The Press., 1886-01-28
(Boston Commercial Bullctin.) THE HARDWARE INTERESTS or NEW
 BRITAIN.

MT. r. Corbin of the large firm of F. S F. Corbln what this industry had done for the city. Almost everything" was the reply. When l came here in 194i, this was one of the three societies comprising the town of Berlin. The whole town contained only about 2G0 voters and but 200 hands. were employed in the shops and factories. The largest shop gave work to about forty hands. v
 At the present time, New Britain is n thriving city of 10000 inhabitants. with nlne or ten large hardware works, produc. ing about $5, 100000 of goods per annun, and giving employment to $500 hands. ne city also contains two large hosiery mills employing nearly 1000 hands. Tho kinds of hardware produced are various. The great Russell S Erwin Manufactur- ing company and P. x F. Corbin make locks and wood screws md general line of builders hardware and house trim mings, such as bolts, butts, coat and hat hooks, etc, etc, Tn both cast iron and brass. The Stanley works make wrought iron strap and T hinges, butts, etc. The Stanley Rule and Level company manu- facture carpenters tools, such as planes, rules, levels, gauges, try-squares, screw drivers, etc. Landers, Frary & Clark make table cutlery, including carvers, knives and forks, etc. aphe Humason & Beekley manufacturing compady make pocket cutlery, hammers, Upright wire goods, etc. The Union manufacturing company produce cast iron pumps, ,chucks, etc. The Brand manufacturing company make piano and organ hardware, compris- ing the interior works of pianos and organs. The North x Judd mannfactur. ing company produce saddlery hardware, buckles, etc
 The two hosiery mills of the city are those of the American Hosiery company and New Britain Knitting company, of both of which James Talcott & Go, of New York are the selling agents. But it k with the hardware trade that this article has to do. "How many of these hard ware manufacturers are believers in pro- tecIion ?" asked the Bulletin representa-. i've of MT. Henry E. Russell, jr., of the Russel & Erwin manufacturing company. livery one of us," was the reply. eve are compelled to be. Some people talk about taking off the duties SO as to open tho markets of the world to us but tho fact is there are no markets as desirable ns our own, and the effect of removing tho duties would be to lot in hardware from Europe in large quantities.
 Mr. Corbin spid "This great industrT which has been built up in the last uuar1 ter of n century, would never have been n two-year old without protection. Preyi- ous to 1861 there was hardly any such thing as wholly American hardware.
 MT. Charles Lunders, of Landers, Frary & Clark, whose father, the Hon. q. M. Landers, was formerly democratic con- gressman, said "Yes, sir, am n protec. ,Ionist." Mir. Landers has lately been taking an active part in tho movement against undervaluations in New York city, aud though somewhat reticeut in regard to the results of investigations which havo been made, added further ''We cannot make cutlery in this country, upon the whole, as cheaply as they do in Europe. 1 But our prices are SO near to those of Europe that the 80 per cent ad valorem would keep out all general lines of foreign cutlery, if honestly Invoiced. Some spec. ial brands whose names are well known might come in, but European cutlery in general could not honestly pay the duty of 35 per cent, and get into our markets" ''It ls impossible" continued Mir. Lan- ders, "lor an American to get net prices nf cutlery from the manufacturers in Eng land. 1t is impossible to buy goods of them for America if they know it. An American buyer is always referred to their agents in New York, who are able to offer prices much less than 45 per cent above English quotations.
 These conversations express but sam ples of the opinions held by all the man. ufucturers of New Britain. This is par ticularly interesting because the recent address of Mir. J. B. Sargent, of New Haven, in the Old South Church at Bos- ton, WIS interpreted in free-trade circles as indicating breaking away of the hard ware interest from support of the tariff. Mir. Sargent began his hardware experi- ence Ill New Britain. "When he was here, " said one of.the New Britain manu- tacturers, "he was a republican, but after he settled in New Haven, he became democrat and free trader." New Haven ls'a democratic city, and Mir. Sargent has his eye on the mayoralty. His brother George, who Is his partner in business, is a protecnonist, n combination which is very convenient for the firm.
 After speaking of the labor troubles, tue Bulletin says:
 I In concediug to thelr help an advance m wages recently, one of the New Britain hardware companies sad to them "We are glud to pay you all the wages we can afford to but lot us look out that tariff Legislation does not iniure our business SO that we are not able to pay you anything, l
 None of the hardware manufacturers of New Britain are deceived by the specious cry of free raw materials." Of course they. would like to get the iron and steel and copper for their own particular use as cheap as possible, just as each employer would naturally like to reduce the element of labor in the cost of his goods. But Mir. | Russell, of the Russell X Erwin manufac- turing company, expressed substantially the opinion of all his neighbors when he said eve know that our own products are just as much the raw materials of the carpenter and builder as pig iron and lngot copper are the raw materials of the I hardware manufacturer. What arc the raw materials of cue industry are apt to be the finished products of another"
 The manufacturers of New Britain are devoting such attention to the export trade as they can afford but it does not amount to anything as compared with their domestic business. The total ex- I ports of locks, hinges aud other builders hardware from the Unit-d States for tho
 fiscal year ending June 30, 1885, amount ed to but $1, ,156,65 and for 1884 but $920, ,2S3. The exports of cutlery for tho year ending June 30, 1885, ware but $91, 200. If Mir. J. B. Sargent does n very large export business in shelf hardware, therefore, there is none left for anybody else, since the total exports of goods of that description from tho United States