The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-09-24

YIN III NV iDIs4NNEs
AMERICAN VS.. FOREIGN WATCHES.
1t is sometimes said that little
knowledge is dangerous thing, but
even little knowledge would seem to
be better than an entire lack thereof
when approaching the discussion of
some specific item of the tariff. A
local newspaper nails the campaign
lie," that the Mckinley bill has driven
the Swiss and other foreign-made
watches out of the American market.
Now, in the first place. nobody claims
that the Mckinley tariff has done any
sucn thing. A tariff of 25 per cent was
laid on watches and watch movements
by the Morrill, bill in 1861, and from
that day to this the tariff has remained
unchanged. The Mckinley bill neither
raised or lowered the tariff on watches.
The fact remains, however, that the
duty on watches, which has exist
ed for more than thirty years.
has built up great industry in this
country, and that American ingenuity
has done the rest. Under the stimu-
lating power of the tariff, as levied in
the Morrill, bill, the experiment of max
ing watches by machinery and of inter-
changeable parts was carried forward
to grand success. BY this means the
cost of producing watch was reduced
in marked degree, so that the 25 per
cent duty has been sufficient pro-
lection and domestic competition has
also added in constantly driving down
the price of watches, until now an
American watch is sold at retail for $1s,
that is equally as good as the $S5 for
eign-made watch in 1854.
In September, 1865, the product of the
only factory in America devoted to the
manufacture of watches was five move
ments per day. At present, according
to the authority of William c. Roberts,
the general manager of the New York
Standard Watch Company, the daily
product of the various American watch
factories is nearly 1000 per day. At an
average wholesale price of $S. the total
value of a years output in the American
watch factories is more than SIG, ,OOO. 900.
Mind you, this is simply for.movements
alone. The case business is an entirely
distinct enterprise. Waltham watch
No. 100000 was recently completed
and No. 6,000,000 will be under way be-
fore the end of the year.
The value of the total importations Of
watches and watch movements of all
kinds for the year ending June 30, 1891,
was 81 1884 Ala. have not the figures
for the year ending June 30, 1892, but
Judging from the statistics of six months
of the year the total value of such inn
ports will be about 81 800, 900. This to
be placed against $40, 600, 900, the value
of the domestic product. These figures
prove for themselves that the foreign
made watch is being driven out of the
American market by some means. Un-
der the beneficient workings of the pro-
tective tariff, American mechanics have
learned to construct better watch for
a moderate price than can be made
abroad. There is popular feeling,
happily growing less as the years go by,
that an imported article is better than
the domestic. This feeling does not
extend to the watch business. The
American watch has won place for it.
self in the theological world, and a
Waltham, Elgin or Howard movement
will be chosen ten times where a Locle
or Geneva watch is chosen once. The
$i,6O0,00o, which represents the value
Of the watches and watch materials inn
ported from Europe during the past
year, includes at least % per cent of
watch materials. This, of course, In all
fairness. should he deducted from the
computation.
The two facts, the tariff and the pres
tige of the American watch, have main
tanned the home market for American
manufacturers. As a result numerous
watch factories have been erected, mt
least two Of them employing 5000 en-
ployes each. The lively competition be-