JUNE, 1959
MlWi
PAGE 7
WARP AND FILLING
Of The Passing Scene
Words Of Wisdom—Cottonseed Style
In this age of i n v e n 1 i o n,
science has come up with a lot
of new and better things for
mankind. But I still say that
nothing can ever take the place
of good cornbread.—Boss Par
sons, elevator operator, first
shift.
There are two kinds of fisher
men: Some people fish for fish.
while others just fish for fun.—
Payton Lewis, Carding, first
shift.
You are an old-timer if you
can recollect the days when a
housewife put foodstuff into
cans, instead of taking it out.—
Silas Buchanan, Mechanical de
partment (boiler tender), first
shift.
Keep It Beautiful
us manufacturers spend more
money each year for packaging
than they spend for all the
mighty flood of electric power
that lights, heats, and turns the
wheels of our nation’s industrial
machines.
Why abuse the conveniences
provided by modern industry?
Carry a litterbag in your car.
Clean up after your picnic. Help
keep America beautiful.
With the exception of fishing,
picnicking ranks at the top of
recreation activities in the Unit
ed States and Canada. This
pleasant American pastime in
the outdoors brings its accom
panying wake of litter. Con
tribute to the movement for a
cleaner, safer, more beautiful
America. Don’t be a litterbug.
To Girls State
At Greensboro
Jane Francum will be in
Greensboro June 21-28, repre
senting Gastonia at Girls State,
in session at the Woman’s Col
lege of the University of North
Carolina. The Ashley High
School junior is sponsored by
Gaston Post 23 of the American
Legion Auxiliary.
She is the daughter of Mrs.
Rosie Francum and the late John
R. Francum. Her mother is a
clerk in the Mechanical depart
ment.
Miss Francum served this year
as first vice president of the
Ashley High Bible Club, and
was recently installed president
of that group for the 1959-60
school term. At school, she is a
monitor, a member of the Pep
Club and the Civinettes. She is
also a member of the Rainbows.
The student’s hobbies are
reading and dramatics. A mem
ber of East Baptist Church, she
is secretary-treasurer of her Sun
day school class, program chair
man of the Young Women’s
Auxiliary, and is a Bible leader
in the Training Union. In recent
i
Jane Francum
years she has won distinction in
the Bible memory work program
of Southern Baptist churches.
Her future is being planned
around some phase of the field
of religious education.
Automobile Imports —From page 1
We can go on producing only what we can sell. When
our competitors—whether foreign or American—can pro
duce the same quality cheaper, we lose our sales impact.
Then, as workers, we lose our jobs.
%
100
Foreign Autos Imported
90
80 —
70 -
60 —
50 -
40
30
Growth of Percentage
To U.S. Auto Production
1949-1958
The Future--?
Imports Expected —1959
500,000 Autos
20 ~
430,808
10.1%
9 —
8 —
7 —
6 —
.5 —
259,343
4.2%
4 —
3 —
33.312
.8%
107.675
1.9%
1 —
7.543
.1%
21,287
.3%
23,701
.4%
29.506
.5%
34,555
.6%
57,115
.7%
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
FARM TIRES get rugged testing at Firestone's
Homestead Farms, near Columbiana, Ohio. Here a
specially-equipped tractor pulls a six-ton wheel
and weight assembly in a performance test.
Quality: A Firestone Byword
“Best today . . . Still better tomorrow,” has
been the byword of The Firestone Tire & Rubber
Company for a long time. It is a phrase that re
flects the pride of our workers in making a good
product, and epitomizes the policy of our man
agement.
Quality in any company is basically a choice
of management. If the primary decision is to
make products of quality, it will be implemented
throughout the organization in basic materials.
Progress of a company is directly related to the
way it makes quality products and service the
basis of its operation.
Millions of Dollars for Research
The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company has
spent millions of dollars on quality control, and
we consider every penny of it well invested.
Each product is thoroughly tested all through
the production process. That goes for everything
from a tricycle tire to a ton of synthetic rubber,
from a stainless steel beverage container to the
Corporal guided missile for the United States
Army.
