Arizona republican., 1917-10-21
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 OPERATED IN
 MODERN NAY


 Some idea of the vast scale on which th,- rgJher industry is conducted in Akron. the rubber capital of the world, can be eained from description of the Flrcs;ene Tire & Rubber company, which was recently sent Ed Rudolph, local Firestone agents.
 Seventeen years ago the Firestone ccmnary occupied a. small building With only one eighth of an acre of floor space Today the plant has over Ss acres of floor space, and buildings now under construction will increase this + acres.
 When the company first began the manufacture of automobile tires, its cau4litv was only a few tires day. Today it is mere than 15,000 day and win be 5000 when new buildings are causrieted. In 1916. it's gross sales auauntcd Go S36.0O0. coo This year it has rceu over one million a week, or over sGa ndn .000 for the year. Up to ~euteiuue. l. the sales had increased -- ger cent over the same period last ye1r.
 Ire company now has more than 10000 emnloyes in it's home office and I. tories and 1900 at it's branches and m the field.
 Akron is a city that has grown so fast within the last ten years that it i< scarcely recognized by the old resi- dents as the same little village they klcw in the 9G's Thousands of work men pouring into the city every year have brought with them all the prob l,me of metropolitan city. The new r.s cents came faster than homes could be built for them and soon Asren found itself with a real big-city housing problem on it's hands. A we'll known writer who had heard of the marvellous growth of the city and came to see. facetiously wrote back to his publication that here was standing room only"
 Pacing the problem squarely, the rubber companies realized that if they ta kCep t0eir Worhmen happy at their jobs it would be necessary to provide homes and clean. healthful liv ing conditions The Firestone Tire X Rubber company was one of the first Ca take a forward step in the move, meut. In one year the company opened u- ga large allotment of homesites for it~ employees. built a clubhouse, pro- Ied welfare fund of s1.0OO, GOO built a thoroughly equipped modern hospi- t1I and employment building. and made more than 90 per cent of it's workers partners in the business.
 frestone Park" a year ago was a 5es-arre farm. Today it is laid out in dc.irhtful boulevards, electrically lighted. paved and lined with modern homes IL is not merely an allotment, ar- >-.--G.Iy planned and well laid uut community There are schools, Cf furches. stores. and d public park, all ,N1o Tba tofs are large with plenty of room for .s -arlen and for the children to play. ln shcgt Firestone Park is a model community.
 2. was the broad vision of Mir H. S Firestone. president and founder of the company. which made this community of homes a possibility. Recently at a rathering of Akron real estate men, Mir rreSt.ne said: Take the working men su- ot the consested districts, out where there is air and where he can have a plot Of ground and where his children will have the right kind of en- yiroument to make of them proper citizens.
 These words explain MT Firestones motives in laying out Firestone Park.
 Within the main group of factory buildings Is a large clubhouse, built bv the company for its employees at an expense of SS50,0G0. Swimming pool, shower baths. bowling alleys, barber shop. restaurants. rest rooms and reading and writing rooms, are in al most constant use. while the large au- C,torium, ball room and banquet hall is engaged several nights week.
 Guarding the health of the workers Is Dne of the most important functions Cf the employment department New employees are given a thorough physical c--amination before they are accepted and are siven medical treatment free whenever they call at the hospital. For this work. a large staff of physicians and surgeons. dentists and nurse is r.aintained. The teeth of every em- Iloye are examined every three months.
 But the crowning feature of all these moves for the health, happiness and prosperity of Firestone workers was the opportunity extended to them to become stockholders in the company A large amount of stock was allotted tu employees in blocks of from to 1O shares. according to the length of ser vice, and regardless of salary or posi- ton. The employees were then given