"Continentals.
Page 7
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ii January, woe. the first of a series of articles entitled " The World's Leading Tire Factories '• appeared in this journal. It dealt with the huge works of the Continental Caoutchoue and Gutta, Percha Co., at Hanover. We then related how, founded in 1872 with about 80 workmen and little machinery, this factory, in 1908, gave employment to no fewer than 8,700 hands, the workshop area reaching a total of 17; acres; only a portion of this huge organization is, however, devoted to the production of tires, pneumatic and solid.
It has frequently been a matter of comment that the Continental Co. has not, during recent years, come right t.o the front in this country's markets for solid tires for industrial vehicles. It is comparatively recently, as a matter of fact, that the English company, the Continental Tyre and Rubber Co. (Great Britain), Ltd., has made anything like a bid on a large scale for the custom of the rapidly-growing body of users of solid rubber-tired commercial vehicles in Great Britain and its overseas dependencies, although the maimfacture of " solids " of all kinds has been prosecuted at ITanover for many years. The European user appears to have been considered far more compre hensively. and, as evidence of this, it is but necessary carefully to review the prize-winners' lists in the Continental vommercial-motor trials of 1907, 1908 and If09. In nine such trials, German, French, Russian, Italian, Austrian and Swedish, no fewer than 64 awards e ere secured by vehicles which were fitted with Continentals. This apparent apathy with regard to the English and Colonial market is partially explained by the determination of
the uompaey to get all its experimental work with regard to mixture and construction completed before making a very-definite bid for the favour of the ciiminereial-motor-vehicle user.
In order to emphasize to its friends both at home and abroad the fact that it has not been standing still, the Continental Co. is shortly publishing a heantifully-produced 80-page booklet, which will tell its own tale by means of reproductions of. testimonials and a large namber of photographs. In cider to equip the department in the best-possible manner for all its newly-organized activities, the COMpany placed Mr. A. C. Kehler, a gentleman who has been connected with the rubber trade for some 10 years, in charge of its solid-tire interests. During Mr. Kahler's regime, he has already succeeded in securing sales which, so far this year, have trebled those of the whole of 1909.
Continental solids are made to two profiles, and it is with that known as the " T " pattern that the company is achieving particular success. This type is found to achieve much-better mileages than those of the more-common round types, good as they have been. For light commercial vehicles only, this maker markets an endless grip tire, with either a plain or a grooved tread ; we illustrate one of the latter type on page 72. When the London staff gets into its handsome new premises in the Brompton Road— some time during next spring, stillfurther facilities with regard to stock rooms, etc., will be available. A guarantee of 10,000 miles, and an assurance of absolute uniformity of quality are features which will increasingly recommend Continentals to users of solid tires in this country.