The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-06-20
Sh0dsiy Carriages.

Mr.. EDIToR:-The communication enclosed
taken from the "Carriage Monthly while
it may contain more of truth than may be
welcome, yet to large class of people who
are as yet uninitiated it may show up the ways
that are dark and tricks that are vain. that are
being daily practiced in these days when
buyers seem to have taken price regardless of
quality for their standard in judging of goods
of all kinds. 1t is well known fact that the
class of carriages therein described has been
used by unprinciped parties for speculative
purposes, and for the past three years the evil
has grown to large extent, and many is the
party in this State that has found too late
that they have 'paid dear for their whistle, j."
They have been introduced into every village in
the State until very many of our honest home
manufacturers have had to close up their shops
honest work cannot complete with it. Very
many of the frightful accidents we have heard
of the past faw years may be traced directly to
the use Of these poorly constructed and I'M
reliable vehicles.
From the Carriage Monthly, May, 1881
OF all the evils that threaten to ruin the
carriage business in many portions of the
United States, the manufacturing of sboddy
carriages is among the greatest. While the
manufacturers of this class of work are in
olned to practice dishonesty and chcanery of
all kinds the dealers are set of unprincipled
scoundrels who work upon the credulity of un-
suspecting men, deceivng them BY false repre-
sensations and fragrant lies. In considering
this subject we shall first glance at the man.
ner in which a shoddy vehicle is gotten up.
Were we simply to sum up its construction, a
sentence would suffice, bat proposing to do
more, we shall examine the material without
paying further attention to the proprietor.
In the construction of wheels the timber
undergoes many assoriings. First the lot is
culled of the very best material for the A. A.
wheels; then in successive assortings the tim
bsr is selected for A. B. and @. wheels. their
quality and price being designated by the
letter which repraEents the class to which they
belong. There is now remaining the material
hat forms the make up of shoddy wheel.
The crossgrain knotted, knarled, checked, hubs,
spokes, and rims that are fit for nothing but
fuel are throw together by the cheapest pro-
cess and poorest labor, and sold to the shoddy
builder for mere trifle in advance of the bare
expenses of making the worthless stock being
thrown 10. The gearings are made by the
wholesale on the same principle, while the
marked price of dozen pairs of shafts would
hardly be equal to that asked for one good
ST. viceable pair. The bodies are the products
of toll ground down to successfully compete
with pauper labor. Nails are used in place of
q
unnecessary. The iron is the poorest malleable
and those parts that are forged are coarse and
poorly made. Great economy is practiced in
the painting, both in the number of coats and
the labor. The motto "make it shine is the
only one that is strictly observed. The trim
ming is the flimsiest Of shoddy, stuffed with
hay, straw, or common shavings or excelsior.
This is the make up of shoddy vehicle.
Many call this class "cheap work." We do
not, to the ntrary, they are dear, very dear at
any price. This shoddy work is annually CO ST.
Jog our carriage builders of established reputa-
ton, who are In no wise interested in its manu-
facture, thousands of dollars without furnish
ing fair equivalent to the purchaser. OF all
obstacles and drawbacks with which the Amer
lean carriage builder has to contend, this man.
ufacturing and placing shoddy carriages on the
market is the most disastrous and productive
of the greatest mischief. 1t is the gangrene
that will, unless checked ,demoralize the whole
trade of many, and especially the smaller
shops. The discrepancy or difference in price
between first class vehicles and ''snides' leaves
buyers in doubt as to whether they are to get
their moneys worth in either instance, and
with view to not being cheated by either side
become conservative by pocketing their cash
and closing their pockets The 'snide' build
er becomes veritable "dog IN the mauger,
and like all other dogs will 'have his day.
and in few more years at least, Mr.. s'Snide'
will have the full satisfaction of giving the
riding public proof positive OF his real charact
er-''Fraud.''
Just how warfare should be commence;
and successfully prosecuted in order to use W
entirely this dishonest branch of the carriage
industry is a subject requiring much though
and CAREFUL consideration. For a number o.
years a regular system was in vogue in New
Yerk city, of selling shoddy carriages at auc
ton by placing thereon name plates of rromi
nent builders of well established reputation
At last the carriage builders succeeded in hav
ing bill passed by the New York Legislature
which rendered parties interested in such sale
spe S Of swindIing has been less slarina -