The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-03-07

q their markets. Yes, they can; we are driv
s en- out of the American markell hereinl
Z @exclude, however, complicated watches inI
(which We are now, and hope we shall all
2,ways remain, masters.
81 I'm 1850 the American companies produced
'gonly 900 wa ches; in 1868, 100000. To-i
kdsy they produce 250.OO0. and this figure canD
8 be easily doubled in case the crisis, which so,
4 severely prevails there as well as here
Ssshould come to an end. For we must notI
sSforget that, if several factories have been.
sclosed during the crisis, the tools as we'll asl
ssthe workmen are still there, all ready to re-:
lzsume work again. Nor must we leave out
,fof sight the exorbitant customs duties ani'
sSSfreight, which amount to about % or 30 per;
[cent, which take away from us every posi-
;&bility of being able 10 stand the fight. And,
ssnow that we know the figures of productions
fyin the United States, We can easily. with thel
Said of official reports, give an account of.
sswhat is that country's consumption of
awatches. We have sent to the United States;
Aduring the past IL years, viz: 1864 to 1S75]
81 inclusive, 2, ,S42 900 watches, being an averages
aof 236, S33 per annum.
= "In 1876 we shall barely send there rs. .OOOy
5swatches, or, since 1872, deficit of 800, ,OOOi
Izwatches. What loss for Switzerland, ands
Aparticularly for Neuchatell For this deficit
Sconcerns principally our canton. and it isl
4very easy TO convince ones self of the fact
;sIn 1875 Chaux-de-Fonds turned out log, ,000s
Swatches or movements. In preceding years.
*she turned opt douoie that amount The
8ds6oit, therefore, amounts for Ia Chaux-de-s !
SFonds alone to 100000 francs; for Locle I
SNeuchatel etc, it reaches the same figure in
@proportion.
q I'VE have stated that the shipment of ours
4goods has largely decreased. Shall we at {
Etribute its cause to the crisis? Certainly, in
&many respects We may do so; it can not bes
Sdenied. But the American competitions
contributes still more largely to it.
q ''The Americans have already commenced
Ito send their manufacture to Europe Inf
they sell annually from 10000 tos
.{30 600 watches. The American watch com-s
3mences TO drive from the English markell
fthe Swiss and even the English watch. The2
EAmericans commenced by creating a del
&mand for their goods in the Indies and ina
&Australia; and then-thanks to some power-k
&ful exporting houses-they invaded England |
Vat Moscow and st. Petersburg they haveE
Haready established important branch of
46ces. They do not keep it secret but loudlya
sladvertise it; their aim is to drive 6rst OUT
3of their own country, and then to competed
3iwith us on our own soil If our sluggishneSst
.sand our blind confidence leave the field frees
iSto them. / sincerely confess that 1 person I
Nally have doubted that competition. But
xnOw | have seen-I have felt it--aDd / amt
aterrified by the danger to which our indus J
fitry is exposed. Besides, | am not the only
Hone to think so; the 'Societe Intercanto-I
Hinquiries. and his report perfectly
8agrees with mine. Up to this yeryi
8day we have believed America to{
#be dependent upon Europe. Wei
sahave been mistaken. The Americans will1
|Ssend us their products since we can not send
Nthem our own. We ask ourselves wherb peri
q the Americans can mali tain their prices? III
&answer, yes, they can, for if they obtain al
good profit on their superior quality goods
&they can afford to be satisfied with a smaller
'3prott on the lower grades OF watches Ini
81 aAmerica everything is made by machinery i
there we make everything by hand. Wei
Hcount in Switzerland about forty thousand
y Eworkmen, making on an average eachI
4 per annum 40 watches. In the United
Estates the average is $50 watches. ThereforeI
q he machine produces three and a half toI
flour times more than the workman. 1t re-
4mains for US to solve the situation. Butt
|2how can we get out of the corner into which,
I've have been driven? To-day, even with
HOut machines we can not dispose of the l.
ReD0, 900 watches which our people can manu-
j 8iature. How will it be if We establish ma
a ;Enes which will thrice increase ourI
= 8pfoduction? We must either diminish the|
i<number of our hands and make machines on
Welse cling to our system and be resigned toI
1see our industry decline.
q Gentlemen, do not pretend to point out
4the remedy. / simply call your attention toI
The evil-that is all. 1t remains for you to|
'3hnd the cure. However, L believe that i'll
Twill be good to do for our mechanicians what
1--WE have done for our watchmakers-that is,
ITO create schools. You must not despair i
3you must not desert the field; we must, on|
3the contrary, organize for resistance, and toI
'8reconquer the lost ground If America
HcIoses her gates to us by customs duties andI
EMax loff ,oI
8resource of energetically fighting against herr
Mn European markets.
81 Had the Philadelphia Exposition taken|
#place FIVE years later we should have been|
8totally annihilated without knowing whencel
xor how we received the terrible blow. Wei
sIhaye believed ourselves masters of the situa7
tion. when we really have been on volcano
= And to-day we must actually struggle if wei
do not want to encounter in all the mar
Ikets that rival manufacture. Did we mott
sneer at Besancon at the outset? And nowI
<3Besancon sufices for France, and besides,
4she exports her surplus of manufacture.
1--WE ask ourselves il, in reducing the price,
t3of watches, We can increase their sale
in the same proportion7 And if the sales dol
mot increase, what will become of us? Wei
shall have an enormous stock of goods and a!
Hpermanent stagnation. The customs duties,
<you know, amount to 25 per cent. For al
&ong time hopes have been entertained that
{they might be reduced. We can not souns 4
:5son it. America needs all her resources,
&especially in the present situation; and,
<whether democrats or republicans be in|
zpower, we can not hope for a reduction I'M
sSmport duties. We must therefore make up
SOur minds to lose the American markell
n "It has been said. and it has been COM
repeated, that the Americans do
s3not make the entire watch, and that they
sSare dependent upon Switzerland for several
x3paTts of the watch. This is mistake. The,
MWaltham company make the entire watch
Hfrom the first screw 70 the case and dial. Ii
S3would even be difficult for them to use our
-3nroducts great Is the allarity q mi