The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-05-09
English Table Cutlery Virtually Driven
Out Of the American Market.
WHY WE CANNOT MAKE RAZORS.
Always Ahead Where Labor-Saving Ma
chinery Comes Into Play.
An American Machinist's Respect
for Scotland.

land receives the West the product OF the mine
In return the product OF her indomiiaoc
skill all the country marks at the very outset
Of tho road The various stages through which indus
trial Developments is passing. Not many miles west
OF Boston the nrst dawn OF that imaginary decay
which hangs like nightmare over some OF tho New
England manufacturers, aud to which particularly
alluded in my last, becomes visible even TO the
casual observer. Not may years ago the
agricultural implements for the entire West
were here invented, manufactured and I'M
proved, and this section of the Republic
hao virtually monopoly Of this entire industry But
the Western States learned their lessons by this
time, and the great bulk Of these ingenious ma
chimes are made where thcy most required OF
course, The plough and threshing companies
still abound there, and their wealth accumu
lated in the past st retains TOR them tho command
OF certain lines OF that Industry, yet can plainly
SEQ that the glory OF the Amcs family is
slowly departing amid the constant increase Of agri-
cultural implements no longer made In Massachusetts.
And vet there exists reason whatcvcr why THIS
single item the long list OF manufactures should at
all alarm the practical thinkers 81 Boston, who,
as have already stated regard this as very impor-
warning which they have taken to heart rather
strongly. Any number OF now Industries ana on
erprses have since taken the place Of this monopoly
as IS SO eGcctuaIy illustrated by the straw hat fac
even supply Europe with musical instruments, tho
silvcrware nufactores in Rhode Island as well as
usets tho great wire cloth industry AT Gin
ton tho copper works at Tau nton the paper manu-
factories at Filchburg Turner'S Falls and last, but
asst the great tool and cutlery works, especially
at tho latter place. Passing Aver Junction, where
one OF the agricultural implement factories is located
fellow traveller remarked ~ guess we can afford to
make lew less pioughs, whlo SO many new things
are sprnging up all around US" The very Hoosac
Tunnel limo alone, though only open Tor through
traffic since 1874, shows by the amount oil freight II
moves-no than 400 per day from and TO the
scaboard-that New England is as iar removed from
any danger TO Industries the inventive genus
OF tho modern Yankee is removed from an imaginary
limit. And still this limo runs almost parallel with
tho old Boston and Albany Railroad, whero local
trac has not in tho least been affected the
OF THIS great natoua enterprise, whicn hnds It's equal
only IN one other place ON tho habitable gioDo-thc
RrFEcr OF THE CLIMATE uroS INDUSTRY
Here, 100, along this line OF railroad, which has
opeged tho eyes OF many Now England men beyond
The cotton spndIes, dnds here and lhcrc ndivid
uals who maintain that Lowell and Lawrence will
never attain That superor.iy which Is The ond dream
OF the cotton man iacturers OF our day. "Did you
ask them why they Keep up sucn an ARTIFICIAL neat IN
burg / acknowledged that Gid notice, when at
Lowell, that the mills were very warm,
Ss 'Se so The ae
tories generally. No, SIR" he replied, lit IS arti-
ncia done Tor the purpose OF Keeping up mia tenn
pcralurc. Tho truth climate does not enable
us 10 so with tho fibre as England does. In
England the climate adds strength 10 the hbrc whom
being spun. rhe result is that, with Their climate,
they average 600 skcins TO tho pound, while in tnis
country single mill can get moro than ITO sKens
70 the pound A skcn means $40 yards Hence tho
dbro there gives skcins, aud tney get
finer fabric That Is the reason why they use SO much
slca m ,here at Lowell and Lawrence and they would
make 1t they could artificial IL climate
only little moro moist not so uneven, We might
hone to get out IN orc skeins 10 tho pound cotton
fl1unx IN | Il
gentleman with onsidcrablc interest, as he informed
that he md been brought up in a cotton mil, had
all his lifetime been a anuiacturcr, out mad turned
his mind to other matters in later years He added
