AV Geeks 16mm Lunch 12-17-2025

Hello everybody. This is Skip Alzheimer. Welcome to the AV Geeks Lunchtime streaming show. I'm feeling better today, but still feeling off. So, I decided to not to go into the archive, but to uh just take it easy today. Um, but I pre-recorded this show because um I might be sleeping by the time this actually airs. Uh, I slept all day yesterday except for that brief time that I recorded my show. But, uh, anyhow, um, we got some films to watch today. I thought I was going to go with a, uh, theme about rubber, but I only got two films in. Uh, first film is winning the battle of synthetic rubber. Then rubber goes synthetic. So, synthetic rubber show. And then finally, uh, Christmas related, but that's not, uh, a Christian film. This is the 1979 Christmas launch of Hallmark and everything that they're going to be offering for sale at their Hallmark stores. So, maybe you'll see some great gift ideas in there. But, um, yeah, hopefully tomorrow I'll be back live and back in the archive. But, uh, hit the thumbs up, hit the like button. Loved your comments. uh as always and we will see you tomorrow. Take care. Bye. [music] [music] >> [music] >> The material wealth of a nation springs from the earth, from the minerals within the earth, from the vegetation which grows out of the earth, and from the animals which thrive on the produce of the earth and provide us with so much of our essential food and clothing. In natural resources, the United States of America is commonly regarded as one of the [music] wealthiest nations on the face of the globe. Before the war, we had more than enough of iron and steel with which to fabricate our manufactured products, more than enough of wheat so that bread was plentiful and we could ship our excess crops to foreign [music] land. more than enough of cotton and for that matter more than enough of many other raw materials required to provide us with the needs and comforts of a peaceime life. In a number of materials, however, we were woefully deficient and were forced to go overseas for [music] our requirements. The most critical of these deficiencies was rubber. We rode on rubber, used it in thousands of different shapes and forms. and we took it very much for granted. Yet more than 95% of this rubber came not from the United States, but from rubber plantations in Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, halfway around the [music] globe. Singapore was an important city in the rubber trade. But not all the rubber that originated in the Far East was [music] controlled by the British or the Dutch. To the contrary, over a period of many years, a number of American manufacturers had been taking vigorous steps to protect their sources of supply. In the course of this development, the United States Rubber Company, with extensive holdings in the Far East, became the largest single producer of [music] natural rubber in the world. Yet, even so, it still had to look to foreignowned plantations for fully 85% of its total requirements of rubber. Suddenly came a series of events which completely changed the picture. In the early months of 1942, [music] we found ourselves cut off from our greatest source of natural rubber. And we were at war. For many years, the discovery of a substitute for natural rubber had been one of the great dreams of organic chemistry. And long before our supply of natural rubber was cut off, much of the pioneering in synthetic rubbers had already been done. At Ngatuck, Connecticut, where one of the first of the government plants was built, the United States Rubber Company, more than a year before Pearl Harbor was already making a rubber known as Buuna S in one of the country's earliest pilot plants. The coming of war with America's sources of natural rubber almost entirely cut off now made it necessary to produce synthetic rubber in great quantities. For of all critical and strategic materials, in the words of the Baroo report, rubber was the one which presented the greatest threat to the safety of the nation and the success of the Allied cause. One type alone of the five different types of synthetic rubber offered greatest hope for the prompt meeting of America's wartime needs. This type was Buuna S or GRS government rubber styrene type and nearly 90% of the government's program was therefore centered on its production. There were three reasons for this choice. First, buuna-esque could be derived in large part either from crude oil which was readily available in large quantities or from alcohol distilled from various grains wheat, barley, rye, corn and the like which America already grew in abundance. Second, while the building and equipping of the needed plants for the mass production of Buna S was a tremendous project, they could be built and put in operation before America's stockpile of rubber was exhausted. Third, at a time when all manufacturing facilities were strained to the utmost, Buuna S could be made into essential military products in existing rubber plants. What is Buuna S? It bounces, it stretches, and the stretched portion when released immediately flies back to its original position. What actually is its chemical composition? To begin with, it belongs to the great family of hydrocarbons of which the simplest in chemical structure is a gas called methane. The principal constituent of natural gas which is here seen burning in the Texas oil fields. When in nature an atom of carbon has four atoms of hydrogen attached to it, the result is a molecule of methane gas. The atoms of hydrogen spin round the central atoms of carbon like little satellites. They are held in their orbits by forces known as veances. Note that each carbon atom has a veilance of four. It can combine with four other atoms but no more. Carbon more than any other element has the power of combining with itself to form either rings or chains. Here is a chain of two carbon atom. If all the free veances were occupied by atoms of hydrogen, we