The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1877-01-18
MAINTAINING IN AMERICA.
A Foreigner Testimony.


Speech Deiiucred in the AmphiLleatre of the
Primary College Of La Ctaur-de-Fonds,
TUESDAY, the 14h of Nosember, by NJ. Ed
guard Fare Rerre., Member Of the Interna-
tond Jury on Watches Of the Exhibition ct
Philadelphia, and one Of the Sriss Commits
sioners 10 tie United States.
Mr. Arnold Grosiean, President of the
Board of Commerce, announced that NJ. Ed
guard Favre-Perrei, member Of the Inter
national Jury on Watches of the Exhibi-
ton 1t Philadelphia, had kindly consented
to repeat, ct la Chaux -de-Fonds, the speech
already delivered by him st Locie and
Neuchstel, on the situation of the Industry
of Matchmaking in the United States.
THE Address.
@GENTLEldES / must, 10 start with, an
Rounce TO you that you have ns; an orator
before you, but a manufacturer, and as such
l ask your indulgence. | shall give you in
formation which, uuluckily, is not cheerful
on the condition Of Swlss matchmaking
compared with the American competition
L shall tell you OF facts simply, such as |
have seei them, auch as | have understood
them. FrankGess is here more Necessary
than anything else, for it is no; by pallia-
ting the bad sides of = difficult situation
that We can succeed in improving it.
For long time We have heard here OF
an American competition, without beliey-
ing it. The skeprics there we're many
of them-denied the possibility Of h COM
petition at once so rapid and so important.
To-day We are forced to believe the proof.
of it, and to acknowledge the existence of a
formid able msnuf scture.
I'VE have had the proofs OF it under our
own eyes We have seen the American fac
tories, and We have been able to sati,fy our
selves exactly a. to their power. We have
treated the American manufacture as we
have treated the Deighboring manufactures
in the future OF which We did not wish
to believe at first, and which form to-day
q most serious competition. l refer to
Besancon, Bienne, Ct. Inner, Morat and
Schaffnausen.
"For u long time America has been the
principal market Tor our watches-our
milk-cow, 50 TO speak. To-day We must
earnestly prepare to struggle with the
Americans on the fields where hitherto We
have been the masters. Some of you have
kuown MIR. DeunisoD, who was, We may
say, the father of Americ N watch making.
Mr. DenDison Travelled through the Canton
OF Neuchatei, studying our mode of manu-
faciuriag seeking to infJrm himself OF
ever, thing, and carefully noting the weak
r.z IN, fur hi. fur In
the United State, he founded fuctory at
Bos,on-'The Boston Watch Company
This was in 1854. The capitsl-scaIcely
S1U0,000-was subscribed 10y capitalists
more than by practical business men. In
the beginning the company turned out only
the rough skeleton movement, and attend
ed to The finishing; all other parts. such as
trains, balances, jewels, &c, &c, were i'm
ported from Switzerland. Little by little,
however, the factory extended its opera
tons, and produced other parts. Notxi,h-
standing all this progress, this mode of do
ing things not suitiDg the American char
acler, 80 little inclined to let capital remain
almost unproductive, the capitalists
abandoned the factory, and it failed in
1856.
"Anothel American, Mr.. Robbins, whom
you have also known, gentlemen. when he
had business relations with Us, scented
good speculation, and bought in the entire
factory, tools included, for So, 900. A new
company-1he American Watch Com
pany'-was afterwards formed, with cap.
ital of $4,000 Soon this capital became
insufficient, and it was increased to $780,
900 before the war of secession. This war,
which seemed calculated TO destroy such an
enterprise, was, on the contrary, the cause
of its prosperity. America put on foot
million of soldiers, and, - a. every one
wanted his watch, there wac great animation
in the watch business. At this juncture,
which might have been . lucky one for our
industry, We failed to comprehend our real
interests. Instead Of sending good watches
to the Americana, the worst trash was sent.
Had mere skeleton movements been sent in
cases they would have been thought good
enough The Americans, however, went to
work on IN entirely different plan. The
company increased their plant, and turned
out . better ordinary watch than the Swiss
watch. At the end of eeveral years, and
with the aid of patriotism, the American
watch enjoyed good reputstion, while our
own was discredited everywhere. In 1865
the capital was increased to $4,000, and
the operations Of the new company grew to
immense proportions. During tie follow
ing years business went on 20 we'll that
eyerywhere new watch factories sprung
ND. Every one wanted TO make
watches. To-day you can count
about eleven factories. The most import
ant, after the Wsltham Company, il
the one at Eigin, which turns ont about 800
movements day. The Waltham Compa-
nv give employment to 900 workmen, and
make about AS movements per day. The
company again increased their capital in
lS72;it amounts today TO 81 SOC, coo besides
$500 500 n reserve fund, or . capital of
9, 100000 francs This watch factory Is .
real power there is none like it in Europe
We have seen it in all its details, and We
have admired its splendid o.ganiz alton.
Last Msy, on the eve of the Exhibition, re
sill seemed masters of the situation. One
event. no wever, dealt Us mortal blow. Be
i: through the effect of the crisis, or from
any other motive, the Eigin Company
made, all Of . sudden, . Induction on the
price Of their movements Of 10 per cent To
50 per cent, 90 that all stocks Of Ssisa
watches were seriously Affected Lever
nevsmsats. viii visible pallettA vsre aid
q II francs. How eas We nsst th1! On