GAS you 20 further wcst you Will notice that the
property Of tho country does not at all depend upon
our cotton fabrics. IL is great factor. but in New
England at least II is not king, though powerful
SAWS LuMBBaMEy OF Tnx WEST
1t was not many minutes before the very demands
OF the great West were iangiby before my eyes Tho
sands OF iumbcrncn II the latter did not possess tho
tools to make tho lumber marketable, and at Fitch
burg Is saw manufacturing company which supplies
nearly the whole OF Michigan aud Wisconsin with cir
cuar saws Tor that especial purpose 'Oniy" said
Mr. symonds, one OF The proprieters. I'VE can
is no. good enough We must have II
made specially for US at Fichburg, and tho
result that exports declared equal
those made by spccr l. jackson, OF sheffield" This
compliant about American stool has been mado to
me by several manufacturers and intcrfcres greatly
with tho efficiency oil American tools--a subject that
will receive iufihcr attention when that particular
INDUSTRY cofnos 10 my notice at Fichburg. asked
he not seek foreign market Tor thcms because"
he said, "tne hundred circular saws VIC make per
month readily taken up by our own estcrn people,
though there are houses, notably IN Puiladelpha,
wacn do export saws, not only 10 south America but
10 all parts OF the world so lar there has not been
over production our limo to seek particularly Tor
a foreign market. There Is a great deal 10 be done
yet by The steel manufacturers before We can Ind "
all OF such good quality as TO warrant US 10 30 outside
oil our present work"
AMERICAN VS.. SCOTCH MACHINERY
At the Putnam machine shop ia Fhchuufg, ono OF
the largest 10 The Eastern states, tne gentleman in
charge vi the works regretted that the price Of skilled
labor IN thus country was SO high as 10 prevent the IN
IRON competing with Scotch machinery. I'VE have
tried anu succeeded he sad, I'm several foreign
countries with small machinery, such 80 Is neodod IN
shoe factories ana the Ike but whom II comes TO the
heavy work, such rs ~ required Tor large steamers,
they peat US in price ana let me be honest In qauIiiy
also Sewing machines and gun machinery are all
small stun, Dut wnen u comes TO Downright heavy
machtuery the scotcnmcn arc sttli ahead we nave
an agent the Sandwich Islands who expected TO get
for W hall million dollar job, but the scotch UNDER
bid Us anu got II. tell you," no added, ''the
NEW YORK HERALD cannot do better thing than To
tell the people turoush out the country what is
wanted IN order to revive not only but 10 increase
prosperity. IL Is OF no TO sit SIM We must
20 aucad, only increase our sklli-s those Scotcn
men arc exceedingly able-but we must reduce tho
al least WIN other markets. Thanking him for his
Information told him that was ABOUT to look into
comparison with sheffield. "OD," he replied, 'thcrc
you VIII see nov rapidly We are growing, but, again.
you will notice u belongs 10 tue category OF small
manufactures. True, immense industry, but moth
Ing ike the construction OF machinery which this
country ia the coarse OF time must beat tho world, u
true TO ourselves, ana think We VIII ultimately
do H."
CHINESE LABOR AT NORTH ADAMS.
Passing through North Adams, on tue other side OF
the Hoosac Tunnel, was forcivly reminded OF this
eentemau's remarks about the necessity oil rcaucing
the price OF labor, when noticing largo number of
Chinese A shoe factory there unwilling some tine
submit 10 the demands OF the operatives or
rather as stated, dcsrous oil sti iurher reducing
tue cost oil the shoes, employed number
OF Chinese, and mas ever since employed
them. The very fact, however, that l saw a
large number Of them fishing during factory hours,
does not show that the employment oil these Chi
has added greatly 10 the demand on their labor
which the lower price OF the product, consequent
upon lower cost should supply, circumstance which
reminded me that last week saw few, u any idlers
IN Lynn and Havcrhill where Chinese labor Is
employed
4 MANUFACTURING PLACE ONLY TEN YEARS OLD.
Ii was indeed refreshing alter tho discouragng vows
about competition with scotch manufacturers gath
at FnchDurg, to visl Turner's Falls, place not
over ten years old, sprung up since the war as by
magic, aud where to-day IT'S large factories America