have a single molecule of a gas called ethane which is chemically related to alcohol. Extend the chain to include three carbon atoms and we have a single molecule of a gas called propane which is one of the constituents of bottled gas used in rural communities. Extend it further to include four carbon atoms and we have a single molecule of a gas called butane another constituent of natural gas. And now let us change the pattern slightly by throwing out four atoms of hydrogen. and doubling up on two of the veances. We now have a gas called butadine. Change it again but in only one particular and we have a single molecule of a liquid known as isoprne. Suppose now this chain attracts a second and a third and that they are now joined by hundreds even thousands of others all strung together in a series. The result is a giant molecule or polymer as the chemists say and its name is rubber. Incidentally, the hooking up of these molecules is known as plymerization. If we now can imagine thousands, even millions of these molecules all hooked together and interlaced with one another, we can possibly get a very rough idea of the structure of natural rubber. But in the case of natural rubber, sad to say, this plymerization occurs only in nature. It has never been duplicated in a laboratory. Just as natural rubber has its molecular basis isoprne, soba s synthetic rubber has its molecular basis and it's very similar. In place of isoprne, the chemists start with the hydrocarbon butadene and they hook it up with a second hydrocarbon known as styrene. Incidentally, the hexagon is used to symbolize the well-known benzene ring. If you will now imagine a series of these units strung together to form a giant molecule, you will have a symbolic picture of the type of synthetic rubber known as Buuna S. Of all the synthetics, Buuna S is most similar to natural rubber in processing and performance characteristics. It was selected, as we have said, to meet the greater part of America's wartime needs for rubber. And in little more than two years from Pearl Harbor, our fabulous American synthetic rubber industry had achieved a production greater than the pre-war consumption of rubber for all purposes. Here is the first of the great integrated standard plants of the government's rubber program to come into production. The plant at Institute, West Virginia. The institute plant together with other plants in the government's gigantic program were financed by the defense plant corporation. They are operated for and under the direction of the rubber reserve company. Butadyene which accounts for 3/4 of the weight of finished buna s synthetic rubber is a gas at ordinary temperatures. It is made from alcohol at an adjacent plant and conveyed by pipeline under pressure to these butadene storage tanks. Styrene which will later be hooked up with butadene is a liquid and it too is made at an adjacent plant and is piped for storage to this tank farm. Other chemicals though in smaller quantities are used in making buuna s. One of these is soap. The soap chips are sifted through a screen and float down into the weighing hopper on the floor below. The operator runs purified water into the tanks, then releases precisely the right amount of soap as determined by weight. The mixture is stirred till the soap dissolves. Meanwhile, other ingredients are added. One of these ingredients known as a catalyst has a very special job to perform. While it never combines with the other chemicals and never appears in the finished rubber, it controls the speed of the reaction. It is a big factor in making possible our huge present-day production of synthetic rubber. After the soap solution is prepared, it is piped to large tanks from which it will later be forced by this battery of pumps into the reactors where the actual plymerization takes place. The clear butadene and the styrene are now pumped from the storage tanks through a maze of pipes and purified water is added. Then in measured quantities, they are pumped into a reactor together with the soap solution and purified water. By agitation, the hydrocarbons, butene and styrene are now beaten up into fine droplets to form an emulsion, just as oil is whipped up in a salad dressing. When the ingredients have been thoroughly mixed, warm water is conducted to the outer jackets of the reactors to warm up the batch and start the cooking process. In these banks of recording meters, a continuous record is kept of the temperature and pressure in each vessel. This is essential because the polymerization gives off heat. The huge cooling tower shown here removes heat from the cooling water so that the water may be used over again. The water is pumped to the top of the tower. These large fans assist in the cooling process. Materials are checked by sampling. A closed bomb is necessary to prevent loss of the volatile butadene. To control all phases of both raw materials and finished product, nearly 1,800 samples at all stages of the process are checked and tested every day by more than 100 chemists and analysts. As pymerization occurs, rubber is formed in the emulsified solutions. The resulting mixture is called latex. Actually, the latex consists of minute particles of rubber suspended in water. Our next job is to coagulate these particles. Two substances are used for this purpose. sulfuric acid of special concentration previously prepared and stored in tanks and a solution of rock salt which has previously been prepared and purified. These two ingredients convert the minute particles of rubber to the form of flocks or crumbs large enough to be screened off. The latex flows into a creaming tank where it is mixed with pure salt solution. This solution causes a thickening of the latex, but it does more. It controls the size of the coagulated particles and prevents the rubber from gathering into large chunks, which would be difficult to handle. As the mixture is stirred, a dilute solution of sulfuric acid is