Those who make Ihe best use
of their time have none to spare.
—Thomas Fuller
Tir«$ton«
GASTONIA
A man who has mastered him
self has won life's fiercest battle.
—W. R. Walker
VOLUME VI
GASTONIA, N. C., AUGUST, 1957
No. 8
. ''KtS
COMPANY CHAIRMAN
Economic Progress Seen Continuing In South
Prospects for continued economic progress in the South are encouraging, according to
observations of Company Chairman Harvey S. Firestone, Jr. In an article in the July is
sue of Manufacturers Record, Mr. Firestone said:
“I am certain that this progress, perhaps accelerated, will continue into the future,
provided the conditions which contributed so greatly to it remain relatively constant.”
Plants in the South, said Mr.
erected,” Mr. Firestone wrote,
and concluded:
“I look forward to constantly-
accelerated progress in the
South in the years to come.”
A REWARDING PASTIME
The zinnias, marigolds and sultana will likely be gone by
October. But the chrysanthemums and the amaranth will last into
early fall, furnishing exhibition material for the first standard
flower show ever to be staged at Firestone, Gastonia.
It will be developed around the theme, “Variety in Autumn.”
Sponsored by the plant garden club, the show will be conducted
according to standards set by the North Carolina Garden Club, with
which the “green-thumb” organization here is affiliated.
Mrs. W. R. Turner, Sr., general chairman of the event
scheduled for October 4 and 5, has announced that entries will in
clude horticulture pieces, arrangements and compositions, and
potted plants that will have been in the exhibitor’s possession for
at least three months prior to the show.
Typical of employees who derive pleasure from growing flowers
are Mr. and Mrs. James L. Capps, here looking over their garden
at 401 South Dalton street. Mr. Capps, a drawing frame tender in
Carding and a 20-year employee, has for many years cultivated a
variety of flowers, plants and shrubs.
Firestone, have been highly
successful because they are in
an area of “adequate physical
resources” and “a good business
climate.”
These two conditions account
to a great extent for the prog
ress of the South, he said.
He referred to Firestone Tex
tiles, Gastonia, and the other
Company plants located at Ben-
nettsville, S. C.; Memphis,
Tenn.; Lake Charles, La.; Mag
nolia, Ark.; Orange, Texas; and
a test center under construction
at Fort Stockton, Texas.
CAPITAL invested in new
construction in the South in
creased 129 per cent in only five
years, from 1947 to 1952, the
Chairman noted. The number of
manufacturing plants rose more
than 25 per cent and the num
ber of employees in these plants
increased 15,5 per cent from
1947 to 1954. Each of these fig
ures is higher than the com
parable national figure.
Mr. Firestone listed diversi
fication of Southern agricultural
products as an indication of
higher income.
“This is an excellent insurance
against the risks taken by any
large area when its livelihood
depends on a one or two-crop
economy,” he observed.
The magazine article cited ex
amples of how the standard of
living of individual Southerners
has been elevated in recent
years.
“It is the individual upon
whose economic well-being the
structure of prosperity must be
TAKE TIME TO LIVE. . .
Firestone Textiles people and
the more than 43,000 other
Company employees in factor
ies, warehouses and sales offices
throughout the United States
have been alerted in the battle
against traffic accidents.
On July 15, H. D. Tompkins,
Company vice president and
chairman of the Inter-Highway
Safety Committee, urged mem
bers of the Firestone organiza
tion to “Take Time to Live.”
Mr. Tompkins observed that
more motorists will be using
streets and highways during the
next few months than ever be
fore in the history of this
country.
“I am sure that Firestone em-
\r
Be A Lazybones—
And Last Longer
ik ik
In your battle against summer
heat, playing lazybones has its
advantages. Whenever possible,
take it easy in the shade or other
cool place—even if but for brief
sketches of time. Especially,
leave off any strenuous exercise
just before meals and for at
least an hour afterwards.
☆ ☆ ☆
ployees will want to do what
they can to reduce the 40,000
highway death toll recorded in
1956,” he said.
MR. TOMPKINS pointed to
the low industrial accident rate
for Firestone plants, and added:
“We are certain that the same
thoughtfulness that leads to ac
cident prevention on the job can
lead to accident prevention on
the streets and highways.
“There is no single effort that
can reduce highway accidents.
Fewer accidents depend on a
combination of things that re
quire thought on the part of the
person behind the wheel.”
Mr. Tompkins termed the ob
servance of traffic laws a part
of good citizenship.
“I want to call upon every
Firestone employee to make
certain that he or she observes
the traffic laws of the com
munity and the rules of the road
wherever the motorist may
travel. Courtesy costs nothing
and it may mean a life saved.”
—Turn to Page 4
Men From Plant
At JR Meeting
Four men from the plant
were among the approximately
1200 Southern businessmen and
industrialists who attended the
38th annual Southern Industrial
Relations Conference at Blue
Ridge, N. C. The conference,
held July 17-20, drew repre
sentatives ranging from plant
foremen to top executives from
more than 20 states.
About 350 organizations were
represented at this year’s meet
ing.
Those attending from the plant
here were: F. B. Galligan, super
intendent of the Cotton Division;
T. B. Ipock, Jr., director of In
dustrial Relations; R. E. Con
rad, overseer in Rayon Weav
ing; and Charles M. Ferguson,
Employment manager.
“Broadening Understanding—
The Key to Good Human Rela
tions” was the theme of the con
ference, which featured 12 na
tionally-known speakers headed
by Ernest G. Swigert, president
of the National Association of
Manufacturers.
The SIRC was first promoted
under the auspices of the Indus
trial Department of the National
Committee of the YMCA in
1920. Since 1939 the conference
has been sponsored and promot
ed by a separate board of di
rectors made up of 20 outstand
ing Southern industrialists and
businessmen.
Safe Driving Is Good Citizenship—Tompkins
Fred Davis shows the number of miles on the life of his set of
Firestone Imperials, as of July 18.
A Set Of Firestone Imperials
Packed With Sterling Quality
Fred Davis of the Shop sani
tation department drives a 1950
model Customline Ford,
equipped with Firestone Im
perial whitewall tires. And each
of them has racked up more
than 66,000 miles of wear.
The automobile was purchased
last May from Jack J. Moore,
Shop millwright. At the time
Mr. Moore sold the vehicle the
tires had registered service to
the tune of 51,000 miles, with
a record of just three flats and
no retreads.
The original owner put the
set of long-wearing tires in serv
ice in 1951. While Mr. Moore
operated the car, it took the
family on routine local trips
and several long hauls to points
in South Carolina, Georgia,
Florida, Tennessee and Virginia.
Driving was done under all
kinds of weather and road con
ditions.
Under Fred Davis’ ownership
the car has furnished transpor
tation to and from work and
has made several out-of-town
trips.
Some of the original tread re
mains on the tires. The owner
plans to have them retreaded,
for a second lease on an already
remarkable life.