, 1878-04-19
THE SINGER SEWING MACHINE CO.


of Portland, general business mana
ger of the Singer Manufacturing
Company, for Oregon and Washing
ton Territory, passed through this
place, and appointed as local agent
Mr.. J. =. Peterson, our worthy towns
man. The following, taken from the
San Francisco "CommerclaI, y may
be of interest;
II NAV occur to our readers and the pub
lie that nothing new can be said of sew
inc machines. Perhaps this Is true, but
to furnish such readers any reading mat
ter entirely new would cudgel wiser heads
than ours; hence we do not pretend
to. We do not believe even fraction or
the public are aware OF the real magnitude
of the sewing machine business, the extent
of the factories manufacturing them. the
costly and intricate machinery they con-
tain, or the millions of capital there is i'll
vested of what soma call n simple, cheap
machine and say that it ought to cost one
sixth what it does.
For the edficaton and benefit of such
deluded mortals we shall in this essay give
description OF one of the largest sewing
machine factories in the world and its COLI
nections. Before we enter upon that we
will attempt to answer Il question often
asked. why are not sewing machines
cheaper. 1t was popularity coniectnred
that when the Bachelder patent expired
last May that the different companies
would by force of competition reduce their
prices to about one-siXlh OF the price then
charged as the field would be open to any
skiIItul mechanic, The price has been
lowered. but it is not so much owing to
outward influences by rivalry as to tell
dency to follow in the natural depres-
sion in all commodities. Even while
the companies held the patents the price
was lowered from time to time. "A plain
Singer used to sell for $780, then $l25;
again reduction was made to 500, then
% $65-the price they We're held at last
Spring before the patent ceased Seven
months have passed, allowing ample time
tor the introduction of the machines which
were to be q marvel of cheapness and ef-
ficency, simplicity and durability, as
compared with the old machines. but we
do not hear from them. 70 make Il NAL
chine to compete with the Singer requires
the investment OF millions OF dollars ana
the training of men for special kinds of
work. rs it is not only machine of many
intricate parts, but each part must
be made of metal of peculiar
temper and finish so that every portion
may move in harmony. Labor-saving
machine devised purposely fof this busi-
ness. which are nearly all held by the COM
panies, must either be invented or pro-
cured BY the payment OF a royalty by the
competitors Furthermore there are GER
tain fixtures Indispensable to o machine
upon which there are patents held by The
companies. and these attachments a wo-
man must have. and by the time she pays
the extra cost for them of the companies
she finds her cheap machine a dear Que
and unsatisfactory.
10 resume our subject, the Singer Sew
ing Machine Company has no parallel in
the world. The principal factory of the
Company isin Elizabethport, Nj. There
ia alse a factory in Glasgow, Scotland,
employing $4,000 men and making from
5000 to 1000 machines week; and one
at South Bend, Indiana, which supplies
the cabinet work for the machines made at
Elizabethport and Glasgow.
The works at Ellzabetbport cover 32 |
acres They are bounded on one side by
the navigable waters of Staten Island
Sound and on the other by the Central |
Railroad of New Jersey. There are five |
miles Of tract laid in the incosure connect
ing the different buildings. A locomotive
owned by the Company is kept in con-
cfa In, kh, n,,I nd n gtno hnn |
plies to and from New York with freight
The main building is 1,l00 feet long, so
wide and four stories high. The forging
shop is 700 feet long and 90 feet wide,
The babinet shop and packing box fac
tories are each 200 feet long by 80 feet
wide and three stories high. Some $500
men are employed at this factory alone. |
They turn out 600 machines per week or
two week for each man employed Over
100000 machines were made by them last
year and 262,3l6 sold during the same
time. or l53,022 more than was sold by
any other company.
The Singer Sewing Machine Company
have in the United States % general
agencies. Under these 1900 sub-agencies.
and IN Europe about 5000 agencies of all |
hV ANNlVIiCo dllu dStlCltS tIll"
ploy directly and indirectly 100000
men and women. They have also 5000
wagons and drays and TO, 900 horses. I'M
agine tor 4 second the amount of capital
to carry on such business, to pay the
employees, to buy and feed all its horses
and to purchase its wagons, steamboats,
and keep all in working! And yet this
IS All necessary to enable the Company to
furnish the public with first class ma
chine at a moderate price.
A very favorable condition and one high
ly conductive to its great sac1ess is its i'm
mense capital. IT Is ENTIRELY OUT OF
DEBT, and las not a single dollar Of in
terest to pay to any one. All its bills are
paid in CASH, and there Is not single
bond or note outstanding. Thus it will
De seen that they are free from the heavy
incllmOrances Of many manufactures
debt and interest.
how absured Is it then to hope that
inexperienced parties without capital and
skilled wOrkmen can ever successfully
an nWNafn tntfk ~. II