fed in. This causes the tiny particles of rubber to form into larger lumps, which, as you see, can be readily separated from the liquid. When all the tiny particles have coagulated and no rubber remains that could be lost in subsequent washing operations, this slurry is allowed to flow to a second tank where more acid is added to convert the excess soap and permitted to be readily removed. There now remains only the acid to get rid of and its removal is accomplished by washing on a continuous rotary vacuum filter. The rubber is here washed and squeezed to remove all surface water. The bits of rubber cling to one another to form a thick blanket. The blanket of rubber is removed from the filter by a revolving doctor blade which as it turns picks the rubber from the filter and tears the sheet into fragments. The broken slabs now travel by conveyor belt to the final drying operation. These walls on either side are the walls of two of the 12 enormous dryers. As the rubber passes through the dryer and the water is removed, the bits of rubber adhere together again. Here we see the resultant mass being broken into pieces which can be handled readily. The dried rubber is carried by conveyor to the hopper of a bailing press where 75 lb lots of dry crumb are weighed out and dropped into the bailing chamber. And now suppose we review the process step by step. Starting with either crude oil or alcohol, we get the hydrocarbon butadene. Starting with colar and petroleum, we get the hydrocarbon styrene. Our task is to pymerize these two hydrocarbons and this is accomplished in a huge tank known as a reactor. A soap solution is piped into the reactor where the hydrocarbons are beaten into fine droplets. Here also heat is applied and minute particles of rubber known as latex form in the emulsified solution. The latex is piped to a series of tanks where a salt solution and sulfuric acid help to coagulate the particles. The rubber now goes to a rotary filter where it is washed, squeezed, broken into fragments, and conveyed to the dryers. The dry crumbs now travel by conveyor to the bailing press. Spurred by wartime needs, the production of Buuna S in tremendous volume represents an achievement of which every American may well be proud. Many of the details are still a closely guarded secret. But when the full story of synthetic rubber is told, it will pay thrilling tribute to the research chemist of United States Rubber Company. It will tell for example of a secret chemical coded OEI which controls the growth and structure of the chain molecules and thus makes a [music] rubber which is easier to process. And it will tell of other important discoveries tested in the battle zones on land, on sea, and in the air, which will open to a peaceime world an array of synthetic rubber products, which in some ways will even surpass their pre-war counterparts. Consider the synthetic rubber footwear of the future, for example. What tougher proving ground could be provided than the mud of the invasion areas or the jungles of New Guinea? Again, what greater proof of the watertight and airtight qualities of synthetic rubber than has already been established through the successful use of attack boats such as these? The war has been a grim master. Now it may call for a rubber line fuel tank so cunningly contrived that even though pierced by machine gun bullets, the rubber seals the punctures. Or again it may call for huge cartons to make possible the swift crossing of a river. Or again [music] it may call for barrage balloons to serve as convoys for our moving troops, our ships at sea. Not yet can its flood of wartime goods be diverted into peacetime channels. When the day of conversion comes, there is already much new knowledge born of intensive searchings in the realm of synthetic rubbers that will quickly be enlisted by the chemists of United States Rubber Company. Serving through science, they are already helping to provide new and better things of rubber in the interest of all people everywhere throughout the globe. [music] >> [music] [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] >> tires. Rubber tires. Tires that cushion America's 27 million automobiles and trucks. Tires that during the past quarter century have become a necessity to this nation whose life arteries are its highways. hardworking tires by the tens of millions that today have become war tires. Tires that must now be stretched to the last precious mile because rubber is today a vital essential material of war. Vital because our new mechanized army literally rides to battle on rubber. We need rubber tires for every type of transport and combat car. Rubber tires for and anti-aircraft guns. Every medium tank needs a ton of rubber for treads, for wheels, for inner lining to protect its crew. Thousands of bomber and fighter planes need rubber, not only for giant tires, but for leak proof gasoline tanks, wing deicers, engine mountings, insulation. Every big 4ine bomber that takes to the air uses 2,000 lbs of rubber. A big Navy battle wagon uses 75 tons of rubber from rubber mats on its armored decks to endless miles of rubber insulated cables. Attacking forces need rubber rafts and landing boats. Soldiers need gas masks. Our civilians may need them, too. Wartime uses of rubber are endless. The quantities needed run into astronomical figures that get bigger every day. And as Uncle Sam's war production increases, defense workers, too, need rubber to carry them to work. Yet against this gigantic everinccreasing need, we find ourselves with a critical shortage of this vital war material. The reason for this shortage is simple. Let's take a look at the map. Here from British Malaya and Burma and from the British and Dutch East Indies has come more than 90% of all the rubber on earth. No wonder that the Japanese dreaming of world empire have planned for 20 years to strike at Singapore rubber capital of the world. Even before Pearl Harbor, overwhelming Japanese forces