The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-05-14
IGNORANCE IN THE CUSTOM HOUSE,
The Government Swindled and Ma
tive Industries Ruined.
SECRETS OF THE GLOVE TRADE REVEALED
How Superior Skill and Machinery Are
Rendered Useless.
GLovERsviLLE, May 0, 1878.

trsl Railroad, are two manufacturing places, called
Johns.own aud Glovorsviile where seven-eignths II
the population are engaged, either directly or ind
rectly. IN the manufacture OF gloves ana mttena SO
mbued are they with all that belongs 10 this peculiar
trade that not unfrequenty you Will he asked whether
you want any trimmings with your ten coffee, they
meaning sugar and milk But seriously, the IA, 900
inhabitants OF these two places deserve credit Tor
hard struggles they are undergoing against tho
tremendous odds have ye. with IN tho manu-.
featuring districts which nave visited. Nowhere
have manufacturers and aborers adapt them
selves 10 the demands OF circumstances, forced upon
them, as they claim by outside iDaucnces over which
they have no control These men know how to make
as good glove there is made anywhere in Franco,
and yet they do not make them to any large extent
because they cannot compete with the imported arti-
Gle They connno themselves, therefore, 10 Tho COM
mon grades ana those riding gloves which are manu-
featured at prices low enough to injure tho impora-
ton Of the English made glove. AS the French Kid
glove Is, however, the one most sold IN large
Cities my Investigations led me TO inquire principally
as 10 the reason why most oil their labor not
pended upon their manufacture They assured
that do what they might, the importers at New York
would beat them every time in the race tor securing
o market.
IGNORANCE OF OFFICIALS.
They were principally assisted IN this success, l
was informed, by the ignorance which prevails at the
New York Custom House, whore tho appraisers IL is
chartably believed here, do know tho dlere ICE
between lambsk,ns N and KID No. 1. A man who
has boon manufacturing gloves in France, who Is
now engaged in the same business here and looked
upon AS an expert by tho entire brotherhood, puts
down the dilerence IN price between the two kinds
Of material at thirty per cent, kid being at all
worth that amount more than lamDskins. He charges
tnat most OF the gloves imported invoiccd as
| lamb ktn oil vvhi M th.v
duty paid tho lower invoice Positive IND
have been instituted by the Giovcrsvlo manufac-
turers ~ the New York Custom House and /. was as
certaned that the average glove invoice entered
Ing lS7! was AZ The rate OF thirty francs per dozen,
and less or equal 70 10 In currency. The tarin
CURES the pay ment VI duty OF nifty per cent nd
vaiorem. ana the average amount paid during the
past yoar was 50 per aozin. Now, Is GAINED that
the Ordinary good French glove soia al retail IN New
York Tor 81 20 TO 81 % cost the manu- acturers IN
France no less Than AZ francs, or ~ per dozen,
must Do added 10 establish the cost pr.cs
here Of about $l5, which, Is the wholesale cost
proc aud on wnicn the importer has received
single cent oil profit Then again the retailer must
have his profit, when ordinarily not very small,
considering mo heavy expenses nc 10 under IN large
New FORK store. Inc CONCLUSION Is therefore arrived
az IN TINS town tnat gloves costing 70 manufacture 40
francs Ia France-excvpt IN Grenobie, wnero only a
poor article 10 made-are in7oicca mere, when I'M
ported. nine out Of ten, a. y aud IS iranc
aud The duty ony pad on Inc Latter nsures because
the appraisers DO understand lbaL goods
real KID Instead OF IamDskins Ihc retailer us
enabled TO purchase them from tho importer under
ST. dozen the price the goods cost 10 produce in
ihis glove disric wnere tho very best skiil and also
tho very best Skirs be had. LABOR, TOO.
INDUSTRY is singular to say as win p esetIy .xplan
almost France, AMI ysl the ma iac-
turers here can Take NO neadway IN tue sale ot the
inner grades Of gloves
THE IMPORTERS TRIUMPH
That no secret Is maze OF tho importers uiumph
over the American glove man ulacLurer became EVIL
dent ~ what occurred only lew days ago AT meet
ing VI the Slovemakcrs Association hcid ~ Johns.
town. Quo oil the officers vi the meeting stated that
recently he had met the salesman oil New York
glove importing house, who offered tn. nuest kiI
gloves AZ 81 10 per dozen Wholesale. lie asked him,
How Is ~ possible Tor you 70 sell ns glove at such
pr,ceW when the ioquacious salesman frankly re-
plied:-
No fault Is iouId here Whatever VAN tho tariff as
IL exists neither Is any demand Tor more pro.
lection. Dut ioua aud serious are tho complaints
against those VINO examine aud nppraiae the goods.