Control of quality in manufacturing stems
logically from a program of research initiated in
our company more than 50 years ago. We began
research with a small chemical laboratory. Today,
our research headquarters in Akron, Ohio, is
recognized as a landmark of industrial science
and a fountainhead for new ideas and materials.
It is from the scientists in these laboratories
that two very important developments in syn
thetic rubber came in recent years: Coral rubber,
a synthetic that duplicates the molecular struc
ture of natural rubber; and Diene rubber, a par
tial replacement for natural rubber.
Beyond their scientific significance, these dis
coveries could be of enormous importance to our
country’s security if the Far Eastern supply of
natural rubber should be cut off as it was during
World War II. We recently announced construc
tion of the world’s first Coral and Diene rubber
plant, which should be producing within two
years.
We operate major research laboratories in Fall
River, Mass., Pottstown, Pa., Noblesville, Ind.,
and Monterey, Calif., in addition to our Akron
headquarters. Testing laboratories are maintained
at our more than 35 domestic and overseas facili
ties to make sure quality remains constant.
Speedway: Ultimate Test for Tires
Some of the research we do would never be
recognized as such unless we were to point to it
specifically. The annual Memorial Day 500-mile
automobile race in Indianapolis, Ind., is a thrill-
This is the second of five articles by the
company's chairman and chief executive
officer, prepared at request of The Chris
tian Science Monitor. In the first article,
Mr. Firestone discussed the early history
and development of the company into an
international enterprise. Here he describes
some programs which help the company
toward high quality in all its products.
Reprinted by permission of The Chris
tian Science Monitor.
ing sports event in which drivers use their skills
in machines designed for 200 miles per hour
speeds. To our research and development depart
ment this race is an opportunity to give a tire the
ultimate test of performance.
Intense heat buildup at such high speeds is a
constant challenge for our tire experts to face.
We are understandably proud that our tires were
on the winning car in 1958 for the thirty-fifth
consecutive time.
What we learn from making tires of sufficient
strength and quality to withstand the rigors of
fierce racing at Indianapolis and other inter
nationally known automobile races throughout
the world contributes greatly to our technical
knowledge, resulting in continuing tire improve
ments for the ordinary motorist.
Statisticians have computed that 500 miles
of race driving at Indianapolis is equal to 50,000
miles of passenger car driving on a highway—
considerable testing to accomplish in less than
four hours.
From Proving Grounds—New Developments
At Fort Stockton, Texas, where we have the
world’s largest automobile track and tire prov
ing grounds, we operate a fleet of cars and trucks.
New ideas in tire construction, new rubber com
pounds for the sidewall or other parts of a tire,
new tread designs, and other tire developments
must prove their merit under grueling conditions
here, before they are put into production.
Our family homestead farm in Columbiana,
Ohio, is an outdoor laboratory where develop
ment and testing of tires for tractors and other
farm vehicles is carried on. As a result of work
done here in the 1920’s our company made the
first practical pneumatic tire for tractors which
led to “putting the farm on rubber,” an achieve
ment which many farm economists agree was a
major factor in the agricultural progress made in
the United States during the past 30 years.
THE 182nd
Birthday For Old Glory
June 14 will mark the 182nd birthday of
the American Flag. The date commemorates
the adoption of the stars and stripes design
of the Flag, by the Continental Congress,
meeting at Philadelphia in 1777.
It is uncertain when the new Flag was
first flown. Some say it was at Fort Stan-
wix, N. J., August 3, 1777. First official an
nouncement of the emblem was made Sep
tember 3, 1777. Since then, from Fort
McHenry to Suribachi and the banks of the
Yalu, the American Flag has gone to stake
out frontiers of freedom.
Observance of Flag Day was not easily
adopted. It is not a legal holiday. But of the
more than 15 national, state and local holi
days on which it is appropriate to display
the Flag from private homes and public
buildings, Flag Day perhaps receives the
most emphasis. Through the years it has
become more significant and has brought
about a deeper appreciation of the Stars and
Stripes as the banner of a free people.
This year, for the first time, Alaska and
Hawaii will join in the June 14 observance,
paying special tribute to Old Glory and the
things for which she stands.