Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-11-18
AUTOMOBILES
TRUCKS
GOODYEAR TIRE co.
HAS MUCH RUBBER
Reaping Harvest Of Raw Ma
terial From Plantations
in Sumatra.

One OF the many lessons that war
conditions have brought forcibly to
the attention of American manufac-
turers Is that without control OF raw
material supply back to the source,
In case of disturbance in market
and transportation conditions, bust
ness can expect to be greatly handi-
capped The rubber industry learned
this lesson early in the war. when
England established an embargo on
crude rubber, and thru her control
of the far eastern rubber plantations
was able to make 1t effective In this
way she helped to maintain her trade
balance and insured the prevention of
reshipment OF rubber from neutral
nations to the central powers.
Rubber manufacturers. however,
were later permitted to obtain crude
rubber on their written agreement to
withhold shipments of rubber or rub
ber products from the central powers
and certain neutrals that might reship
to them. The shipment of crude rub
ber to this country Is still contingent
upon the observance of this agree
ment. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber
Co., however, sensed the difficulties
that lay ahead in the crude rubber
world several years ago, and sent rep
resentatives TO investigate rubber plan
of protecting its own rubber supply
back to the tree, thru the establish
ment of its own plantations.
New Plantations Are Producing.
AS result of these Investigations
the company now owns concession
of twenty thousand acres near Medan,
Sumatra where the problems OF
growing rubber for Goodyear's multi
tudinous needs are being worked out.
4. s,,.xA ~ rf
about two thousand acres were al
ready producing rubber. So that rub
Der from this plantation is now COM
ing to the factory at Akron and as
the company's plantation managers
are able to work out their intensive
methods of rubber culture, the pro-
portion of crude rubber coming from
the Goodyear plantation will become
larger and larger.
. The plantation Is divided into six
divisions, each having It's own man
ager. In addition to the one division
which is now producing, several have
been planted with young rubber trees
while still others are being cleared Off
preparatory to planting. In clearing
the thicket Chinese coolies are used
for the heavy work and the natives
for the tasks that do not require so
much muscle. All the good lumber
is saved anu uSeu u Duliu iNiH5 pudt
ters for the workers.
In former days 1t required ESQ
coolies to plow three acres in day.
but Goodyear has introduced new
methods, and by utilizing n tractor
twenty acres are now turned over in
that time. While the land has been
cleared off and prepared for planting,
young rubber trees have been grow
ing in the nursery beds, and are set
out when from six months to "a year
old Seven million seeds have already
been planted in these beds to grow
the trees for the Goodyear plantation.
In the meantime the company has
its rubber buyers in all parts of the
world ready to take advantage or
every opportunity to secure good rub
ber. The worlds rubber production
for this year is placed by conserva-
tive authorities at 250,00 tons, which
is about double the production at the
beginning of the war. About 90 per
cent of this is used in the United
States, Goodyear, alone, consuming
10 per cent of the worlds supply.