The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-01-06


per cent. This coup de commerce has Coz
the company $4,000.
at Is unnecessary, gentlemen, 10 tel
you how very detrimental this was to III
Swiss watch. Still another and more i'm
portant reason explains the growing
prosperity Of the American Company
Their tools work 80 regularly that al
parts OF the watch may be interchanged
by a simple order on a postal card
without necessitatiug the forwarding O
the adjoining piece. The question hai
often been asked whether the Americans
can sufficiently supply the demands O.
their markets. Yes, they can; we ART
driven out Of the American market |
herein exclude, however, complicated
watches, in which we are now, and hope
we shall always remain, masters.
an 1860 the American Companies
produced only $1,000 watches; in 1858
100000. To-day they produce 100000
and this figure can DO easily doubled In
case the crisis, which 80 severely pre-.
walls there as we'll as here, should come
70 an end. For we must not forget that,
ifseyeral factories have been closed dur.
Ing the crisis, the tools as we'll as the
wOrkmen are still there, all ready TO 70.
sumo work again. Nor must We leave
out Of sight the exorbitant customs, du.
ties and freight, which amount 10 about
% or 80 per cent, which take away from
Us every possibility Of being able 10 stand
tho fight. Aud now that we know the
figures Of production 10 the United States,
We can easily, with the aid Of official re.
ports, give an account Of what Is that
countryb consumption Of watches. We
have sent TO the United States during the
past twelve years, viz: 1854 to 1875 in.
elusive, 2,S42000 watches, being an
average Of 236,S33 per annum.
I'm 1876 we shall barely send there
10000 watches, or, since 1872, a deficit
Of 100000 watches. What 4 loss for
Switzerland, and particularly for Neuch.
atel! For this deficit concerns princi.
pally our canton, and il is very easy to
convince ones self Of the fact. In 1876,
ChauI.de.Fonds turned out 100000
watches or movements. In preceding
years she turned out double that amount.
The deficit, therefore, amounts for la
Chaux.de.Fonds alone to 100000 francs;
for Locie, NeuchaIel, &c, it reaches the
same figure in proportion.
"We have stated that the shipment OF
our goods has largely decreased. Shall
we attribute its cause to the crisis
Certainly in many respects we may do
80; it cannot be denied. But the Ameri-
can competition contributes still more
largely to it.
The Americans have already COM
menced to send their manufactures 10
Europe. In England they sell annually
from 10000 to 10000 watches. The
American watch commences to drive
from the English market the Swiss and
even the English watch. The Americans
commenced by creating 4 demand for
their goods in the Indies and in Austria
liza; and then-thanks 10 some powerful
exporting houses-they invaded Eng
land. At Moscow and st. Petersburg
they have already established important
branch offices. They do not keep 1t se-
Cret, but loudly advertise it; their aim is
to drive us first out Of their own country,
and then TO compete with us on our
own soil, il our sluggishness and
our blind confidence leave the field
free to them. ] sincerely confess
that personally have doubted that
competition. But now | have seen
i have felt it-and | am terrified by the
danger to which our industry is exposed.
Besides, | am not the only one to think
30; the "SOciele lntercantonale" Fave
sent u delegate to make inquiries, and
his report perfectly agrees with mine. Up
to this very day We have believed Amer
lea to be dependent upon Europe. We
have been mistaken. The Americans
will send us their products since we can
not send them our own. We ask our
selves whether the Americans eau main
tain their prices? | answer, yes, they
can, for il they obtain \ good profit on
their superior quality goods they can
afford TO he satisfied with smaller pro-
tit on the lower grades OF watches. In
America everything is made by ma
chinery; here We make everything by
hand. We count in Switzerland about
forty thousand wor kmen, making on an
average each per annum 40 watches. In
tho United States the average is $50
watches. Therefore the machine pro.
duCes three aud half to four times more
than the workman. 1t remains for US
to solve the situation. But how can we
get out ofthe corner into which We have
been driven2 To-day, even without ma.
chimes, we cannot dispose Of the 100000
watches which oLr people can manu-
facture. How will it be il We establish
machines which will thrice increase our
production? We must either diminish
the number OF our hands. and make ma.
chimes, or elss cling to our system and be
resigned to see our industry decline.
- Gentlemen, | do not pretend TO point
out the remedy. simply call your at.
tention to the eyil-that il all. It remains
for yon to find the cure. However, | be-
lieve that it will be good to do for our
mechanicians what We have done for our
watchmakers-that Ia to create schools.
You must not despair; you must not de-
sert the field; We must, on the contrary,
organize for resistance, and to re.Conquer
the lost ground. II America closes her
gates TO us by customs duties and exor-
bltant frsights, We are, at least left the re-
source OF energeIically fighting against
her in European markets.
"HAd the Philadelphia Exhibition
taken place I've years later, We should
have been totally Annihilated without
knowing whence we received. the terrible
blow. We have believed ourselves mas.
tiers Of the situation, when We really have
been on volcano. And to-day We must
actually struggle il we do not want to en-
counter in all the markets that rival
Did we not sneer at Be-
sancon at the outset? And now Besan-
con suflices for France, and besides, she
exports her surplus Of manufacture. We
ask ourselves il, in reducing the price Of
watches, we can increase their sale in the
same proportion? And il the sales do
not increase, what will become Of Ms
We shall have an enormous stock ofgoods
and permanent stagnation. The Gus.
toms duties, you know, amount to % per
cent. For a long time hopes have been
entertained that they might be reduced.
We cannot count on it. America needs