The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1917-12-06
FORMER TEACHER WRITES

WHO was lOIlleIly pIlltlpdl VI tI'
Bushnell schools. While it sounds
something like an advertisement for
Goodyear tires. it IS a mighty inter
esting just the same:
Akron, Ohio, Nov. "a. 1917 Editor
Brookings Register-My Dear Sir: As
n former correspondent to your paper,
1t gives one great pleasure to write
you about some of the existing con
ditions of the east in which | am 10
cated-the city is Akron, Ohio, uni
versally known as the great rubber
city of the world. II manufacturers
more than half of all the rubber
goods of the United States. Just now
it Is engaged in making rubber sup
plies for our army and navy and It's
twenty-five rubber factories are speed
ed up by the army and nation at large.
Rubber products are considered one
OF the necessities which will help win
the war. The Goodyear alone, by
whom | am employed, uses about one
tenth of the crude rubber of the world.
This company manufactures about %,
900 tires daily when running at full
capacity, manufacturing all kinds Of
tires from those used by the motor
cyclist to the great ~fourteen-inch tires
for army purposes. II also manufac-
lures the tires for the airplanes. The
output of tires for Akron alone would
no doubt exceed $1,000, 900 annually.
Not only are the rubber factories
manufacturing motor truck tires for
the United States. but are manufac-
turing thousands Of tires for the AL
lies.
Two of the biggest factories here
are manufacturing dirigible balloons.
These balloons are enormous gas
bags made of the very best fabric and
rubber. The kite balloons are only
seventy-fve or eighty feet long, while
the dirigibles are nearly seventy-ive
feet in diameter and one hundred and
seventy-hve feet long. These are
driven by motors similar to that Of
the airplane, while the kite balloons
are used as observation balloons.
wish | could take you through our
factory and show you the many pro-
cesses through which the rubber goes
before it comes out in rubber sheets,
automobile tires, rubber boots and
thousands of other articles and acces-
sories. The Goodyear has hundreds
Of acres Of floor space and employs
about 1000 men and women. Be
sides the Goodyear there are other fac
tories here which employ nearly 49,
900 men. The output of these factor
les Is enormous. The output of the
Goodyear alone for the fiscal year
ending Oct. LIST, was nearly 1925, 000,-
900.
The rubber industry has made
Akron one OF the booming cities of
the United States. 1t has a popula-
ton of about zoo, 900. 1t Is growing
go fast there are not enough homes
t. accommodate all of the workmer.
Each of the largest corporations
has some plans to better the sanitary
conditions and look after the welfare
of it's employees. There is none which
has done so much for its workmen as
the Goodyear. One Of the potent fac
tors of the Goodyear organization is
its school which affords facilities,
convenience and encouragement to all
members of the great organization. to
improve their knowledge and eficien-
cy to make them more valuable to
the Goodyear organization. No mat
ter what previous degrees Of educa-
ton q man has had, the Goodyear
gives him q chance to further his ed
ucation without charge. 1t goes a step
farther than to provide a school by
paying the workmen their regular
hourly wage (from 32hc to 75c an
0OUIy W 0tlCuu oCuOOl. Aul0 dPpilCS
to the aliens and the Flying Squadron
an organization controlled by the La
Dor Department. The men compris-
ing the Flying Squadron are picked
from the various rubber manufactur-
ing and engineering departments.
These men are high schoo! and col
lege men who are given a chance to
learn the rubber business from be-
ginning to end. After passing strict
physical and mental examinations
they are signed up for three years
course leading to the degree of Master
Rubber Worker.
The school is di fided into six dis
tinct groupes which simpliies the
matter OF organisation and manage
mont. These six groups In order Of
their organization are: "a Production
giving SQUADRON. (2) Engineering De-
frying Squadron. 90 ap'|