NJ iay man can possibly know the difference between
those Two skins, no more than he can between
sheep AMI dog skins wnicu were showu me Ia ths
various aclorics Probably the appraiser Il no. so
mucn to blame AlLoI ALL as nero
acknowledge TO me tina, many OF their own omers
wuo Tor years have been Ia tho traae frequently
deceived Ia The selection vi goods, aud yet there
material difference IN prIce--a matter VI son,e
loren only.
AMERICAN MANUFACTURES.
So intent have been the ufaeturers steadily to
reduce the cost oi their gloves nowhere
with sucb fearful reduction very 1Ioyo
district, movement to winch they have been drIven
by tho ahxcty 10 compete win tho foreign article
Most of tho common gloves are cut on the block, and
the cutters 40 not earn over 81 10 IL DO DAY Vino
cutters GU me gooos, usiag me shears
BLOCK, earn only ~ ana 81 90 day instead oi 50 or
even 50, whcn they used 10 earn lew years ago.
Qute "a number oi these cutters are Frenchnien,
brought over here rom factories IL TIER
try and most all oil them nave been AT hs work from
infancy. The machinery here better than
tho foreign machines, the so-caIled newly Invented
overstltCh machine being superior W those OF
French or German make, ana whlch arc yet used ia
many american glove factories The question OF
was also satisfactorily answered by scseral French
cutters, VINO showed mo their work--ana YET ing
In aHu
the importers, that our civil service uocs not
demand the employment OF experts, American
vented IRON nnaing au extensive market
for their better grade goods The manner la wnien
this anocts the American glove district eau best be
slated ny mentioning Tho TACT years ago
we're 200 gose factories IN tns vicinity aud tnat
there are only TO- fetevcn to-day the manufactured
produc oi the dstrct oos 40 no icss tnaa $4,000
per annum; but the profits are exceedingly small.
They ciam .hst II all the duties required by law
actually paid they would once moro make money, tho
same as they n. a few years ago. Ibey adnit, how
ever, that when iney dId make that timc lney
ponded IL pretty last. ho thrift and foresight OF
New England, regret to say, Is not 50 apparent IN
tnis part Of The state Of New York, AS noticed ut
many easy going Frenenmcn has something 60 do
with TINS state OF Affairs, winch crops oua In tho
numerous hunting and hsniDg parties that, am IN
iormcd make very short WORK OF summer month
saratoga Is only lew hours distant from tbis place.
aud thither already WANDER The minas Of many who
pretend 10 be most ANXIOUS 10 run a race WITH tho
ever podding European manufacturers True, these
habits we're more common 10 them during the era OF
but yet, II they nevor had INDUCED In thom, thoy
would not now had u so difficult 10 get accustomed 70
the bedrock oil income and expenditures
BUSINESS FAILURES
Govcrsville anu JoDnstown also navo had heir full
share oil isiiures during these latter days. aud II
tanly cannot be attributed To absence Of demand
Tor their gloves Tor tho cDtiro East West and Cali
fornla are constantly supplied by them. Ihat desire
TO ovcrreach themselves, TOO common in certain
tons oil the country not ony 10 business, but also IN
social lie, can a,onc DO held up the 81 fa.
urc, and though many man u lecturers with whom 4
have conversed continually defend their section by
saying, "Wo are young yet, wo arc learning noN,"
my observations thus lar iead To the conviction
help you,' always comes In timely whcrcver manu-
TACT urers blame some outside ,nnence tor tue depre
sion oil their trade. manufacturer informed
that low as were The prices o labor he did not
how they could TO kept at present rates. He hated
TO think oil tue necessity that appeared to call Tor
reduction 10 the not distant future. aud hoped that ~
could be oDviated Tor he feared the would not
could not consent to H.
PRICE or LABOR
Mr. John Fulton, one of the Manufacturers, stated