New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-08-09
Huge Export Business
Will Cease for Some
Time to Come.
pIJBBER SHORTAGE
IS GREATLY FEARED
Tire Factories Unable to Secure
Supplies of Raw Material,
Will Raise Prices.

The automobile industry. in common
..s,b hundreds OF other lines of busi-
80 In this country, will be adversely
rS,rte6 as a result Of the war new
s,i,o waged ia Europe. Already the
sssets are being felt by the factories
tSe complete stoppage Of exports at
.season when that end Of the business
al its height Il is said that hun
Sreds Of cars are being held in freight
-,yds in this and other cities that are
ssrtres for export business, and these
IN have 20 be absorbed on the Eastern
,.sbosrd. The motor car export trade
,nounts 20 more than S3O,000,OOO an
nuslly.
,.ion. however. has 10 60 with the tire
ssd Of the industry, and the prediction
= made that If the war continues for
ssv considerable length of time there
III be a famine that will compel the
living up of thousands OF cars.
Nearly every pound of raw rubber
.bst comes TO this country for the pro-
5gs.ion Of automobile tires, whether It
s-.ginates in Ceylon or South America,
q handled through London, which is
roU virtually closed as q port Of conf
.,ree. Il cannot be said definitely just
~ much Of the raw material is kept
:, hand. but some Of the local tire men
are Of the opinion that even the larg-
o.. factories do not carry a supply SUI
seient TO last them aore than sixty
dsvs. and that some of the smaller
PRODUCERS will be able TO keep going
eniy for a day or two.
There is, Of course, the probability
that South American trade Will be d.
ver.ed directly 70 this country, II the
uar is prolonged, in which event the
situation will partially adjust itself.
Tbet adjustment, however, may be
r.ontbs away, and in the mean time the
factories are steadily using up their
present supply without any clear idea
AZ how soon they will be able to get
more. 81,
has Far outstripped the South Ameri-
ear production in the last few years,
the ratio now being roughly estimated
AZ 5 10 /, so that even were the entire
southern supply available there would
stir be serious danger of shortage.
inst how greatly the automobile
user will be affected is shown by the
fset that one of the largest tire con-
Germs in the country on Friday notified
ID branches OF a 20 per cent raise IN
priees-a move that will be followed
5v an the others. it is expected, within
week, although they may not all
make so large an increase. From 10 10
60 per cent is the general expectation.
an my opinion, the Akron factories
have only a normal supply of rubber
On hand" said one Of the big New
York tire men yesterday, "and ] doubt
that they ever carry more than enough
for sixty days. In the present stress
h, is reasonable 20 expect that they
viii 20 slow on production in order 10
kssp the plants going and the men en-
2loyed as long as possible TO avert the
misery that would follow a sudden
shutdown. Akron is absolutely depend
ent on the continuance Of rubber tire
manufacturing.
Assuming that the supply OF raw
rubber has stopped, pending the dura-
ton Of the war. the eventuslity is this:
What rubber there is on hand in the
various factories will be made up into
tires. and those tires will be sold and
used When they have worn out there
Will be no possibility Of repienish-
ment
SCRAP rubber, that is, worn-out rub
Der tires, and other used-up rubber
goods, can, in an emergency, be made
up into fairly dependable solid tires