Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-04-02
QueensWare.

Considerable excitement has prevailed
for some time past among the importers
and dealers in earthenWaTe or qUeensWare
as it is generally called, owing to the adj
vance which has taken place in England in
goods of that class. As the bulk of the
Queensware used in this country is i'm
ported from Stafiordshire, the advance
must soon affect our market. In
deed it would affect it nov if it were
not for an Injurious system of cutting in
prices which dealers are indulging in. As
things stand, dealers could make more
money by holding on to their stocks than
by selling, but Of course they must supply
| their customers III order 10 retain trade.
The English manufactures will not take
orders now at a fixed price, and our deal
! ers are ordering at rates TO be determined
at time OF shipment.
During the early part of LAST year the
| earthenware manufacturers of England held
a convention, at which the sterling price list
of 1866 was revised, and an advance Of -
per cent. established. In the latter part of
| the same month the importers and wholesale
dealers of this country met in convention
at indianapolis, and satisfactory prices were
agreed on to meet the advance, but the
| spirit of rivalry between cities and dealers
| engendeIed bad faith, and system of cut
| ting began which brought down prices to
| the old standard, and has kept them there,
notwithstanding that the English manufac-
| turers in October last made a further ad-
vance of nine and a half per cent; and
again, On the 23d of February, an advance
of eight and a third per cent,
The advance in England is owing to sew
| eral causes. One is an increased price of
coal. The prOprietOrs Of coal mines, either
from interested motives or from well
grounded fears, have been talking of late
very lugubriously about an exhaustion of
the mines, and it is certainly fact that the
cost of mining is gradually increasing
Again, the late English laws on the subject
of compulsory education have cut off the
supply of cheap labor. Children and youths
are now compelled to attend schools and
are not allowed to work in potteries over
four hours in the twenty-four.
Experienced Workmen are unable TO
make living wages at old rates without a
great deal Of cheap help, and consequently
strikes have been frequent, and wages have
been raised. The growing influence of the
International Society gives the wOrkingmen
more strength in their contests with their
EMPLOYERS, and all these influences together
are likely to make the increase of wages
and consequent increase in the price of
goods permanent. OF course a correspond
ing advance must take place in this coun-
try, and dealers should govern themselves
accordingly.
The Pittsburg glass manufacturers mott
fed their customers short time ago Of
material advance in their goods. A large
advance in soda ash is one cause of this,
and another is the fact that the production
of the lower grades Of glassware, since the
war, has been excessive. A great many
inexperienced men went into the business,
lost money themselves, and caused loss to
the trade by putting prices, through cOmpe-
tition. below a paying basis. They have
now been weeded out, and manufacturers
have pat up their wares to profitable figures.