executing this 20-year plan of treachery and conquest were headed southward in surprise attack against the small defending forces of the United Nations. Within a few short weeks, the tentacles of the Japanese military octopus had wrapped themselves in a strangle hold around the world's supply of rubber. This was a severe blow to all the United Nations, but especially to Uncle Sam. For here in the United States, with only 6% of the world's population, we have used 60% of the world's entire supply of rubber. Even in peace time, 3/4 of it for automobile tires and tubes alone. Today, with this natural rubber no longer obtainable, there's only one answer. We'll have to make rubber. Yes, make it ourselves. Synthetic rubber. No wonder millions of Americans, especially those who ride on rubber tires, are asking today, can it be done? And from the great research laboratories and plants of the petroleum industry, the chemical industry, and the rubber industry comes the heartening answer, yes, it can be done. It is [clears throat] being done. Yes, thanks to the foresight and initiative of American industry, thanks to many long search and costly development, we are already working at top speed on the nation's emergency synthetic rubber program. Yes, even before the war, when natural rubber was cheap and plentiful. A few American plants like this one were already rolling out synthetic rubber at the surprising rate of 25,000 tons a year. Almost everyone in America has already seen or used synthetic rubber, probably without even knowing it. For instance, a big military bomber has thousands of vital parts made of special synthetic rubbers, which resist gasoline and oil, stand up under the severe cold of high altitudes, or have other qualities in which they are better than natural rubber. Each of these synthetics is made from different raw materials by different processes. They are sold under such varied names as neoprene, thyocol, corosil, perbunan and many others. Every pound of all these synthetics that can be made is urgently needed for special military uses. But there still remains a vast shortage of rubber needed to make tires. For this purpose, we must have a synthetic rubber that not only is really suited for tires, but one that can be put into mass production and for which the raw materials are available in enormous quantities. Where could that be found? Years ago, Esso's laboratories, which today employ over,500 experts, were keeping an eye on the work the Germans were doing in the synthetic rubber field. To an oil company, the most important material in the world next to petroleum is probably rubber. To an oil company, there can't be too much rubber in the world, whether it comes from trees, potatoes, wheat, corn, coal, or whatever. Rubber, plenty of rubber, cheap rubber means travel, traffic, and the sale of oil, gasoline, services, and accessories. A dollar's worth of rubber on the road means $15 in sales to the nation's service stations and their suppliers. So ESO scientists were keeping a close watch on synthetic rubber developments, especially synthetic rubber made from the material they knew most about, petroleum and petroleum gases. Then in 1929, Essos Yankee traders talked the Germans into selling us some of their patent secrets, which we have used to develop many things that Hitler wishes we didn't have now. Things like synthetic taluol for TNT, which is going to double or triple the nation's bomb supply. 100 octane gasoline, which makes US planes potentially the world's fastest and most powerful in the skies. parafflow, which keeps the lubricating oil in US bombers flowing no matter how cold the stratosphere gets, and a lot of other things. And one of these other things was buuna, a synthetic rubber. Buuna isn't too hard to make once you have the raw material called butadine. Butine is a gas at ordinary temperatures, and you have to keep it under pressure or at very low temperatures if you want it liquid, as you see it here. Butadene can be made from a lot of things. For example, from alcohol derived from wheat, corn or potatoes. It can also be made from coal or from petroleum. Esso's research naturally was in the field of petroleum because that was the raw material we had and that was the field in which we have plants, equipment, experience and knowhow. Esso began spending money to make synthetic rubber long before Pearl Harbor and long before the war in Europe. And it takes a lot of money. Money to build plants like this one, for example, just to make the raw material but dying or Buuna rubber. Esso also asked help of the rubber companies because synthetic rubber can't be just a pampered laboratory baby. It has to be tough. It has to fit existing machinery. At first, Buuna was discouraging. Early Buuna tires costing far more than tires made from natural rubber gave less service life and they were more difficult to manufacture. But research never stopped. New experiments were made, new formulas tried, more money was spent. We began to look for a synthetic rubber which we could make more easily from our raw material, petroleum gases. We already knew that rubber-like substances could be made directly from such gases. A fact we can illustrate by a simple laboratory demonstration. The liqufied gas is poured into a glass beaker which contains dry ice to keep it from evaporating. As you can see, nothing happens until we add another chemical called a catalyst which causes the reaction to start. In this demonstration, the catalyst is also a gas which is introduced through a glass tube. Watch what happens. In the twinkling of an eye, an amazing chemical reaction takes place. In a split second, we've created a new substance, a rubber-like substance that looks and feels very much like crude natural rubber itself. This doesn't mean, however, that we've made rubber. Far from it, for this material, while rubbery in appearance, has very few of the characteristics of real rubber, qualities with