The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1877-01-11

tain a good profit on their superior
quality goods, they can afford to be
satisfied with smaller profit on the
lower grades of watches. In America,
everything is made by machinery
here we make everything by hand. In
Switzerland about 10000 workmen
make, on the average, each 40 watches
per annum. In the United States the
average is about $50 watches. There.
fore the machinery produces three and
a half to four times more than the
workmen.
Had the Philadelphia Exhibition ia.
ken place five years later, we should
have been totally annihilated without
knowing whence nor how we received
the terrible blow. We have believed
ourselves masters of the situation,
when we really have been on a volcano.
And. to-day, we must actually strug-
glo 1t we do nat want to e1lCO OunI9r, In
all the markets, that rival manufac-
ture. For long time we have hoped
that the custom duties, amounting to
25 per cent, might be reduced. We
cannot count upon it. America needs
all her resources, and whether Demo.
Gratis or Republicans be in power, we
cannot hope fer a reduction of import
duties. We must, therefore, make up
our mind to lose the American market,
1t has been complacently said, that the
Americans do not make the entire
watch, but are dependent upon Swift
zerland for several parts of the watch.
This is mistake. The Waltham Com
pany make the entire watch from the
first. screw TO the case and dial. It
would even be difficult for them to use
our prodncts, so great is the. regulari'
ty, so minute the precision with which
their machines work.
They arrive at the regulation Of the
watches-so to say-without having
seen it. When the watch is given to
the adjuster, the foreman delivers to
him the corresponding hair~spring, ,and
the watch is regulated. [Sensation
among the audience.1 Here is what
have seen gentlemen I asked from
the director of the Waltham Company
a watch Of the fifth grade. A large
safe was open before me: at random
ltook Il watch out of it and fastened
it to my chain. The director having
asked me to let him have the watch
for two or three days, so as to observe
its motion, / answered, son the con.
trary, persist in wearing it just as it
is to obtain an exact idea of yonr man.
ufacture.' At Paris, I set my watch
by /. regulator on the Boulevard, and
on the sixth day I observed that it had
varied 80 seconds And this watch is
of the fifth American grade; it cost
IS francs movement without case.)
On my arrival at Locle showed the
watch to one of our first adjusters,
who asked permission to take it down
that is, to take it to pieces. I, how
ever, wished first to observe it, and
here is the result which I noted:
Hanging, daily variation, l 1-2 Sec
onds; variation in different positions
from to s seconds; in the heated
room the variation was very slight.
Having thus observed it, handed the
watch over to the adjuster, who took
it down: After few days he came to
me and said, word for word, II am
completely oyerwhelmed; the result is
Incredible; one would not find one such
watch among fifty thousand of our
manufacture!' This watch, gentle
men, repeat to you, took at hazard
out of heap, as we say. You under
stand from this example, that the
American watch may be preferred to
the Swiss. 1have finished, gentlemen,
and have told you Of things such as
have seen them. It remains for us to
profit from this sad experience, and to
improve our manufacture.