The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-12-02
THE SINGER WORKS.
ONE OF CAIRO'S GREAT INDUS
TRIAL INSTITUTIONS.

GENERAL--ITs WORKS ELSEWHERE ITS
BUSINESS.
The corporation above referred to has a
worldwide reputation, and its operations
are co-extensive with its name. While in
a general way the extent and character OF
its works are known, yet minute descrip-
tion of them, particularly those situated
here, and the manner and extent of the
business transacted, ought to be Of interest
to the readers of The BULLETIN.
Of the magnitude of the institutions
owned and operated, aud the business done
by this company, some idea can be gained
when it is stated that during the year 1880,
over 100000 machines were sold and in the
following year, over $4,000, The prin-
cipa! works of the company are at Glas-
gov, Scotland, which occupies sixty acres
of ground cost in their construction over
100000; employ 5000 hands, and can
turn out len thousand complete machines
every week. These works supply the entire
European continent with machines, The
Elizabethport, New Jersey, factory is near
ly equal in size, being capable of turning
out $500, machines every week, and sup
plying the American continent with them.
The South Bend cabinet works have a
capacity of / 400 table daily and these, to-
gether with the Cairo works with a capacity
of / 900 tables daily, supply the tables for
both the other factories,
Perhaps the most remarkable thing
about the vast business OF this company is
that nota single machine is sold to any
dealer to sell again. The company SELLS
every one OF its machines itself through al
army OF agents who receive percentage
of their sales In this way the company
prevents competition with itself by dealers
handling its own goods-it has a monopoly
of its own manufactures, Their agents,
numbering somewhere between forty and
fifty thousand, are distributed in every
part Of every country and have sub.agents
in every corner of their respective districts,
The sub.agents make weekly reports and
remittapces to their head agent, the latter
report weekly TO central Office in their
district, and these in every part Of the
world, report every mopth to New York
City, the central Office for the world, from
whence the whole vast business Of the com
pany is directed.
Among the several large industrial nsti-
tutions in this growing and prosperous city,
the works of the great Singer Manufacture.
ing company are the most prominent, the
largest and most important. II will not
be out of place to refer here to the causes
which induced the shrewed managers Of
this company to locate one Of their man.
moth institutions here, though nearly every
reader Of THE BULLETIN knows how Mr..
Leighton Pine, the superintendent the com.
paDy, pursuant to decision of the directors
who found theSouth Bend, Ind worksinade.
quate to meet the greatly increased demand
for machine tables aud cabinets, came to
this part Of the country IN search Of q
location for branch institution How he
visited many Of the cities around Cairo, all
Of which afforded some advantages for the
institution of the character and magnitude
, he wished to establish, and how he found,
. after a long search and many conferences
with many prominent, wellposted men,
) that Cairo afforded advantages above all
other cities in this section Of country, lie
learned that an almost inexhaustible supply
of good lumber could be had in the imme-
diato yincinlty OF Cairo, or could, If neces-
ssry, be lloated to the very doors Of the
factory in The waters Of the Tennessee,
. Cumberland, Ohio, Mississippi or Missouri
rivers and their immediate tributaries; and
that, too, at saving Of about ten dollars
per thousand feet over the cost Of freight
t to South Bend. He found that the large
business centres Of the country, where the
, Singer company has its largest trade, st,
Louis, Kansas City, New Orleans Cincn
! natl and Pittsburg, could receive finished
work by river from Cairo. That the Eliza
bethport NJ. factory, which takes one
. quarter Of the South Bend works, can be
, supplied by river to Pttsburg, and thence
, by rail into the company's yard at Eliza.
belhport; that Boston, Philadelphia and
, other eastern or European ports
could be supplied by the same route, or
by river, via New Orleans, and that the
; Glasgow factory, at which all machines for
/ the European trade are made, could be
supplied as cheaply as such supplies could
, be scut from South Bend to the American