Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-02-23
Matchmaking In America.
A FOREIGNERS TESTIMONY:

l
Matchmaking in America.
FOREIGNERS TESTIMONY:
Speech delivered in the amphitheatre oil
the primary college of la Chaux de-tonds,
the l4th of November, by NJ. Ed0uard
Favre- Perret, Member of the International
jury on watches of the Exhibition at PhIla-
delphia, and one Of the Swiss commissioners
to the United States.
Mr.. Arnold Grosjean, President OF the
Board of Commerce. announced that NJ
Eiouard Favrc-Perrit, Member of the In
ternational Jury On Watches Of the Exhibi-
tion at Phadeip phia, had kindly consented
to repeat, at la Chaux-de-Fonds. the speech
already delivered by him at Locle and
Neuchatel, on the situation of the Industry
of Matchmaking in the United States.
TIE ADDRESS.
Gentlemen: must, to start with, an
nounce to you that you have not an orator
before you, but manufacturer, and as such
| ask your indulgence. | shall give you
information which, unluckly, is not cheer
ful on the condition of Swiss Matchmaking
compared with the American competition
| shall tell you of facts simply, such as |
have seen them, such as have understood
them. Frankness is here more necessary
than anything else, for it is not by palliating
the bad sides of difficult situation that we
can succeed in improvcing it.
"For a long time We have heard here OF
an American competition, without believing
it. The skeptics-and there were many of
them-denied the possibility Of a competition
at once so rapid and so important. To-day
we are forced to believe the proofs Of it and
to acknowledge the existence of formidable
manufacture.
ave have had the proofs of it under our
own eyes we have seen the American
factories, and we have been able to satisfy
ourselves exactly as to their power. We
have treated the American manufacture as
We have treated the neighboring manuiac-
tures-in the future of which We did not
wish to believe at first, and which form to-
DAY most serious competition. | refer to
Besancon, Benne, St. lmier, Morat, and
Schaffhausen.
For long time America has been the
principal market for our watcbes-our milk
cow, so to speak To-day we must earnestly
prepare to struggle with the Americans on
the fields where hitherto We have been the
masters. Some .. you have known Mr..
Dennison, who was We may say, the father
of American Matchmaking. Mr.. Dennison
Travelled through the Canton Of Neuchatel,
studying our mode of manufacturing, seek
ing to inform himself Of everything, and
carefully noted the weak parts in our in
dustry. After his return to the United
States he founded the factory at Boston The
Boston Watch Company This was in 1851
The capital-scarcely 500, ,0O0-was sub
scribed by capitalists more than BY practical
business men In the beginning the COM
pany turned out only the rough skeleton
movement, and attended to the finishing
all other parts, such as trains, balances,
jewels, etc, ETC., were imported from Swift
zerland. Little by little, however, the fac
tory extended its operations, and produced
other parts. Notwithstanding all this pro-
gress, this mode Of doing things not suiting
American character, so little inclined to let
capital remain almost unproductye the capi-
talisrs abandoned the factory, and it failed
in 1856,
"Another American, Mr.. Robbins, whom
you have also known, gentlemen, when he
had business relations with us, scented 4
good speculation, and bought in the entire
factory, tools included, for $1,000. \
new company-'Tho American watch COM
pauy'-was afterwards formed, with capi-
tai Of $500, 900. Soon this capital fecame
Insufficient. and it was increased to $780,
600 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, as every one want
ed his watch there was great animation in the
watch business. At this juncture, which
might have been lucky one for our indust-
ry, We failed to comprehend our real intersts.
Instead Of sending good watches to the
Americans 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 an enterely different plan. The
company increased their plant, and turned
out better ordinary watch than the Swiss
watch At the end of several years, and
with the aid Of patriotism, the American
watch enjoyed a good reputation, while our
own was discredited everywhere. In 1860
the capital was increased to $3.50, 900, and
the operations Of the new company grew to
immense proportions. During the follow
ing years business went On 50 well that
everywhere new watch factories sprung
I up. Every one wanted to make watches
To-day you can count about eleven factories.
The most important, after the Waltham
Company, is the one at Elgin, which turns
out about 800 movements day. The
Waltham Company give employment to 9OO
workmen, and mako about 425 movements
per day. The company again increased
their capital in 1872; it amounts to-day 10
81 500 600, besides S300.OO0 as reserved
fund. or capital 5000, 900 francs. This
watch factory is real power there is none
f like it in Europe. We have seen it in all
f its details, and we have admired its splendid
organization. Last May, on the eve Of the
Exhibition, VIC still seem masters OF the
situation. One event, however, dealt us
a mortal blow. BE it through the effect OF
. the crisis, OF from any other motive, the
. Elgin Company made, all of Il sudden, re-
ductiOn on the price Of their movement OF
E 40 per cent to 50 per cent, so that all stocks
$ of Swiss watches were seriously affected.
, Lever movements, with visible pallets, were
| sold at ~ francs. How can We meet this
: Under such circumstances, how can we
maintain competion? 1t will be necessary
\ to turn out our movements ut 10 or l. francs
to pay the custom duties ard to leave lit
tie margin Of profit. The Waltham Com
psny, however, would not he outdone by the
Elgn Company they even proposed to do
!, better. They announced reduction OF
d price from 40 to 50 per cent on prices al
r ready lower than their rivals, ,bu at the same
r time they made known that this reduction
n would @ back as far as january 1876.
( SO that dealer in watches had simply IL
c indicate the stock of his Waltham goods on
= hand to secure the rebate of 40 10 50 per
cent. This coup dc commerce has cost the
It Company $4,000
s 1t Is unncssary, gentlemen, to tell you
y how very detrimental this was to the Swiss
u watch. Still another and more important
+ reason explains the growing prosperity Of the
n American Company. Their tools work st
u regularly that all parts Of the watch may be
l interchanged, by SIMPLE order ON posta
Is card, without necesstatinG the forwarding
D of the adjoining piece. The question hu,
!, often been asked whether the American,
= can sufficiently supply the demands Of theiI
I. markets. Yes, they can We are driven 0ut
IL Of the American markets | herein exclude
r however complicated watches, in which We
3, are now, and hope We shall always remain
IL masters.
% In 1860 the American Companies pro,
10 duced only $4,000 watches; In 1868, 100,
&c 600. To-day they produce 250,OOO, ant
eg this figure can ho easily doubled In cas-,
the crlsi- D., which 80 severely prevails thor,
a. well a. here, should come to an end
- For We must not forget that, if soyera
, factories have been c,u~,d during the crisis
= the tools as we as the workmen are sui
10 th'Ie, all ready to resume work again. MOI
IN M st We cave out # sight the exurbitan
1t 4, ustoms duties aud freight wnich amouu
ID about - II 30 per cent which tax,
1t away from u oyery pusslblnty OF being abl
ne to stand tho fight. And now that We know
\ | Tho 6guraa 4 prnlu.ttun IN tb, Init