Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-05-19
SEWING MACHINES.
Expiration OF the Last of the Bur.
some Patents, Both 'fStandard"
and "OppOsitiOn Makes" TO
be Immediately
Cheaper.
New York World, May 6.

New York World, May Q.
f AT noon next Tuesday will expir
the last of the series of patents upo
the essential portions of the sewin
machine which have enabled tn
owners to exact a royalty from al
manufacturers. From that tim
forth any one can make a sewinj
machine. For many years past
combination of large manufacturer
viz, the Singer Manufacturer,
Company, the Wheeler d Wilson
Company and the Grover q Bake
Manufacturing Company have
bought up and controlled inventors
patents, and, concentrating theil
rights, have been enabled to restric
such general manufacture as would
interfere with their business. One
of the most important of their pat
ents was the old Howe patent for an
eye-pOinted needle, a shuttle, and
other mechanical devices for sew
ing, which, however, expired nearly
ten years ago. Another patent was
for the four-motioned feed, which
was invented by Allen Il. Wilson
and patented in the name of one
Fitzgerald, and was known as the
! Fitzgerald patent. This also eX-
pifed three years or more ago, and
was likewise a relief to the outside
manufacturers, who had for many
years paid a royalty for its use, as ii
was an essential in every machine.
The last patent which they hold,
and the one which expires next
Tuesday, is known as the Batcheld-
er patent, granted in 1853 and re-
newed in 1870, and is for what is
known as the needle-plate, an essen
tial in every machine. The needle
plate is the small piece beneath and
through which passes the needle to
connect with the shuttle. The pat
ent really covers all styles of feed
ing devices in which the cloth is fed
between two clamping surfaces. For
the privilege of using this article on
their machines all companies outside
of the combination have been OBJ
liged to pay royalty of SO on every
machine sold, except those which
are intended for expectation. They
have complained loudly about this
tax upon them and hail its expira-
ton with unconcealed delight. One
company displays an account show
ing that they had paid during the
last ten years the sum of $500, 900 as
royalty to the companies controlling
this patent. All the manufacturers
have been obliged to keep a record
of the plate-number of every ma
chine sold, and make oath to the ac-
curacy of their royalty statements,
thing which appears simple
enough, but which they say mas
caused them untold annoyance in
the way of having machines return
ed to them, exchanged, and other
like transactions, for which they
have been held to arigorous account,
at much time and expense. The
royalty of SO on each machine is not
in itself a large item, but upon new
machine to be put upon the market
nyrOyalty might be charged, which
effectually limited manufacture.
But after next Tuesday it becomes
the privilege of any person to make
a sewing machine as much as it is
his privilege to make a broom
or plough. OF course there are
hundreds of patents which are
held by the various companies,
greater or less number by each one,
to initiate any one of which would
be an infringement of patented
rights, but these cover only mechan-
ical details, appliances and attach
ments, none Of which are i'm any
way essential to the manufacture of
a sewing machine.
In regard to the cost of a sewing
machine many erroneous statements
have been published, and the gener-
al impression of the public has been
that the profits have been enormous,
and that this royalty was much
larger than it really has been. The
sum of SO is but a small item on a
$40 sewing machine, but good Ina-
chine of that kind costs just about
$l5 to place completed i'm the ware
rooms. The cost of selling the ma
chine is much more than the cost Of
producing it. The following state
ment was obtained from a careful
average of the business of first
class company, and was based upon
the sale of 1900 machines upon the
lease system:
Cost of manufacturinga s7Omaohine...sl5 90
Proportion of expenses OF distributing
offices ON each machine ............... 10 90
Commission paid TO canvassers, 80 per
Cost Of collecting quarterly payments. Z 90
Two years interest on same. e................. 80
Margin of profit I3 80
Total 90
And from the margin must be de-
Quoted the losses arising from the
carrying away of machines by dis
honest people.
81 tel y0u," said the gentleman
from whom the foregoing statement
was obtained, "this lease business
has got to be abandoned and will
no IN, almost axrarVhoIxy In tho bua-