which everyone is familiar. We all know that rubber is elastic. Stretched out, it returns to its original shape. Rubber can bend in any direction without breaking. Rubber is watertight and airtight. It may be molded into objects of any shape or color, soft as silk or hard as ebony. It acts as an electrical insulator and resists acids and chemicals. In tires, it stands up against destructive wear and heat. It can bend and flex and take an incredible beating for thousands upon thousands of miles. In trying to make a perfect synthetic rubber with all these natural rubber qualities, chemists all over the world have created literally thousands of rubber-like substances from all sorts of raw materials. Here in the ESO laboratories, we make countless synthetics from petroleum in our effort not only to equal real rubber, but to create, if possible, something even better. But it wasn't until 1937, after hundreds of attempts, that we finally did succeed in making a synthetic rubber from these readily available refinery gases, one that we thought had a real chance for success. This completely new type of synthetic we named but the discovery of a new rubber in the laboratory like the discovery of any other new product is never the end of research. It's hardly more than the beginning. First we had to find out whether or not but could be made economically on a commercial scale. The only way to find out was to build a plant and try it. Here's the experimental or pilot plant where actual manufacturing methods are tried out, improved, and perfected. This plant, elaborate as it is, can make only about 170 lbs of a day, a mere drop in the bucket. But production methods worked out here have made it possible for standards engineers to design the big plants which will be needed for regular production. Since the discovery of but five years and millions of dollars have been spent by New Jersey standard to develop it into an allround practical synthetic rubber and this work continues day and night. Countless variations in the manufacturing technique are tried out and then each different batch of rubber is given exhaustive tests in such laboratories as this where different synthetics are compared with each other and with natural rubber for every kind of commercial use. Every different synthetic must be processed and handled differently and this requires endless scientific experiment. First of all, the synthetic rubber material is mixed with the different compounding ingredients used commercially in making tires and other rubber articles. Here, hundreds of different compounding formulas are made up and tested. These experimental rubber mills are simply miniature replicas of the ones used in big rubber factories. Some synthetic rubbers, which otherwise might make excellent tires, are much too difficult to handle on rubber mills of standard design, which means they can't be used in the present tire emergency. Both and Buuna, however, have now been developed to the point where they can be milled on the same machinery as is now used for natural rubber. After compounding, the rubber is vulcanized or cured by heating it under pressure in molds. Here the allimp important problems of how to cure but other synthetics are worked out. Some so-called synthetic rubbers can't be vulcanized at all. Thus they too are useless for tires or other molded rubber products. Buuna vulcanizes very much like natural rubber. Standard's new rubber but at first proved harder to handle but today its vulcanizing qualities have been vastly improved. After vulcanizing, the experimental rubber is put through a long routine of grueling tests. It is stretched by special machines to determine its tensil strength, ground down by araiding machines to test its resistance to wear. It is flexed for hours at a time to determine its resistance to breakage. It is scientifically tested for electrical resistance. Special ovens create artificial weather to test resistance to aging and climatic conditions. In an oxygen bomb under pressure, samples can be aged the equivalent of a year in a single day. Different rubbers are compared for elasticity and resiliency under different temperatures. These and other tests are carried on month after month and year after year as countless experimental variations of butil are made. Different manufacturing, compounding, and curing methods are tried out and tested. Gradually, bad qualities are eliminated. good qualities are improved. Today, is far superior to natural rubber in several important characteristics, particularly in its extraordinary resistance to deterioration caused by aging, chemicals, gases, or acids. For instance, when samples of natural rubber and rubber are dropped into hot nitric acid, the natural rubber decomposes rapidly, almost violently, while remains entirely unaffected. This shows its superiority for use where acid resistance is important in manufacturing plants and for war uses such as in the battery compartments of submarines. Such qualities as this are not mere laboratory curiosities in war. They may mean the difference between life and death. Tests measuring the passage of gas through natural rubber and rubber prove that resists the passage of gas 17 times better than natural rubber, showing its great possibilities for use in making balloon cloth for gas masks or inner tubes of tires. Chemical resistance of as compared to natural rubber can be shown by passing ozone, a very active form of oxygen produced by electrical discharges through rubber tubes. one made of natural rubber and the other of but the result is startling. Within a few minutes, we can actually see the natural rubber decomposing while the but rubber remains unaffected. This shows but far superior to natural rubber as an insulator around electric generating equipment where ozone is present or for use in any exposed location such as in deck match for Uncle Sam's fighting ships. On some of the qualities important to a rubber used for making