60 1.52 



Women's Short Plain or Pebble Leg 1.(4 1.57 



Misses' Short Plain or Pefifile Lee 1.43 1.35 



Children's Short Plain or Pebble Leg 1.18 1.14 



IKE NEW RUBBER TARIFF IN CANADA. 



Canada has recently put a special import tax on all rubber, 

 crude as well as manufactured. There is a preferential tariff 

 rate of 5 per cent, ad valorem and a general tariff rate of 7H> 

 per cent, in addition to the rubber duties which have hitherto 

 been in force. These new rates apply to rubber which was 

 formerly free as well as to that which was dutiable. The pro- 

 hibition of the export of rubber from Canada still continues. 



II Januarj was particularly interesting because of the lifting 

 hi the crude rubber embargo, February made its especial 

 claim for attention by tfie reduction of prices in tfie tire 

 market and tfie introduction of a long needed reform in tfie 

 methods of sale. 



The Goodrich company announced on tfie first day of tfie 

 month a reduction amounting to about 20 per cent, in the 

 lues most in demand. For instance, tfie plain tread 34 x 4 

 was reduced in price from $24.35 to $19.40. In addition to 

 reducing its prices it published a net list to the consumer. 

 This companj was followed immediately fiy practically all 

 tfie large tire making companies in tfie United States, the 

 reductions as a rule being about the same as inaugurated by 

 the Goodrich company. The Ajax, Braender, Diamond, Em- 

 pire and United States announced what was practically a 20 

 per cent, reduction, while tfie Firestone, Fisk, Federal, Good- 

 year, Kelly-Springfield, Lee, Pennsylvania and Republic made 

 public in the press and through their salesmen reductions in 

 some cases over 20 per cent, and in others a little under that 

 figure. 



The reason assigned for these reduced prices, following 

 other reductions during the past two years, is the decided- 

 1\ lower cost of material. Crude rubber is now selling at 

 the lowest point since the rubber industry assumed any im- 

 portance, and, as everybody knows, there has been a glut 

 of cotton this year, sending the price of that commodity to 

 a low point. To be sure some people have assigned another 

 reason, namely, that the large manufacturers felt that there 

 wire too many small competitors crowding into the field 

 and thought it advisable to make the industry somewhat 

 less attractive for these new arrivals, but whether that be 

 so or not, the low cost of crude rubber and of cotton is in 

 itself quite sufficient to account for the new prices at which 

 tires are new being sold. 



Tfie reason assigned for publishing the lists of net prices 

 to tfie consumer lies in tfie abuse to wdiicfi the old price lists 

 have been subject, many of these lists being marked up to 

 a high figure so that the retailer could lure his customer by 

 making what appeared to be extraordinary discounts, tfiese 

 discounts amounting in some cases to 40 and even 50 per 

 cent. And even so, the consumer has sometimes found that, 

 despite the liberal — one might say munificent — discount fie 

 received, he could have bought the same tire elsewhere at a 

 lower figure. This reform in selling methods was greatly 

 needed. The car owner can now tell exactly what he must 

 pay for any given tire and will not be worried with the sus- 

 picion that if he had gone across the street he could have 

 purchased liis tire at still lower price. 



Some of tfie small retail dealers are not pleased witfi tfie 

 publicity metfiods of the manufacturers in giving out these 

 new net lists and in stating their reasons for doing so. Some 

 of the dealers think tfiat tfiese statements regarding padded 

 lists are a severe reflection upon their methods, and in this 

 they are quite right; but tfiese methods were certainly open 

 to grave criticism. To be sure, in a reform like this the just 

 and tfie unjust often suffer together, but, irrespective of the 

 fact that some innocent dealers have fiad an imputation put 

 upon their methods which they do not deserve, the business 

 of retailing tires as a whole was greatly in need of reform. 



The result of these new lists with lowered prices will un- 

 doubtedly be a considerable increase in tfie number of cars 

 purchased, for once the maintenance of a car comes within 

 tfie comfortable ability of people of moderate means the 

 army of car owners will grow so fast that the present tire 

 capacity of the American mills, great as it is, will be fully 

 utilized. 



