Evening star., 1922-12-15
BIG BUFFALO TIRE
PLANT TO START UP
British Capital and Brains In
terested in Future of Dun
Iop Company.
BY J. c. ROYLEJ

Special Dlspatch 70 ! ne StaI.
NEW YORK. December 15.-1f COM
petition is the life Of trade, the tire In
dustry will get a new lease Of life short
q ly after January 1. The prompt sub
scription Of the bond issue of the Dun
lop Tire and Rubber Company of Ameri-
ca, amounting to nearly $16.000,0OO, as
sures the starting up Of the big plant
at Buffalo shortly after that time. 1t
has stood idle. 90 per cent completed.
since the depression Of two years ago
struck the tire industry.
1t also marks the return to the Amerf-
can Industrial field Of Sir Eric Geddes,
sometime first lord Of the British ao-
miralty and director Of the production
war. Str Eric will be chairman OF the
board of the revived Dunlop company.
while Edward B. Germaine, FORMER
sales manager of the Bethiehem snip
, building Corporation. will be It's presi-
dent and chief executive. The latter
/; has already sailed from England to take
+, charge Of completing the plant ana
starting production and active work Will
commence with the turn OF the year.
Sharp Competition Seen.
Many significant factors, have
brought about this first serious in
vasion of British capital into the
American Industrial field since the
war. The company will obtain its
crude rubber from It's own plantations
in the East Indies operated by the
British Dunlop Company. With
crude rubber soaring toward 80 cents
a pound and with demands Tor wage
increases even now pending at Akron,
American manufacturers will have to
utilize volume of production and
every trick of management to over
come this handicap.
Moreover. the Dunlop Company has
obtained ownership of the Utica
Mills at Utica. n. Y. which will dis
continue at once manufacture OF un-
derwear and be converted to the pro-
duction of tire fabrics and cords to be
utilized in the Buffalo plant. The
Dunlop Company. for the time being
high quality production and will not
invade the low-priced field. The
Buffalo factory has q capacity OF
from $4,000 to $4,000 tires a day and
eventually about ao.ooe men VIII be
: employed. In this connection It may
be pointed out that Sir Eric Geddes
is regarded as one of the greatest
handlers Of labor In the world. per-
haps because ne got his own start
with a pick and pinch bar.
Textile Prices Ffrmer.
There has been a decided arming
up OF prices IN Dotn wool ana cottoH
textiles in the last few days. Lines
= of woolens for fall are generally
priced we'll above the levels named a
year ago. while the strength Of raw
cotton has solidified determination of
cotton mills to make no concession in
price on cotton cloths In this connec-
ton it Is noteworthy that while the
final estimate of the cotton crop Of
Louisiana is only $4,000 bales above
that Of last year. it Is worth 332.S40.-
900. or $l0.500.000 more than that of
1921.
Wholesale grocery sales throughout
the country are averaging far above
the totals for last December and
there is a steady demand for canned
food products. Milk prices in many
sections have risen.
Some, vessel owners on the great
lakes have gambled and won against
the weather. They have continued to
operate their vessels between Decem-
Der 10. when all marine insurance on
the lakes terminated. and today. There
has been a tremendous volume Of
freight awaiting shipment and own
ers estimate some of their late voy-
ages will return profits as high as
$4,000 each