tires, but is also outstanding. For example, continued flexing which breaks natural rubber has virtually no effect on weather conditions which age and finally destroy natural rubber leave almost as good as new. In this extreme resistance to deterioration, it far surpasses both natural rubber and other synthetics. But in spite of these qualities that make but outstanding for special uses, the task of making it good enough for tires has proved a long and hard one. Our first tire tread made from lasted for only 17 miles. But since this first tire, constant work has been devoted to the problem, and the sochemists are making steady progress. In more recent tests made by a big tire manufacturer, Bud tires showed that they could give as much as 10,000 miles if run at not more than 40 m an hour. Progress in recent months has been even more encouraging. While still does not offer a good solution for heavyduty tires for military or commercial use, the tire experts now rated as entirely satisfactory for all light duty and medium service. We are confident that the mileage obtainable from tires will with further experience be brought up to a point where it will be very nearly as good as natural rubber for light service. Meanwhile, however, Buuna rubber still the only synthetic that stands up under heavy duty military and commercial service has been vastly improved. Since the early discouragements in 1935, new methods of manufacturer have overcome many of the previous troubles. In 1938, several tons of improved Buuna were given to rubber companies who were willing to try it again in large-scale experiments to determine its real possibilities as a natural rubber replacement. Under the supervision of an expert in Buuna processing, large numbers of tires were made in various factories. These extensive tests made four years ago proved that Buuna, though costly to produce, would make good tires. In some cases, it resists and wear better than natural rubber itself. All that you have seen is but a tiny part of what has gone into the development of synthetic rubber in our country during the past decade. Foreseeing the possible military importance of synthetic rubber and knowing that only through government financing could adequate war emergency plants be constructed, the ESO laboratory since the beginning of 1939 have kept the Army and Navy munitions board, the Chemical Warfare service, the Ordinance Department, and other government agencies completely informed on all their synthetic rubber developments. Today, as a direct result of the information New Jersey Standard got from the Germans, plus the years of time and millions of dollars privately spent on research and development by the ESO laboratories during peace times, our country now has two thoroughly tried and tested synthetic rubbers. Buuna for tires and for special military uses. With these as a basis, our government financed program of synthetic rubber production can go forward today as fast as plants can be built. Already the work of construction is well underway, but it's going to be a big job, an enormous job, and it's going to take time. At least 700,000 tons a year of Buuna rubber must be made for military needs alone, plus at least another 100,000 tons of and other special types. Enormous plants must be built to provide the raw materials for all this rubber as well as to make the synthetic rubber itself. Think what this means in terms of the time needed for construction in the use of vast amounts of different kinds of steel. Steel which is also desperately needed for ships, tanks, and guns. These plants being built to make raw materials and rubber will call for countless miles of steel pipe, thousands of machines too, pumps, compressors, control instruments, and a veritable army of men to build the plants and run them. Probably up to $500 million must be invested and a year will be needed for construction before many of these factories now started or planned will be able to turn out raw materials and finished synthetic rubber. It's a titanic battle against time. But even while the first of these great plants are being rushed to completion, from the ESO laboratories comes more bad news for the enemies of democracy. Giant refining units like this one, designed originally to produce 100 octane aviation gasoline for our fighting planes, will now, by utilizing a new and revolutionary procedure developed in the ESO laboratories, be able to produce raw materials for synthetic rubber in addition to their output of aviation gasoline. This can mean not only more rubber, but a saving to Uncle Sam of a hund00 million worth of steel and other materials critically needed for other war construction. This is all good news, but it still does not mean new tires for Mr. and Mrs. average motorist, even when their present tires wear out. Every pound, every ounce of rubber must go first to fill military needs, second to fill essential civilian needs. But every patriotic American in this critical emergency must do his part to increase the life of his present tires. Most car owners today have a set of tires that normally would last another year. With proper care, those one-year tires can be made to last three years. Here's how to do it. Rule number one, slow down. Slow down. Slowing down from 50 mph to an average of 30 mph. And never going more than 35 will make your tires last twice as long. If your tires are good for a year at 50 mph, 30 mph will give you a full extra year of service. Rule number two, keep your tires at the new war inflation pressure and you can add another 3 months to the life of your set. Don't run on underinflated tires. Have them checked every week. Rule number three, don't be a cowboy. Don't strain your tires by sudden starts. Avoid the wear and tear of sudden stops. Don't bruise and damage tires by careless parking. Careful driving can add another 3 months to the life of your tires. Rule number four, switch tires at least every 2500 miles. By