342 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March 1, 1915. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN AKRON. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 

 EVIDENCE of renewed activity in the local rubber trade was 



' produced February 20, when, for the first time in several 

 weeks. The B. F. Goodrieh Co. hung out a "Help Wanted" sign 

 at the factory and advertised in the Akron newspapers for tire 

 finisher--. The Goodrich company has been taking on from 200 

 to 300 new employes each week for the past two months. 



< Iflicials of the company and of other Akron companies say 

 that rhere is now plenty of rubber to supply their needs and that 

 as lie tire industry is beginning to show a marked recovery tire 

 production will be rapidly increased. "We are now running at 

 75 per cent of our capacity," said H. E. Joy, general superin- 

 nt of the Goodrieh plant, "and we believe the manu- 

 facturing situation will see a great improvement. Our tire busi- 

 ness has had a large jump in recent weeks and this is necessitat- 

 ing an increase in output. All departments show signs of being 

 benefited by the business revival." According to Mr. Joy, rub- 

 ber officials are not worried by the German paper blockade and 

 dn not believe that it will have any serious effect on the local 

 trade, lie added that in the event the Germans succeed in 

 stopping shipments of rubber from England, plans have already- 

 been made to ship direct from the plantations. 



Akron rubber men were pleased to learn that B. G. Work 

 has been named a member of the committee of the Rubber Club 

 of America which will see that the proper certifications are 

 made in shipments of rubber from the United States. Mr. 

 Work's efforts at London in securing the lifting of the British 

 embargo have given him a thorough understanding of the agree- 

 ment bv which rubber is permitted to be shipped, and his knowl- 

 edge will be very valuable to the committee. 



Stockholders of The B. F. Goodrich Co. will vote on March 

 HI on a proposed reduction in capital stock of the company. It 

 is proposed to reduce the preferred stock from $30,000,000 to 

 $28,000,000. The retirement of preferred stock, if approved, 

 will reduce dividend requirements and make a larger fund avail- 

 able for a possible common stock dividend in the future. All 

 stockholders of record February 27 will be entitled to vote at 

 the meeting. Goodrich and Kelly- Springfield common have been 

 two of the most active stocks on the market during the past 

 month and holders of Goodrich common in Akron are confi- 

 dently predicting that it will reach 60 before the end of the year. 



* * * 



The campaign of education for the benefit of tire users which 

 is being conducted by the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. is meet- 

 ing with excellent results and is appreciated by patrons, accord- 

 ing to an official of the company. 



* * * 



Rubber products are being manufactured in England on an 

 enormous scale, according to Frank A. Seiberling, president of 

 the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., who returned from that coun- 

 try to Akron February 22. Mr. and Mrs. Seiberling arrived in 

 Nsw York Saturday, the 20th, on the "Lusitania." While in 

 England they purchased fittings for their new home on Portage 

 Path' 



"English factories are working seven days and nights each 

 to supply the needs of the allied armies," said Mr. Seiber- 

 ling "Freight of all kinds for America and elsewhere is piled 

 mour.tain high on the English docks. The German blockade 

 may have some effect on shipping between England and America 

 '.!:; I do not think it will seriously affect the rubber trade." Mr. 

 Seil er'ing is well satisfied with the arrangement made with the 

 British government for the lifting of the rubber embargo. He 

 went to London with B. G. Work, president of The B. F. Good- 

 rich Co. who was the official representative of the Rubber Club 

 of America in conducting negotiations for the lifting of the 

 embargo. 



According to Mr. Seiberling, London is now a city of march- 



ing men in khaki uniforms and people in mourning. The res- 

 taurants are darkened, while hundreds of searchlights constant- 

 ly watch for Zeppelins. 



The two-piece rim is to be marketed by the Goodyear Tire & 

 Rubber Co. during 1915. Agencies for Goodyear rims are being 

 established in all parts of the country. The company is also 

 making a special rim for heavy cars. 



A circular is being sent out to dealers by this company warn- 

 ing tire users against the danger of overloading tires. 



* * * 



More than 30 "jitney" busses are now being operated in Akron 

 and the number is growing daily. Tom Faron and Peter Dock- 

 erson, former rubber workers, were the first to enter the field 

 lure. One woman, Mrs. F. W. Danner, is also operating a bus. 

 Good patronage is reported and the busses are cutting heavily 

 into the receipts of the local traction company. 



Motorization of all city fire apparatus has cut the cost of 

 maintenance in half, according to figures compiled by John T. 

 Mertz, chief of the department. It has been more than a year 

 since motor apparatus completely replaced the horse-drawn 

 apparatus in the local department, and although the number of 

 litis during the past year shows an increase compared with the 

 previous year the fire loss shows a decrease. Fire Chief Mertz 

 says that it is due to the facility with which they can respond to 

 an alaim that the fire loss is lower than ever before in the city's 

 history. 



* * * 



F. V Seiberling, president of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber 

 Co., has been named as one of the directors of the Chamber of 

 Commerce of the United States. Mr. Seiberling was formerly 

 prcs'dent of the Akron Chamber of Commerce. 



William F. Lawler, Jr., branch manager of The B. F. Good- 

 rich Co. in New York City, was married in Akron, February 15, 

 to Miss Louise J. Seybold. 



E. C. Shaw, of the Goodrich company, and A. Ff. Noah, former 

 treasurer of the Diamond, are spending a few weeks hunting 

 and fishing in Florida. They have chartered a houseboat at 

 Ft. Myer on the east coast. 



II. A. Bauman, Goodrich department manager, was elected 

 president of the Akron Rotary Club at the annual meeting in 

 February. 



J S. McClurg, formerly of Akron, is now at the head of the 

 McClurg Rubber Co., of Coshocton, which has taken over the 

 business and reorganized the S. & M. Rubber Co. of that city. 



J W. Moore, driver of a test car for the Firestone Tire & 

 Rubber Co., decided to quit driving rather than pay a $20 fine 

 in police court for speeding. He was given his choice by Judge 

 Vaughan. 



Among the social events of the past month was the annual 

 ball of office employes of the Miller Tire & Rubber Co. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN BOSTON. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



BUSINESS in some lines is better, in others it still lags. The 

 clothing manufacturers claim that last fall's beautiful pleasant 

 weather, widely distributed over the country, has militated against 

 the retail sales and as a consequence against good wholesale 

 orders. There seems to be a better demand for low-priced goods 

 than for finer garments. Tire manufacturers expect a lively 

 season, with prices ruling lower, and now that the embargo is 

 settled and crude rubber is available, they will run their factories 

 to fairly full capacity from now on. 



Mechanicals are moderately active. Makers of hose report 

 good demand for the garden and mill varieties, but not for fire 

 department hose. In boots and shoes there is a fair amount of 



