Show i w rubber crisis threatens america firestone seeking new sources of supply az k T V EMI al ail q I 1 c 51 m ra I 1 t I 1 4 W X P 1 1 J M wt thomas Thoi mirt A edison und aind harvey 8 firestone watching a plantation expert tap a rubber tree on oil tile the edison estate in fort myers fla right i mr edison and air firestone reatone Kl with a rubber plantation ex exi i it rubber ru lilier tree on tile the henry ford farin fann near labelle La helle fla fin 11 altay a FIRESTONE l inore than two years yeara H ago predicted it rubber shortage and said the british crude rubber restriction act would cost coat the american people millions of dollars the british ish colonial posses possessions in ili the far east baat produce about 80 percent of the worlds supply of rubber while manufacturers manufacture ri consume about 76 75 per cent of the worlds supply mr firestone has just returned to akron ohio after making it survey of possibilities of growing rubber in ili florida Florl where he was accompanied by rubber plantation experts on one of the to toura urn of 0 florida he was wag accompanied by thomas A edison who made some important suggestions relative lva to new methods of extracting the latex or sp sap from rom rubber trees plants and all rubi gubbei trees growing on the edison estate in fort myers myer were examined as well as those on the ford estate lit in fort myers and the ford farm near labelle fla A great deal of time was spent on the governments experimental farm near coma gut grove fla where many varieties of rubber trees are being grown some soma of these appear to be very promising rubber to la of vital importance to highway tron por tation said mr air firestone und and Is largely responsible for our business prosperity the british restrict restriction id it act now limits production and exportation to one half of normal production rubber today la is about per cent higher than it was waa whon when the restriction act went into effect rubber restriction thle this year will cost american car owners owneta at least and very likely every ton ten cent advance in the price of crude rubber means an additional burden of about to the car owners of the united states mr firestone was instrumental in having con grese gnu appropriate it a half million dollars fur for the of new source of rubber supply and he sent out several expeditions at his own ex expends penis expense to viala rubber producing countries including the philippines central america Al mexico exico and africa and he has today lit in liberia on the west coast of africa a complete organization operating a plantation and making to produce rubber on an extensive scale |