scientifically shifting tires from wheelto-heel, the life of the whole set can be lengthened to an amazing degree. And if you really want to get the best possible life out of your tires, have them not only switched, but start off today by having them demounted and thoroughly examined inside and out. Have all cracks and cuts repaired immediately to prevent further damage or blowouts at these weakened spots. Above all, don't hoard extra tires or any other rubber that you can do without. Get out those old tires and tubes, hot water bags, floor mats, or other rubber articles you don't need, and turn them in as requested by our government. During the next two years, reclaimed rubber will play an important part in our emergency needs. Every ounce of old rubber can do its part. But this rubber can't be reclaimed for military or civilian use while it lies idle in your garage or your attic. Let's all do our part to help Uncle Sam see that every pound of new rubber that can be made and every pound of old rubber that can possibly be reclaimed will be used where it can do the most good in the fighting line. Rolling on to victory. >> [music] >> Christmas 1978 was a resounding success. Christmas 1979 will be even more successful because we are offering our customers the best products in our company's history. What is it about Christmas [music] that is so especially Hallmark? The sounds, the smell, the touch, [music] the look of Christmas offer a perfect background for Hallmark products. Blend each element into a single statement saying this is Christmas. A Hallmark Christmas. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Christmas, the time to [music] remember friends and loved ones. You'll find so many Hallmark cards to express your feelings with warm [music] words and beautiful designs in traditional, religious, even whimsical themes [music] and envelopes just as beautiful as the cards this year. Let Hall Hallmark Cards help [music] you share your personal message for Christmas. Beautiful Christmas cards boxed and waiting at your Hallmark store. >> At Hallmark, we make our cards with care. Each Christmas card is designed so that it flows smoothly and clearly from the front panel to the inside, [music] coordinating card and envelope. Hallmark designs add value and greater importance to the message inside. Lettering artists work closely with design artists to ensure a lettering style that is complimentary to the painted or photographic design. Heramman Zap, one of the world's most renowned masters of the art of handwriting, was a Hallmark consultant for many years, and his [music] tradition of excellence is an example of achievement for every Hallmark lettering artist. Hallmark cards offer messages with a conversational sound using words that are comfortable and familiar to a broad range of senders. Maintaining highquality standards assures the most [music] accurate reproduction of the artist's original design. The most sophisticated computer support programs in the industry makes certain that the right card is available in Hallmark stores when needed. Customers purchase more Christmas counter cards from Hallmark than from all the major greeting card publishers combined. In my day, families always got together at Christmas time. We'd be over at somebody's house trimming the tree. We'd sing carols and I'd make my special eggnog. Times have changed, [music] but one tradition we still have, Christmas cards. This one's going to my boy Pety. I'm the only one who can still get away with calling him that. I'm sending this one to my big brother, Jack. He's always there whenever I need him. >> This Christmas, let the special people in [music] your life know how you feel with Christmas cards from Hallmark. Cards that say [music] something special to someone you love. >> This is to my niece Joanne. She loves poinsettias. [music] Christmas always reminds me that I've got the best family any grandmother ever had. >> Merry Christmas. >> Now, how about that? It's the whole day >> finished just [music] in time. Hallmark Christmas cards. >> And for parties to entertain family and friends, use this snowflake pattern. [music] It is appropriate throughout the entire winter season. Again, responding to the various needs of the customer. Hallmark offers the casual to the more sophisticated designs and a wide variety of products, including cookie cutters and playing cards. New decoration techniques have been developed for use on lapel pins, giving us an impulseoriented product for children and young adults. [bell] Christmas is party time. This snowman puppet and Christmas [music] mouse add interest to Christmas parties. Party goods can be used in a variety of ways all through the year. [music] What is a good seller from July through January? What offers quality in design and reproduction and themes that appeal [music] to all? The young and not so young, the big guy, the little guy. The answer, Hallmark calendars. Showoff calendars July through January up front in an 8-ft display with all the signing and attention they deserve. National TV advertising will add to the demand. An innovative computer support system complements this demand. And what's new? Baby's [music] first year photo frame. And as a gift to yourself, the new appointment calendars. [music] What else does the Hallmark customer look for as early as July? Tree trimmers, of course. >> Hallmark presents [music] Keepsake Ornaments for Christmas. Designed like beautiful ornaments from Christmas past with Hallmark [music] care and craftsmanship. And Hallmark ornaments are just the gift for Christmas present to treasure a special event like baby's first Christmas. Many Hallmark [music] ornaments are dated keepsakes too for Christmas future because they return every year. Hallmark keepsake [music] ornaments wherever Hallmark cards are sold. Hallmark has made tree trimmers a formidable entry in the gift market through point of purchase signing, distinctive packaging, and