The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1877-01-10
But now I haye seem

that competition. But now haye seem
have felt it-and [ am terrified by the
danger to which our Industry is exposed,
| Besides, am not the only to think so; the
"Societe Intercantonle'' have sent dele
gate to make inquiries, and his report,
perfectly agrees with mine, Up to this
very day we have belieYed America to be
dependent upon Europe We have been
mistaken, The Ameieans will send US
thier products since we cannot send them
our own. We ask ourselves whether the
Americans can maintain their prices
| answer, yes. they can, for if they obtain
good profit on their superior quality
goods they can afford to be satisfied with a
smaller profit on the lower grades of
watches. In America everything is made
by machinery; :here we make everything
by hand, w count in Switzerland about
forty thousand workmen, making on an
average each per annum 40 watches. In
the United States the average is 100
watches. Therefore the machine pro-
duces three and a 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 100000 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 oil our
hands aud make machines, or else cling
to our system and be resigned to see our
industry decline.
Gentlemen, [ do not intend sto point
out the remedy. | simply call your
attention to the evil-that is all. 1t re-
mains for you to find the cure. However,
believe that it will be good to do for cur
mechanicians what we have done for our
watchmakers-tha Is, to create schools.
You must not despair; you must not
desert the field; We must. on the contrary,
organize for resistance, and to re-conquer
the lost ground. If America closes her
gates to US by customs duties and eXorbi-
tant freights. we are. at least left the re-
source of theoretically fighting against her
in European markets.
Had the Philadelphia Exhibition taken
place FIVE years later. we should have
been totally unnihiIated without knowing
where or how we received the terrible
blow. We have believed ourselves mas
tiers of the situation, when we really have
been on volcano And to-day we must
actually struggle if we do not want to en-
counter in all the markets that rival
manufacture. Did we not sneer at
Besancon at the outsetl And now
Besancon suffices for France, and besides,
she exports her surplus IF manufacture
We ask ourselves if, in reducing the
price of watches. we can increase their saie
in the same propition? And il the sales
do not increase, what will become of US
We shall have an enormous stock Of
goods aud a permanent stagDatiOn. The
customs duties. you know, mount to 2E
per cent. For a lorg time, hopes have
been entertained that they might be re,
duceG. We cannot count on it. America
needs all her resources, especially in the
present situation; and, whe' her Demo
J Gratis or Republicans be in power, we can
; not h0pe for a reduction in import duties
We must therefore make up our minds tt
loose the American market
| 1T has been said, and it has been COM
placently repeated, that the Americans dc
mot make the entire watch, and that they
are dependent upon Switzerland for sew
eral parts of the watch. This is a mis-
take. The Waltham Company make tht
entire watch-from the first screw to The
case and dial, 1t would even be difficult
for them to use our products, 81 great il
the regularity, SO minute tue precision
with which their machines work. The,
arrive at the regulation of the watch-st
2 to say-without having seen it. WheI
the watch is given to the adjuster, the
: foreman delivers TO him the corresponding
hairspring and the watch is regulated
r Sensation among the audience Here i
: what | have seen gentlemen! | asket
! FROM the director of the Waltham Com
, pany watch of the fifth grade A larg
2 safe was opened before me; at random
0 took watch out of it aud fastened it to m
{ chain. The director having asked me t
S let him have the watch for two or thre
e days. SO as to observe its motion, | answer
+ ed, On the contrary,l persist in wearin!
= | it lust as it is to obtain an exact idea c
] your manufacture. At Paris | set M
l. watch by regulator on the Boulevard
e and on the sixth day I observed that i
: had varied thirty-twO seconds, And thl
watch is of the fifth American grade;
u costs IS francs movement without case.
e At my arrival at Locle I showed tn
: watch TO one of our first adjusters, VIII
2 asked permission to take it DOWN
:, other words, to take ii 10 pieces !, how
Il ever, wished first to observe it: and her
|, is the result, which [ noted: Hanging
t daily variation, one and half seconds: va
/ ration In different positions, from four t
D eight seconds; in the heated room tn
u variation was but very slight. Havn
ir thus observed it, handed the watch
n the adjuster. who tookit down. After til
q lapse of few days, he came to me an
\ said. word for word: / am completed
Il overwhelmed the result is incredible; on
would not find one such watch famong so
} loco of our manufacture
3, This watch, gentlemen,I repeat to you
}. | took at hazard-out of heap, as W
n may say. You understand from thi
Is example that the American watch may /
u preferred to the Swiss. | have finished
if gentlemen, and have told you of thing
z such as have seen them. 1t remains #
N US to profit from this sad experience, an
k to improve our manufacture, ,Competer
1t men are not wanting among US; they mu
t, go to work at once.
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