New Heights Of Sharing Through United Appeal
rs:L
GASTONIA • NORTH CAROLINA
record
TOTAL;
$32,240.29
RECORD
AVERAGE:
Another outstanding achievement in Firestone
people’s response to human need and community bet
terment was realized last month, when the plant
recorded its highest per-employee contribution figure
in the history of United Appeal campaigns in Gaston
County.
The average per-employee gift
*0 the Gaston County United
Appeal was $21.39. Total con
tributions through payroll de
ductions reached $32,240.29, a
record figure.
Chairmen of the plantwide
UA solicitation this year were
P- R. Williams, production man
ager; and T. L. Yelton, Zero De-
$21.39 Tit^sion^
YEAR we have reach-
fects program coordinator.
They announced that near 97
per cent of the total employment
strength made contributions.
And near 73 per cent of those
participating gave on the “fair-
share” formula.
The chairmen, calling results
of the campaign “outstanding”,
said:
‘We Must Keep Abreast’
MR.
CAUIGAN
The U.S. textile industry ought never to grow com
placent in thinking it is the most advanced and progressive
the world, concludes F. B. Galligan. The manager of the
pew Bowling Green, Ky., Firestone Textiles plant, is back
Gastonia after a recent 10-day trip to several European
countries.
Mr. Galligan went especially
to attend the Fifth Internation
al Exhibition of Textile Ma
chinery in Basel, Switzerland,
"^he show had 881 exhibits on
every phase of the textile in
dustry.
Mr. Galligan recalls that the
^&ny foreign countries showing
advanced machines, equipment
methods indicated the keen
competition for excellence in the
industry.
German exhibitors led the list
of firms showing at Basel. Italy
^as second, Great Britain third
and the United States, fifth.
Most of the machines and
Equipment were presented in
actual operation.
“There were many new de
velopments and machines
shown, and everything—as you’d
expect—was geared to automa
tion,” Mr. Galligan recalls.
Besides attending the Basel
exhibits, Mr. Galligan visited in
Paris, Munich, Salsburg, Rome,
Madrid, Lisbon; stopped at the
Firestone plant at Bilbao, Spain
and at a polyfibers works in St.
Nabord, France.
“In all the countries I visited
I was impressed by the beauty
of countryside, cities, and the
many outstanding Old World
landmarks,” notes Mr. Galligan.
“For the most part, the roads
were good, air travel was fine
and the people seemed progres
sive. I saw little evidence of
poverty wherever I went.”
"EACH YEAR we have reach
ed higher goals through the gen
erosity of you, our employees.
This year’s response has been
tremendous and will be—as al
ways—a note of encouragement
to the entire community and
county as the whole UA drive
progresses into November.
“We are very proud of our
organization, in that so many
are willing to give so much for
the benefit and blessing of
others less fortunate. We thank
you all sincerely.”
Mr. Williams said that on the
basis of the response here, the
Firestone plant again qualifies
for the Community Service
Award for showing 80 per cent
or greater employee participa
tion in the United Appeal.
The Firestone contribution
went in as a major portion of
the larger county-wide goal of
$348,000 for the UA.
Contributions gathered this
fall will go toward the financial
support of 33 health-welfare
community services for the 1968
year.
This year the United Appeal
was expanded beyond greater
Gastonia to include the com
munities of Dallas, Harden,
Lowell, Mt. Holly and Ranlo.
The county-wide UA program
this year has leadership which
includes Firestone volunteers.
Alvin Riley, manager of indus
trial relations, is campaign vice
chairman of the industrial di
vision. Among his helpers are
Samuel Crawford, employment
interviewer; and Ralph Johnson,
manager of employee relations.
Besides these, there are many
other Firestone people volun
teering their services in the
county-wide UA program.
NOVEMBER • 1967
There’s Something New Down On The Farm
h’s the biggest advancement
tractor tires since the farm
^ent on rubber” 35 years ago.
^ngle of the traction bars on
the huge rear tractor tires has
^®en changed, bringing to farm-
more traction and longer
^oad Wear than ever before.
Since 1932, when rubber tires
^®re introduced on farm ve
hicles, traction bars on rear
NCVTS Courses
Two courses offered in
evening classes began in
late October at North Caro
lina Vocational Textile
School, Belmont. Weaving
^ Designing and Mill main
tenance (machine shop) are
l^eing taught in sessions
^onday-Thursday at 6-9:45
P.m.
The foundation course in
®ach subject is covered in a
12-Week period.
School director John M.
Jenkins said these courses
designed primarily for
employees who are working
^^ll'time jobs in textiles
within commuting distance
the school.
Additional information is
Available at the plant indus
trial relations office or from
school in Belmont.
tractor tires were set at 45-de-
gree angles to the horizontal
line across the face of the tread.
In recent years many im
provements to tractor tires have
been made. Materials in them
are tougher than ever and
they’re built to last. But angle
of traction bars was not chang
ed.
Now, following much research
and development work on trac-
tion-bar angles, Firestone has
cut the angles in half and molds
the bars at 23 degrees instead of
the usual 45 degrees.
Many proven advantages of
the new-angle traction bar con
cept are cited by Firestone tire-
development engineers.
Among
Great
Business
Leaders
Harvey S. Firestone Sr. is
rated among the 10 greatest
businessmen in American history
in a survey of 423 business ex
ecutives by a faculty member
of the University of Michigan.
Mr. Firestone founded The
The 23-degree tread “takes a
bigger bite” and has greater
pulling power. Treads have
greater resistance to side-slip on
moist, slippery soil, and the
tread remains clean through
deep mud.
The 23-degree principle was
introduced first on Firestone’s
Field & Road tire in 1962. Lat
er, the Deep Tread with bars at
23 degrees was developed and
introduced in 1965. The Deep
Tread is a heavier and stronger
tire for high-horsepower trac
tors.
Although it has the same
basic design as the Field &
Road, the Deep Tread has deep-
• More on page 4
Firestone Tire & Rubber Com
pany in Akron, Ohio, Aug. 3,
1900. He died in 1938 at age 69.
His close friend and associate,
automobile pioneer Henry Ford,
was rated the greatest business
man in U.S. history in the re
port. Following him in order
were steel pioneer Andrew
Carnegie, inventor Thomas Edi
son, oilman John D. Rockefeller,
automobile executive Alfred P.
Sloan, financier Bernard M.
Baruch, telephone inventor
Alexander Graham Bell, manu
facturer E. I. duPont, and auto
mobile executive Walter P.
Chrysler.
Steel Up Against The Sky
These patterns of progress were presented in late Oc
tober as the superstructure of the new Gastonia fabric-treat
ing unit was completed and major portions of the “working
insides” were installed before walls and roof went on.
At the time these photos were made the concrete floors
were in and block walls completed for the lower level. Up
per photo records a workman “riding in” on a major piece
of electrical equipment. Shortly after the other photo was
made the heat stacks went in place at the top, along with
some roofing of embossed aluminum.
Scheduled next to be added was siding of embossed
aluminum on the upper part of the structure.
The giant multi-stage, heat-tensioning unit, begun in
late summer, towers to near the height of the smokestack
landmark of the main Gastonia plant. The new facility for
electronically treating polyester tire fabric, is planned for
beginning operation by late December.