Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-05-31
American Competition i'm ENGLAND

0a
For evidence OF that competition we need not
go TO the producing districts. We find it In
every lronnonger's shop In town and country,
s ana particularly In furnishing iropmongery
STORES II we ask for locks, gas standards, roller
blind fittings, small brackets hooks and hat
pegs, domestic apparatus and tools. substantial
Toys ana very many other things, we are shown
American productions. The reason for This Is
not suf1iciently obvious In all cases, though I'm
many cheapness Is the explanation. Hardly
any English small castings are nything like as
me In surface, light In pattern and cleanly
turned out as are these American things. Small
English castings often show the Joint In the
mould In which they are cast, fms are often not
absent, ana they are either turned out uncoatcd
or are dauDed with common black or dipped
INTO commoner. Most often screw holes are
too large or too small. All this the Americans
nave changed. Their castings are light though
strong In design, they are clean, and are touched
up on an emery or gr1ndstone, and are nicely
coated with clear, brown varnish Of great
screws for fixing. The screws themselves are
colored to match the ironwork, and at the same
ranged 30 that where the greatest strain comes
there are the most screws. New these are rea-
sons son which AFFECT the purchaser only, but there
ana which explain why he is so ready to show
ms customers the American articles. All the
small articles to which we have referred are
sent out by the English manufacturer done up
in separate papers, or In paper packages tied
with string. Thus, when the 1ronmonger wants
cfcu oue aItlcle, or only wants 10 snow one to
customer, ihe has to undo string, unfold paper
or papers, DO these papers up again, tie them
and rearrange the label on the package In
stead OF this old bungling way Of keeping store
ana serving customers. the Americans supply
ther articles In paper boxes, sufficiently strong
10 last out the sale Of the articles one or two at
a time: These boxes ere easily and neatly
stacked, labels are fixed once for ALL and to open
one and show its contents, or take some out and
reciose the box is the work OF a moment. This
question Is one of much greater Importance
than 1t at first sight appears. Folding up and
relying parcels Is 1rksome and exceedingly un-
interesting work, and Is such as is not done
very quickly at any time. Piles OF packages
which have been taken down to show CUSTOM
ers collect on the counters to be done up "pres-
entity" because they cannot be done UP while
the customer is being served. These have to
De done up, and some one must do It, Here is
an important saving. One London ironmonger
whose sales In furnishing ironmongery Ia a
moderate-sized shop consists OF about one-half
American articles, recently assured US that he
had, from the saving OF labor In this way been
able TO dispense with about one-fourth the as
s1stance he would otherwise have required for
the increased business done In small articles
Again, not only do tradesmen and assistants an
preciate the saving In time In serving custom
ers, out the work Is so very much cleaner for
them, and the work OF clearing up after closing
Is reduced almost to nil,-(London Engineer.