The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1892-12-02
OUR POCKETKNIyES.
EXTRA DUTY HAS BEEN OBTAINED
on MISREPRESENTATION.

Prices and Robbed the Americans.
PERHAPS there is no industry Of much
Importance that elbows the stimulating
effects OF McKinleyisin moro than the .
manufacture Of pocket cutlery. And
there is no industry 10 which the pro-
tectionist can and does point with more
pride. The act Of 1890 increased the .
duty from so per cent. 10 from 70 70 over
100 per cent II is now the claim of
protectionists, and II j. being heralded I
far and wide. that this industry, which
was diving under % per cent, stimulus,
has been SO built up by Mckinley that
wages have been advanced 10 per cent.
In three Of the twenty-four factories IN
this country. Prices of knives also have
been advanced; but this Is a secondary
matter with protectionists. the essential
idea being 10 start new Industries here
or 10 assist old ones by cutting of for
eign competition. If il ever pays our
government to propagate artifcially any
industry this is probably such On indus
try, and yet leo Us analyze little the
cost TO tie nation of such an investment
and see who are benefited uy IL.
The pocket cutlery industry, like many
other industries, was established in this
country during the "free trade" period
from 1870 10 1850 At that time more
than half OF the employees were Ameri-
cans. Since il became highly protected
and began 70 rely upon governmental AID
rather than mcritorious goods for sue
cess the industry has been unsteady.
t, Lo1 4lt. llffQa
like man who is in the habit Of taking
st:mulants TO keep up his spirits viii
have when no il unable TO obtain the
ever larger doses which his unnatural
appetite Graves. Wages have been re-
euced often in this industry. and only
four or five years ago reductions OF
about 20 per cent. were made in most OF
the shops. Partly because Of the low
wages, and partly because they were
driven out by the English and German
workmen who were imported to keep
wages down, the skilled American work
men have left this business, until today,
out Of the 400 or ! 800 workers in the
twenty-four establishments rnostly
small cne.l which make pocket cutlery,
about /. 100 are English 200 are Ger
mans. and 100 or $50 are Americans,
the latter being mostly boys and girls
not doing skilled work and earning only
from 81 cents 20 81 per day. The ArcFi-
cans have but little prospect Of better
ing their condition. for the foreigners
now have a monopoly Of this industry
by means Of their unions-Spring Knife
Makers union. snbdivided into Forgers
and Grinders and Fiuishers unions.
Their rules practically prohibit any bnt
English and German from entering any
except the uns,silled departments. The
foreigners ere mostly from the Sheffield
district in England anl are undesirable
as c,niyrants; most OF them, II Is SAID,
eau neither read nor write.
As 10 the manufacturers, they are also
largely English. who advocate plenty Of
protection and who have shown them
selves willing 70 pay FOX IT, In conlunc
ton with the table cutlery manufactur
ers they kept two men az Washington
much If the time for three or four year
previous TO the passage of the Mchinle J
tariff act Their share Of this expcn
was 81 GOO They now keep a man At TN
custom house to prevent naturalization
and fraud Having secured all they cx
pected at Washington they immediatel,
set to work % got back the money whicl
they had invested there. Their associa
tior held weekly meetings TO arrang
prices, ami made their first general ad
vance in October, almost before the No
Kinley net Had taken effect. They ha
paid fur their share cf this tariff act an
saw no reason ior denying their propri
torship Id il. Hence some OF them boil
" ANNOUNCED that because Of the Nj
Kinlay Mll they had advanced price
from ~ TO ~ per cent. In January, lN9
a second general advance was mad
This caused such Il howl from deale
aud the public that the manufacture
ceasel 10 send cut circulars advancif
prices All along The line at once, and
stead Lave hell monthly meetings 81
made advances by private lists TO Inc
y-dual dealers These lists appear reg
larlv. the last being on Aug. o, ~
one month they viii inform deal
that .they are compelled 70 make 7
following changes III prices.
..changcs" usually amount TO from ~
IL uer cent. advance on about a doz
STYLES. The next month a dozen on
STYLES will receive the same treatme
Large dealers say that the advance 81
September, 1890, amounts 70 fully aol
cent. on the total of all knives so
Here are few samples of the prices
knives sold by the Ulster Knife co
yany, Of Ellenville, n. ~:
Price per DOZEN Per G.
Ausr lAgn Aug int, adva