Evening star., 1925-07-24

There is Buckeye" city which is
celebrating its centennial anniversary
this week, but which might, with
greater vim, jubilate over the last
half alone. Akron was a town with
Main street" and not much else
until 1870; now 1t is metropolis OF
200 900 and Is known to all civilized
nations as the greatest rubber center
of the world. No wonder that its
centennial week Is marked with a
three-day jubilee and the most spec
tacular pageantry which money, en-
terprise and enthusiasm could pro-
vide.
Great Britain may boast that she
produces more rubber than does any
other country, but what would she
do with it IL there were no Akron?
Three of the worlds produc-
ton of rubber Is used in the United
States, yet we have but one Akron.
Count that day lost whose setting sun
fails to gild the 100000 pneumatic
tires made that day in Akron, TO-
gether with its 1000 inner tubes
for the tires and the $50 tons OF solid
rubber tires for heavy trucks.
There is nothing made out or ruo-
Der which Akron does not make.
her conveyor betting, 400 miles OF ruo-
ber bands, 25 miles of garden and nre
hose. scores of miles of air brake ana
steam hose, tons of rubber couplings
and q million, rubber heels. Shall all
IT'S rubber items be listed? They ex-
ceed 10000 different articles. Its pay
roll in the rubber industry amounts
to $75 900 900 year, and its producls
sell for $3.50, ,000,0 900.
The streets Of great cities TO-DAY are
payed with rubber. According TO the
ancient Arabic saying: He VINO Is Is
shod with leather, to him 1t Is as II
the world were covered with leather.
The adage, Nothing takes the place
of leather is now revised with an
added clause, except rubber. Think
what would be the state of the Worlo
If there had never been State OF
Ohio with it's inventors Of aviation
and of rubber
Other cities have earthquakes; Ak
ron has her rubber quake, for Britain
is shaking the rubber industry as
terrier shakes its prey. Ninety per
cent of the worlds rubber is con-
trolled by Britain and rs per cent is
used by the United States. A few
months ago raw rubber was worth
in the markets IT cents a pound;
TODAY II brings $1.20, and may
20 higher. British rubber monopo-
lists have decreed that the output
shall be cut down. Usually the rub
Der in British warehouses amounts to
| so 900 or $4,000 tons; today it is less
than a tenth of the normal supply,
and Akron. e., the rubber inter
ests of Americas showing unrest
anxiety, over the rubber famine i'm
pending.
Have YOU a little tire in your ga
rage? Nourish 1t, for 1t is priceless.
When Akron can get no more raw
rubber $4,000 employees will be job
less, but millions of Americans will
be tireless.
Has there ever been such q trade
romance as that of rubber, and has
any trade romance ever had so close
a setting as has rubber? 1t all cen
ters in the little town Of Akron-if
one may so speak Of city OF 20o'ooo
busting, thriving citizens.
When Akron was founded, In 1870,
nobody knew that rubber was of any
consequence A man named Conda-
mine had brought a bit of raw rubber
| to Europe 90 years previous, but It
was sticky, useless stuff, until in 1910
DIR. Priestly used a chunk OF II as an
eraser for lead pencil marks. Thirty
wears later Charles Macintosh used
| il as a varnish to make waterproof
| s.machintoshes" 1t was more than
half a century after DR.. Priestly's S
eraser that rubber came into its own
| for the first time.
In 1889 Charles Goodyear was ex-
perimenting with mixture of rub
| her and sulphur. He had gone into
| bankruptcy experimenting in iron
manufacture in Philadelphia. but after
| taking UP the problem of how to
utilize the sticky rubber he found