Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-02-23

| sive, S42 900 watches, being an average OF
236 ,s33 per annum.
SIN 1876 we shall barely send there 49,
0G0 watches, or. since 1872, deficit of 300.-
600 watches. W hat loss for Switzerland,
and particularly for Neuchatel For this
deficit concerns principally our canton, and
it is very easy to convince ones self Of the
iar'. In 1875, Chaux- de- Fonds turned out
| II & 900 watches or movements In preced
il = years she turned out double that amount
| The deficit, therefore. amounts for la Cbau1-
de-Fonds alone to 4OO, 900 francs; for Locle.
| Neuchatel, ETC., it res ches the same figure
In proportion.
| 1--WE have stated that the shipment of our
| goods has largely decreased. Shall We attri-
butte its cause to the crisis? Certainly in
many respects We may do 50; it cannot be
denied. But the American competition
contributes still more largely to it.
| The Americans have already commenced
t. send their manufacture to Europe In
Eng land they sell annually from 90 600 to
10000 watches. The American watch COM
mences to drive from the English market the
| Swiss and even the English watch. The
Americans commenced by creating a demand
for their goods In the Indies and in Austria
liza and then-thanks to some powerful ex-
porting -houses-they invaded England. At
Moscow and ST. Petersburgh they have al
ready established important branch Offices.
They do not keepit secret. but loudly 8dver-
tlse II /; their aim is to drive US first out OF
their own country, and then to compete
with US on our own soil. if our sluggishness
and our blind confidence leave the field free
to them. sincerely confess that person.
| ally have doubted that competition. But
nDw | have seen-l have felt it and | am
terrified by the canger to which our in
| dustry is exposed. Besides, | am not the
only one to think so /; the IS jciete Inter-
cantonale' have sent delegate to make
| Inquiries, and his report perfectly agrees
with mine. Up to this very day we have
| believed America to be dependent upon
Europe. We have been mistaken. The
| Americans will send US their products since
we cannot send them our own. We ask
ourselves whether the Americans can main
tain their prices answer, yes. they can,
| for If they obtain good profit on their
| superior quality of goods they can afford to
be satisfied With a smaller profit on the low.
| er grades of watches. In America every
thing Is made by machinery here we make
| everything by hand We count in Switz.r-
land about Forty thousand workmen, max
| ing on everage each per annum 40 watches.
| In the United States the average Is l50
watches. Therefore the machine produces
| three and half to four times more than
| the workman. 1t remains for US to solve
| the situation. But how can We get out of
the corner into which we have been driven?
| To-day, even without machines, we cannot
| dispose of the | GOO, 600 watches which our
people can manufacture. How will it be
| if we establish machines which will thrice
| increase our production? We must either
| diminish the number of our hands and make
machines, or else cling to our system and
| be resigned to see our industry decline.
Gentlemen, do not pretend to point
out the remedy. simply call your atten-
| tion to the evil-that is all. 1t remains for
| you to find the cure. However, believe
that it will be good to do for our mechani-
| oians what We have done for our watch
makers-that is, to create schools. You
must not despair you must not desert the
| field We lust, on the contrary, organize
| for resistance, and to recoDQuer the lost
| ground. II America closes her gates to us
| by customs duties and exorbitant freights,
We are, at least left the resource of energet-
| ically fighting against her in European
markets.
Had the Philadelphia Exhibition taken
| place five years later, We should have been
| totally annihilated without knowing whence
or how We received the terrible blow. We
have believed ourselves masters OF the stua-
tion, when We really have been on a volcano.
| And to-day We must actually struggle II We
| do not want to Encounter in all the markets
| that rival manufacture. Did We not sneer
| at BesancOn at the outset? And now Besan-
Con suffices for France, and besides, she e1-
| ports her surplus Of manufacture. We ask
| ourselves If. In reducing the price ofwatche.',
| We can increase their sale IN the same pro-
| portion? And if the sales do not increase,
what will become of US? We shall have an
| enormous stocks OF goods and q permanent
| stagnatiOn. The custom duties, you know,
amount to 25 per cent. For 4 long time
| hopes have been entertained that they might
| be reduced. We cannot count on 1t.
| America needs all her resources. especially
| In the present situation; and, whether
Democrats or Republicans be in power. We
| cannot hope iur reduction IN Import
| duties. We must therefore ncsh ~ our
minds to lose the American m.Iketl
| IL has been said, and it has been compla-
| Gently repeated, that the Americans do not
make the entire watch, and that they are de-
pendent upon Switzerland for several parts
OF the watch. This is mistake. The Wal
than Company make the e1IIre watch
| from the first screw to tho case and dial.
1t would be even difficult for them to use
our products, so great Is The regularity, 81
| minute the precision with which their ma
chimes work. They arrive at the regulation
| Of the watch 50 To say-wItbuuI having
| seen It. When the watch Is given u the
adustor, the foreman delivers to bin the
corresponding harspring and the watch Is
regulated. (Sensation among the au-
| dience,) Here Is what have seen, gentle
men | asked from the director of the Wal
! than Company a watch Of the fifth grade.
A large safe was opened befJre me: at ran
| dom | took watch out of 1t and fastened It
10 my chain. The director having asked
me TO let him have tho watch Tor Two or
three days, so as to observe its motion,
answered. On the contrary, persist In
wearing II just As it is TO obtain an exact
idea OF your manufacturer At Paris set
my watch by regulator on the Boulevard,
and on the sixth day observed that 1t had
varied thirtv-two seconds. And this watch
Is ot the fifth American grade; it costs 10
francs movement without easel. At my
arrival at Luclc | showed the watch TO one
| of our first adJusters. who asked permission
10 take it dOwn'-in other words, 10 take
it to pieces. l. however. wished first to OBJ
serve 1t; and here is the result. which
noted Hanging daily variation. one and a
bali seconds; variation in different posi-
tions from four to eight seconds; in the
heated room the variation was lbut very
slight. Having thus observed 1t. handed
the watch to the adjuster, who took it down.
After tho lapse of u few days, no came to
me and said, word Tor word: Il am COM
pletely overwhelmed; the result is in credi-
bic; one would not find one such watch
among 81, 600 of our manufacture
This watch, gentlemen, repeat to you /.
| took at hszard-out OF a heap, as We say.
You understand from this example that the
American watch may DO preferred to the
Swiss. have finished, gentlemen, and |
have told You of things such as have seen
them. lt remains for US to profit from this
sad experience, and TO improve our manu-
iacturc. Competent men are not wanting
anon . US; they must go to work at once. "
Two YOUNG MEN named Ryan and Osch-