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Show CHEAPER RUBBER ILPSMOTISTS "The development of 'plantation rub-ber, rub-ber, which In the past few years has not only brought down crude rubber prices, but changed the world's basic supply, has had a marked offect on tho tlre-maklng industry." cays Manager J. c. Riley of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber company. "This in turn has worked an advantage to tire users and the wholu automobile Industry." Mr. Riley added: Four or five years ago Brazil produced pro-duced most of the world's high-grade crude rubber supply, and the price per pound was steadily rising. It reached $3 a -pound in 1910 and the supply was not nearly up to tho demand, de-mand, so that a serious crisis was In sight and there was danger that the prices of rubber products, such as tires, would become prohibitive and seriously retard the development of the automobile except as a toy of tho very wealthy. Meantime, far-slghled men and companies had established vast plantations plan-tations of young growing rubber tree?, easily accessible. Instead of being be-ing located in remote Jungles and susceptible to the best scler.tltlc training. At llrst the product of theso plantations was very small, but It lias grown year after year until It is now greater than the wild rubber supply, sup-ply, and has not. even now. reached Us full development. Crude rubber has recently been as low as CO cents per pound. Recently there ha.s been n little rise, but ituilcations aro that the trend will ho gradually downward down-ward for somo time, until a rock-bottom rock-bottom price, on the basis of a full development of the plantation system, ha.s been reached. Brazil, which in the beginning did not take seriously tho rnnnnco of tho plantation?, failed to protect herself, cither with extensive plantations of her own or by Improving facilities for gathering her wild product and pro-paring pro-paring It for market, so now the big basetf of the crude supply Is in other parts of tho tropical world. iuch as Ceylon, the Philippines, eta As a result of all these things, tho Goodyear Tiro & Rubber company, which reduced its tire prices gradually gradu-ally as crude rubber came down, In now supplying tho trade a much belter bel-ter tire, at a much lower price, than a few years ago. Far all through the 'hanges of tho Industry the Goodvcar company has striven at all times to make its tire better in quality. This r.olk is vindicated by tho fact tliat tj'oodyear sales In- 131C amounted to ?33,0y0.000. at a profit of (JJ per cent on that volume. Thus It Is apparent that the Goodyear companv, whllo Increasing tho c-fliclency of Its tiro, has at the same time shared liberally liber-ally with the trade tho advantagu of lower crude rubber prices. |