Show rubber crisis threatens america firestone seeking seeding new sources of supply 7 i Q af W 1 4 IF x i g J 1 l 1 Z f v z A zv ay A x OF 01 24 R 4 MR at F a R Q x ax i Z v 4 fa j i N F tag 4 N mc Q ff 31 4 A eur id A ax na il V 11 8 4 P M 1 1 n s 04 left thomas A edison and harvey watching a plantation ospert expert tap a rubber tree on the edison estate in fort myers fla tuffil mr fr edison and mr Fire firestone with a rubber plantation expert examining a young rubber tree on the henry ford farm near labelle fla ARTEY S FIRESTONE more than two years R II 11 ago predicted a rubber shortage and said bald the british crude rubber restriction restrict loa act would cost the american people millions of dollars the british colonial possessions in the par far east bast produce about SO per cent of the supply of rubber while american manufacturers consume about 75 per cent of the worlds supply mr firestone has just returned to akron ohio after abter making a survey of possibilities of growing rubber in florida where he was waa accompanied by rubber plantation experts on one of the tours ot of he was wag accompanied by thomas A hillson who made some important suggestions relative to new methods of extracting the latex or sap from rubber trees plants and shrubs rubber trees growing on the edison estate in fort myers were examined as well as those on the ford estate in fort myers and the ford farm near labelle La belte fla A great deal of time was spent on the governments Govern merits experimental farm near cocoa nut grove grova fla where many varieties of rubber trees are being grown some of these appear to t be very promising rubber Is of vital importance to highway transportation por tation said mr firestone and Is largely responsible for our busl business niss prosperity the british restriction act now limits production and deportation to one halt half of normal production rubber to day Is about per cent higher than it was when tho the restriction act went into effect rubber restriction this year will cost american car owners at least and very likely every ten cent advance ad valice in the price of crude ru rubber means an additional burden of about to the car owners of the united states mr firestone was instrumental in having baring congress appropriate a halt hall million dollars tor for the tha of new sources of rubber supply and he sent out several expeditions at hla his own expense to visit rubber producing countries including the philippines flippines central america mexico and africa and he ha has today in liberia on the west coast of africa a complete organization operating a plantation and making plans to produce rubber on an extensive scale |