national advertising. [music] A new booklet, the guide to collecting Hallmark ornaments, will sell the reader on the fun of starting a collection of Hallmark ornaments. Behind the scenes for ornaments and calendars is the computer support [music] system you asked for. In 1979, you or the computer can select designs planned by caption and based on sales history. To fully understand the program, be sure to read your Christmas manual. [music] And to wrap it all up, Hallmark Gift Wrap. You want to know how to make wrapping presents as much fun as opening them? It's easy with Reversa Wrap. The two-sided gift wrap from Hallmark. Look, one side has a bowl design, so it's perfect for wrapping big presents. Turn the paper over and there's a different pattern just right for small packages. With two designs to work with, there's no end to the creative things you can do. Oh, and here's an unusual shape to wrap, but Reversal Wrap does it beautifully. See, there's always a design surface showing. Reversal wrap can even make the outside of a box as pretty as what's inside. Just use one design for the bottom and the other design for the top. And how's this for a nice looking touch? Cut out sections of the large pattern, like these little Christmas trees, and use them for a matching accent. Want to make a package really special? Just take a strip of the reverse pattern and wrap it around. And don't forget Hallmark's finishing touches like matching ribbons and trims. See, with Reversa Wrap, the two-sided gift wrap from Hallmark, and a little creativity, wrapping presents can be as much fun as opening them. You'll find other Christmas decorating ideas in this Expressions booklet, free at many Hallmark stores. Design quality and originality can be showcased in this new promotional merchandiser. It fits perfectly with existing units. New dimensional display boxes illustrate the beauty of our wraps [music] and encourage the purchase of accessories. This special fleximatic insert allows our retailers to display color plan conveniently and effectively. All of us are proud of our 1979 Hallmark Christmas and of all the Christmases past and future because Hallmark means quality. Quality your customers have come to [music] expect. >> [music] >> The human mind reaching for ideas and ways to share them. Our minds have conceived [music] the useful, the entertaining, the beautiful. They've given us words to express our thoughts. Our hands work with our minds, creating reality from [music] imagination, giving us beauty to [music] appreciate. And always our hearts have guided our hands and minds, letting us express love, joy, all the feelings that make life special. At Hallmark, we want you [music] to express your feelings in your own personal way. To help, we turn our minds to the intriguing [music] and original. Our hands create beauty in the [music] tradition of ancient craftsmen with thought and feeling. To let someone know you care. And just as master silvermiths imprinted their hallmark, guaranteeing [music] superior quality, our hallmark and crown are your assurance of quality. Hallmark, when you care enough to send the [music] very best. >> And now, a special message from Mr. Hugh Bower, vice president of marketing. It's all wrapped up in quality. Quality is the keynote of Hallmark's business offer. It begins with quality and product and then quality and programs to merchandise those products. Programs of data processing support, training seminars to help our dealers, the finest fixtures and display ideas that we can devise. all kinds of programs that are designed to help our dealers to help them have the most interesting and most exciting stores in their communities. But most of all, it's quality in people. The quality professional marketing people that pull it all together in partnership with our retailers. I'd like to say congratulations to all of you for your part in what appears to be the largest retail sales season in Hallmark history. Our 1978 increase is as large as last year's total Christmas countercard volume. 1978 was a record-breaking Christmas retail season. record-breaking, at least for those stores that concentrated on satisfying the shopper, with the completeness of their assortments, and with a merchandising environment that was pleasing and interesting, creating stores that looked like Hallmark. Some stores that didn't make an all-out effort last year may have had disappointing results. We hope not. But we do know that in recent years, those stores that have been emphasizing terms and concessions have been losing share of market to those stores that instead have concentrated on pleasing the consumer. And the shoppers are going to the stores that they like to shop in, Hallmark stores. Hallmark dealers Christmas retail sales have grown nearly 75% since 1975. And this growth is great, but it also has given us growing pains. Our production, shipping, and administrative areas are nearly bursting at the seams. We're very much aware of the problems you faced this past year, coping with all aspects of service. We have taken action, and here are some of the steps that are being taken to help the situation in 1979. We have substantially more equipment on order and we're building onto our plants in Levvenworth and Topeka. A special warehouse and shipping point has been established in the Kansas City area to handle calendar and ornament shipments and ship dates on these lines have been moved up to May 15th. And these steps will help. The Christmas season is the biggest and best retailing opportunity and the most competitive time that our dealers face all year. It's the time when they really need a partner. A partner to work with them in their planning, their training, their promoting, and their merchandising. Christmas in the retail world is the World Series and the Super Bowl combined. I believe that we have the ingredients for another championship season in 1979. Have a good day and another successful year.