Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1860-10-06
VOL. XII.--NO. 10.
A Chapter of Trade.

those of domestic manufacture, illustrate in q
peculiar manner the ingenuity, energy, and
elasticity of the American mind. In no class
of goods is this more marked than hardware,
for in no other is the astonishing cheapness of
foreign labor so clearly seen. A gross, or 144
pieces, of knifes and forks, the knife of steel
is sold in England for fifteen shillings sterling,
which includes, beside the cost Of steel and
iron, forging, polishing, handling, papcring,
and labelling. a serviccable one-blade pocket
knife is afforded for twelve shillings per gross,
and SO on, through long list The German
goods are cheaper yet in files, edge tools, cut
lery, and guns, they have struck below com.
petition simply because, while the English
aborer cannot live on less than sixpcnce q
day, the German peasant, working alternately
at the pow and anvil can exist on threepence.
One of the most important articles in the
hardware hne is wood screws. Until about
the year 1910 they were imported exclusively,
and to considerable extent for several years
after But about that time company was
established at Providence, Rhode Island, and
soon followed by another, to make screws by
machinery. They suffered the usual expert
mental infclcitics, and contended also against
that strong mercantile jealousy which always
opposes the introduction of q home made
against foreign article But the screws were
really so good, and the pcrsistency and pa
tience of the manufacturers so unconquerablc,
that within three or four years they had fairly
introduced their goods, and within five or six
years had entirely supplantcd the foreign
James, the excellent English manufacturer,
was forced to confne himself to the home and
continental trade.
Now, it is to be said for American manu-
featuring enterprise, that it can flourish either
with or without protection. All it asks is uni
formty; tc'ift or no tariff only let it know
what it has to meet, and let it alone. 1t is
certain that the American hardware manufac-
tories could keep the market in the face of
free trade. The elasticity of the screw bust
ness cvinccs this. There arc about one hun
drcd and thirty to fifty sizes of screws made,
the average list price per gross, being not far
from 36 cents. From this list the companies
have made discounts varying from 20 to 60
per cent, and have thrivcn under all-plainly
showing that they are not indebted to pro-
tcctive tariff A curious chapter in trade has
been lately opened in the management of these
screw companies, under the gcncralship of the
agent of the largest two Which have united,
and virtually control the rest. The product
of the principal consolidated company, is about
10000 gross, or l ,440, 900 screws daily 1t
has scarcely been less than this for ten years,
sumption in this country, as to the Importance
of the hardware interest, and as to the value
of the hadc which England has lost But
within the past year, the inventor of the
ingenious machinery by which these screws
arc made, and who had sold the right of it's
use for America solely to these companies,
went to England, and invested an cnterprising
manufacturer, named Ncttlcfold, with his
patent rights for that country. The American
manufacturers were selling at 80 per cent dis
count; NettIcfold, combining English cheap
labor with the same machinery, soon appeared
in this market at 60 per cent. discount, which,
after allowing expenses of importation, brought
his screws ten per cent. below the American.
OF course he then received heavy orders
The American makers were not long in
feeling the reduction of their trade, and ap-
piled to Nettlefold to buy him of. lie agreed
to desst from the use of the machinery for
bonus of 100000, in equal quarterly install
ments for two years. The bargain was prompt
ly closed, and the first instalment has already
been paid Pending these negotiations, which
occurred last spring, the patent under which
all these parties were working, expired, and
the agent of the great American company went
to England, found the inventor, who like all
inventors, except Cole, Howe and few 9th
crs, was as poor as job and made it his inter
est to secure an extension of his patent.
All this being effected in tie most secret
and business like manner; Nettlefold being
slenced; the patent extended, and both whip
and rcins in their hands, the companies i'm
mcdiately dropped their discount to twenty
per cent, with such inducements for cash, as
to make it necessary for every considerable
dealer to buy only for money.
This shrewd operation is just now the OBJ
icct of much comment in the hardware trade.
The merchants feel themselves to be at the
mercy of the screw companies for a number
of years to come
When it is added that the stock of the prin-
cpal company was already worth five or six
hundred per cent, it may be conjcctured that
the shareholders have reason to consider them
selves lucky fellows.
WoMAN's CHARITY AND ELooUENCE OF
HEART. That was beautiful idea of tho
wife of an Irish schoolmastcr, who, while poor
himself had given gratuitous instruction to
poor scholars, but when he increased in world
iy goods, began 10 think he could not afford
to give his services for nothing:
ooh James, don't say the like of that"
said the gentle hearted woman, don't; poor
scholar never came into the house that i didn't
feel as if he brought fresh air from Heaven
with him Ineyer miss the bit give them
my heart warns to the soft and homely
glsI lA. Al