The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-02-23
WILL
ENTERTAIN
TIRE MEN
Big Rubber Producer to Ask
Help Of Associates Against
British Law.

Henry Ford has a competitor for
the honor Of keeping motor trans
portation within the reach of the
multitude.
He is Harvey s. Firestone, the
second largest manufactures OF rub
Der tires in America, who next week
will personally entertain his fellow
manufacturers in Washington at a.
two-day conference aimed to reduce
the price of tires by combating the
British monopoly on the raw pro-
duct.
Mr.. Firestone's solution is to in
troduce the growing Of rubber IN
the Philippine Islands or in South
! America and thereby avoid the
heavy export tax. imposed by the
colonial restrictive laws of England
which not only impose a huge levy
for all raw material leaving the
British possessions but which place
a limit on the amount when may
leave, thereby creating scarcity
in this country which gets 80 per
cent of its raw rubber from that
The millionaire Akron rubber
manufacturer, and adroit self-rnade
business man whose stature anu
bearing remind one OF Henry soro
, himself, is taking an independent
stand against the British control
over the raw-goods market ana
against certain American ruDOer III
terests which have made no e1Aort
to relieve the industry In Inns cou
itS conseouent burden on the purse
Of the users Of automobile tires.
He Invites Associates.
He has invited several hundred
PRODUCERS engaged in the same
business to come to washington
on February q and 70 TO DISCUSS
the situation which is ooLlhaIeu
by Great Britain and Its neaVy %
port assessment. To-Day ne
nounced for the first time tnaI cne
only solution he can offer E0eSe
men who have accepted nAS ell.
is to exploit the growing OK ruoner
in the Pacific possessions OF Amer
lea or in South America.
English colonies control 30 per
cent of the worlds raw ruboer out
put and ~ per cent OF the total
amount of rubber export from the
British colonies comes to America,
said Mr.. Firestone.
"As 100000 Of the 12,OOO,OoO
automobiles in the world are owned
In the United States, it IL the
people of this country who are
making English investors in rubber
stocks wealthy by our enormous
consumption of tires.
"Since the restrictive laws be-
, came effective in England in 1879,
rubber has advanced in price nearly
200 per cent. The cost Of the raw
material at that time was Is cents
a pound and today it is more than 30
cents"
Senator Mccormick, chairman OF
the Committee on Foreign Trade
Relations will be one Of the speak
ers at the Willard Hotel conference
next week. Mr.. Mccormick has
placed the rubber situation in this
country before Congress, stresslng
how completely at the mercy OF
foreign growers this country Is.
Costs $15O, 900, 900.
The increased cost Of rubber has
made an additional expenditure OF
$3.50, 100000 to the consumers OF
America, according to figures which
will be presented to the manufac
turers Of rubber goods. An expert OF
the Firestone factory, who has been
in Europe two months investigating
the rubber industry, has returned
with the information that the So
called restriction act is unpopular
with the leading economists Of Eng
land, and that it is the result Of &C.
tivities Of q political group represent
ing the rubber planters.
Cooperation and organization on
the part of the American manutac-
turers concerned who cannot get
the amount Of raw rubber they
want because Of the restriction, is
looked to help repeal the legisla-
ton now obtaining abroad, which is
admittedly unsound economically
and contrary to British govern
ment policies and traditions. Efforts
will be made by the manufacturers
while in Washington to enlist the
aid of the Government in having
the British law repealed, and in
the meantime the idea Of growing
rubber in the Philippines is getting
/ E.