New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-31
YANKEE CUTLERY.
EFFECT OF The MCKINLEY ACT.

ersrnrcrEp-rABLE CUTLERY cIIEAPENED
pocxErKN1yES ABOUT THE SANE
PRIZE SUPERIORITY OF ANERI-
CAN VICES.
FROM . SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Of THE TRIBUNE.
Meriden. Conn, Aug. 3O.-Tha people of this
city ere proud of its beauty, of It's CROWN III
population, it's handsome dwellings, us ha'nmo'h
factories its thrift, and the wage-earnins capaciS
OF its working people. There is good reason 1or
This bride. which is healthy and not vanglorious
Mc,iden has some industries which arc Clst u ely
her own and are the largest Of their klhd III '''e
world They have fourishcd; but prosperity
seems TO be universal here. The men employed
IN the various factories have received good wages
and most of them own the pretty houses in which
they live The Free Traders may be greved 10
know that there is hardly an industry in this city
OF $4,000 people that has not received direct
or indirect benefit from the protective system
The growth of the city, the success of the In
dustries, and the superior condition of those en-
nloyed In the factories are results of Protection
There is one industry here which Is now re-
ceivinc special protection under the Mckinley
Tariff law 1t is the pocket ard table cutlery
trade. They are two distinct branches OF pusl-
ness but their interests are closely idehtined'
There are about a dozen cutlery factories III 'ho
State. Probably ten make pocketknives eN-
c,usivelv: the other two table cutlery. The two
Glasses of factories combined supply about one
half of the product used in the American trade.
Sine the passage Of the Mckinley act the capacity
Of most of the factories has been increased, ana
IL is estimated that about three-fourths OF the
domestic demand could be supplied by Connectl-
cut About 1,500 persons are employed, ana te
capital invested amounts to nearly S2,oOo,ooo
The making of cutlery is not new INDUSTRY
in Connecticut. II probably gained its start as
carly as $780, but even as far back as the early
colon,al DAYS each little village had its cutler
and its gunsmith. Knives in those days were
ma le in very primitive way. and for many years
there was NO change The establishment of fac
tory in 1880 did not produce radical changes in
,bs process Of manufacture. The trade was car
RED on in small md improbable way until the
Tariff. act of 1863 went into effect Other facto
ries were then started up. generally in small
villages, where they still remain and where, in
MANY cases. the knife factory is the only one in
the little community. But since 1868, and under
The impetus that protective tariff system has
given TO this industry, cutlery has made great
advance from the old and primitive ways. 10
place of the skill Of the artisan in turning out by
hand finished knife, machinery has been intro
duced and Is largely used. Still. the principal
element in the cost of making knife is labor.
and with all the machinery that American invent
i've genius has produced that cost cannot be
reduced below 20 per cent The forging of the
blades, the tempering and, above all. the grinding
must be done by hand. Heavy trip-hamnlers are
used to do the forging, but il takes skilled
workman to manage the machine.
Il has been the great difference in wages be-
tween America and Europe which has kept Amer
lean manufacturers from controlling the trade OF
the world The high standard of excellence OF
American knives has always found for them
ready sale. and at higher price than could
be obtained for English or German goods The
sunerior,tv Of American goods in quality, finish
ana style became so famous that foreign manu-
facturrs began to initiate them in appearance
and 70 stamp the fictitious names Of Connections
firms upon their spurious goods. Before the Nc
Kinley bill became a law, domestic manufacturers
had hard struggle to get along The counterleis
knives were thrown on the market In great guam
titles Not only was their trade going from them;
hut the integrity of their goods was under sls-
picion. 1t WAS hard enough to compete with the
low wages of Europe, but to expose fraud was
still harder.
This fraud was prevented Ind sunmarilN
e.opped by the Trademark legislation OF the first
session of the List Congress subsequently the
provisions Of that law were made part tSec % OF
the Tariff law of 1890. To equalize the difference
In wages, specific duties were placed by TINS Dill
upon various grades Of pocket and table cutlery.
The effect produced upon the American trade has
been beneficial, although before the bill passed
foreign goods were rushed into this market In great
quantities and some of them are still TO be found
here. Even with an increased duty, England Is
sending in table cutlery and putting the goods on
che market at low prices In order to do this tho
Sheffield manufacturers have had to reduce the
low wages that We're paid, and TO depreciate the
quality and finish of their goods. There is
strong suspicion on the part OF American manu-
facturers that these goods are undervalued, and
the Treasury Department will be asked to lnvesti-
gate the matter Notwithstanding this continued
competition with cheap labor, the American manu-
facturers are running their factories on full time
have provded their men with steader employ
ment and the wages are much higher, with con-
slant upward tendency. Home competition has
been more active than ever before in the history
of the table cutlery trade. Prices are lower than
were ever known before. low grade table knife
is now made to sell at wholesale for three and a
half cents solid steel silver-plated knife that
offered for s. dozen.
In the cheap grades OF taDe cutlery AMERICAN
manufacturers can more successfully compete with
foreign manufacturers than in similar grade OF
pocket cutlery. To show how cheapy German
manufacturers can turn out pocket knife by
hand an instance is given of one Of the counterfeit
American knives stamped with the bogus name of
the "Meriden Knife Co." The Invoices of the
manufacturers which were obtained showed that
the importer paid "a cents dozen for them. The
duty was about 8 cents They were sold to the
1obber for so cents; by him to the retailer fol
rs cents; and by the retailer to the consumer at
the rate Of 81 20 a dozen, or o cents each. This
sample Of the many spurious knives sent here be-
fore the Mckinley bill passed was imperfect in