• Cotton, natural fiber ages-old, dates to the near-begin-
ning of textiles as, an art/industry. For many uses, it will
always be a fiber in demand. But for tire reinforcements,
cotton is almost a ‘thing of the past’
In the mid-to-late 1930s at Firestone’s Gastonia plant and
the early 1940s at Bennettsville, it was cotton producion
altogether. This was tire fabric, along with a variety of sales
goods. But cotton started to go out with the increasing use
of synthetics around 1940—first, rayon, then nylon. Since
then, a lot more of chemically-produced fibers.
Bowling Green, the other U.S. plant of Firestone Textiles
Company, came on the scene in 1968, so was never much
involved with cotton. Now, in 1978, at Bowling Green and
Gastonia, there is only about 7 per cent cotton in the com
bined volume of raw material processed at both plants.
The ply-twisted cotton is bought on cones, then made loom-
ready by winding onto Unifil quills. It becomes filling for
weaving leaders and headers (types of start-up strips on the
ends of rolls of synthetic tire fabric.) Bennettsville has gone
from all-cotton, to today’s total output of nylon tire fabric.
Manager
B’ville Plant
Ezra W. Perkins, Jr. be
came manager of the Ben-
nettsville plant May 1, the
appointment announced by
James B. Call, president of
Firestone Textiles Company.
Since last June, Perkins had
been acting manager at Ben
nettsville, following plant man
ager Claude Smith’s transfer to
Firestone’s Milan, Tenn., Corry
foam products plant.
Perkins joined Firestone at
Gastonia in 1969, following
graduation from NC State Uni
versity with a degree in textile
technology. He was a trainee
mainly in Preparation before
going to Bennettsville in late
1970 as plant staff assistant.
In Sept., 1972 he became de
partment manager in charge of
all plant production, and stayed
in that assignment until he be
came acting manager last sum
mer.
About
Deductions
For Taxes
"It's a Utile easier to pay all
along over a year than to
'shell out' all in one batch."
The comment of one employee,
speaking for lots of others who
"wound up" paying more State
and Federal income tax than
had been set aside through pay
roll last year.
It used to be that deductions were calculated on the
number of dependents a wage-eamer claimed on his/her
personnel record. This has been changed. In February,
1978, the company began withholding an additional amount
of State and Federal taxes in cases where employees
wanted it that way.
If you arrange for this additional withholding, it must
be in specific $ amounts per pay period. To change your
lax deductions, see Payroll where you work—Gastonia,
Bennettsville, Bowling Green.
FlT6St0fl6 Gastonia, North Carolina
Textiles Company ^ Bennettsviik
J- joutb Carolina
MAY 1978
Bowling Qteen
Kentucky
N C Department
Of Labor
31st Safety Award
• Firestone Textiles Company Gastonia plant was recog
nized for achievement in safety during 1977, at the annual
Gaston County Chamber of Commerce Safety Awards Ban
quet, April 18. The program at Ashbrook High School
cafeteria honored more than 140 industries, companies and
other firms for at-work safety last year.
The awards are from the AT THE banquet, NC Assis-
North Carolina Department of tant Labor Commissioner
A native of New Bern, N.C.,
Perkins is active in Bennetts
ville civic affairs. He is vice
president and president-elect of
Kiwanis and a member of the
club’s board of directors. He is
on the board of directors of
Marlboro County United Fund
and chairman of the UF in
dustrial division.
He and Mrs. (Sandra) Perk
ins have a daughter, Jennifer,
15 months old.
Labor. It was the 31st for Fire
stone Textiles. This latest award
cites Firestone and its people
for last year’s record of opera
ting 50 per cent, or better, below
the injury-frequency rate in the
entire North Carolina textile in
dustry.
Firestone’s record was no lost
time injuries for the year. It
was during this period that the
plant approached the 5,000,000
employee hours mark free of
lost-time injury.
Films For Schools
Gastonia and Bowling Green
are among the dozen Firestone
plant cities this year receiving
the company-sponsored Screen
News Digest Films for use in
public schools.
“The Art of Diplomacy” is
the most recent color motion
picture in the monthly instruc
tional film program. It docu
ments events, persons and
places that shaped U.S. foreign
policy from the Declaration of
Independence to the Monroe
Doctrine.
The film may be borrowed
from schools for showing before
local groups.
☆ ☆ ☆
Going to Washington, D.C.?
“Something to See” at The Tex
tile Museum (2320 S Street
NW): Work of the interna
tionally-known fiber artist
Sirpa Yarmolinsky, thrAigh
June 17. She produces wall
hangings and sculptural free
standing or suspended woven
forms done in different tech
niques and in materials from
rough hand-spun linen to shin
ing synthetics. And at the Muse
um, June 10: Miguel Andrango,
weaver from Ecuador, demon
strating traditional weaving on
a backstrap loom.
Charles N. Jeffress presented
the certificates and plaques and
spoke on the importance of a
safe, well-trained work force.
Philip R. Williams, Firestone
factory manager and chairman
of this year’s Safety Banquet,
presided over the program.
Firestone Textiles Company is
one of only a few firms in
North Carolina to have received
the Department of Labor
award from the beginning. First
in the long Firestone series was
made at Raleigh in 1947. The
Chamber of Commerce-spon
sored awards banquets for Gas
ton began in Gastonia the fol
lowing year.
Symbols of the awards
through the years have been
certificates and plaques of va
rying designs. For the past 7
years it has been standardized
to a polished rectangular wood
en mount, with metal plate for
inscription.
Advisory Board
Samuel E. Crawford was ap
pointed to the Safety Advisory
Board of North Carolina De
partment of Labor in April.
The manager of Industrial Re
lations at Firestone Textiles
(Gastonia) follows A.V. Riley
who was serving on the Board
at the time of his retirement as
division Personnel manager of
Firestone Textiles last June.
W
"APRIL—YOU
WERE HERE" • A flowering (white) dogwood on east lawn at
Firestone Textiles Company, Gastonia plant.