New-York tribune., 1896-11-21
NOT CONTRACT LABORERS.
DECISION THAT DIAMOND-CUTTERS ARE
81 SKILLED WORKMEN IN AN IN
DUSTRY NEW HERE.

DUSTRY NEW HERE
MANUFACTURERS NOT srBJECr TO PENALTIES
FOR IMPORTING rHEM-rHE IMPORTANT RE
suit OF TEN DAYS TRIAL BEFORE
UNITED cTATEs COURT
IN CINCINNATI.
The protracted trial OF the case OF the United
States against the Coetermans Hinrchs-keck Di'-
mond-Cutting Company. of Cincinnati. has ended
in verdic. in favor of the defendant The resui;
Is likely to be received with great satisfaction by
the jewelry trade all over the country
The Increase Of the tariff on cut diamonds from
10 to 25 per cent contained in the Wilson act gave
great stimulus to the industry even in anticipation
before the law enacted. and number OF con-
started factories as early as the latter part oi
1897 10 cut and polish rough diamonds The great
difficulty encountered at starting was 10 oo'"-h
the requisite workmen IT was necessary that tht~e
should have had long training In the business anu
sufficient numter was no, to be obtained In this
country The skilled diamond workers or the wofic
mostly Hollanders. Amsterdam and Antwerp
contain many thousands Of them. GOO sometimes
working in q single factory. Hollanders are SLOW
10 emigrate Home 20 them Is sweet home ana
they cannot be persuaded to come 10 this country
except BY the most solid financial Inducements
safely secured by contract.
The infant diamond-cutting industry. THEREFOR
found Itself in danger OF violent collision WIN tne
Contract Labor law. and In 1894 test case was
made rp known the Hoed case. The Govern
ment through the Ellis Island authorities. refused
TO permit Hoed Dutch diamond worker TO land
and ordered him 10 be sent back TO Holland on the
ground that he had been brought over pursuant 10
a contract that he should labor as diamond
worker for hire for manufacturing firm In TINS
city. The diamond manufacturers united TO oppose
the deporta alton of Iocd and the case came up. as
the provides before board OF United states
inspectors at Ellis Island in the latter part OF 1874
The position taken by the manufacturers was tha'
the statute Of the United States which forbds the
Importation OF contract laborers cxcepts ov rs
terms the case Of aborers who come over under
contrac. to work at new industries not at present
established In this country when skilled labor IN
such industries cannot be obtained in this country
They argued that diamondcuttng was new IN
dustry not yet established in this country. ano Was
among those industries that the statute excepted
Furthermore II argued that skilled workers
on diamonds could not be obtained here the ma
toritv of the Board of Inspectors took the view or
the manufacturers and held that Hoed could stay
but as the Board was divided. an appeal was taken
10 the Secretary Of the Treasury. lie TOOK 'he
other view and after some delay. reversed the oe
cision and Heed accordingly returned to his
native land
In the mean time after the decision Of the Board
and while the appeal pending. a large number
of foreign diamond workers had been contracted
with by the various manufacturers TO MI 'he va
cant factories here. and had started ior ->e"-i"" y"
II Is reported that the number so brought over ana
landed exceeded 2G. Among these were some VINO
had contracted with the Coetermans- -Hinrichs-Necn
Diamond Cutting Company. OF Cincinhau' d i.'"
firm. closely connected with the syndicate "h'o"
controls the product of the Kimberly MINES Al,ei
the decision that the industry was not new me
Government began proceedings looking TO the re-
covery of the penalties imposed upon the manu-
facturers bv the statute This penalty Is N.w Tor
each man brought over.
The first suit was brought in Cincinnati as test
ease TO recover from the Coetermans concern W."
as the penalty for the two men brought over hy
them. The suit was brought in CINCINNATI. ou' 'ne
evidence was nearly all taken in New-fork, as the
history OF the diamondcutting industry IT, lot 'ne
most part the history Of New-fork ana Boston
concerns About sixty witnesses were examine" III
this c,tv Including representatives OF Tifanys and
all the other great jewelry houses and compete
history Of the cutting OF diamonds IN 'hs COUNT.
and OF every concern which has been engaged III IL
was spread over the record of the case
The whole Industry was shown 10 date IN TINS
country from Henry d. Morse. OF Boston, iong since
dead and /, was incidentally proved that IN me
email business done By him in Boston ne succeeded
in introducing such improvements into the msthods
and science OF calculating and cniuns me angles
and facets OF diamonds that his jewels took cns
meihois into diamond cutting which have anectsd
and elevated the industry unronenou, IN, .ne ,"os -
some OF the finest work possible IN Su,t'ns Sse i
,houch ONLY on d small scale NJ: Morse s'ai' ia
h"sjness before 1863 and Isaac Hermann, mer;
chant OF this city. who has since retifed s,aI,eu r
diamond cutting soon afterward. BON Ny. Moise
1rd Mr. Hermann gained reputation anu artis.c
smccess the -rcords IN the case state. but nei'her
co,ild make tn. business financially successful. -
10 Der cent duty cut diamonds was pu' on
sbo,,, isso which gave the Industry shSht I'M
oeius and II grew little In consequence. ~ Wa
only a little however. and the deiense mas snomn
enectually in this case That in lseo dlel siH'esn
yn,rs of. struggle. the diamond industry o. tne
coun,ry could only muster from Sixty, 20 e.sI.S
skilled workmen. employed In about oozeH i sinan
fhere rO concern
S.eiies which carried cutting and pollshlng rough
diamonds from the mine as an exclusive business;
Win the single exception OF f. L. Munch q %, Q!
Eaw-york Every other concern IN tne puslness, ~
is shown. depended on what IS Know d. a.
work or 'recuttng." which Ia cutuns over ~
han.'a svones many OF which came in former tines
from India and Brazil. where hne gem; were OIL
"a nut hy the natives that the natura Iustre anc
This work ard that OF changing the SIZE OF s,olt T
- match each other and the preparing OF slnan
oornS 70 Known as rose" and melee" for cluster
work and paved work il appears save 20 ,,n ,ne
So,en little shops .her regular and prohiape en-
.nynen, The rough work was cone 20 nl' 'he
Yracant hours OF the repairers. , 49,. t.,
r. Anrich testified for the deiencahis lndt IN
snI,s of he use OF American apprentices 1t was
70 make a success OF rough cutting as an
ip,s,,o. business and that ne finally had 10 give
:. mn and 10 90 back 70 importing stones cu' IN
Holland. because 1t paid better me !s aafnuSan,s
nn,s;ng that the cutting OF diamonds was, ntw
tndns;1y and that the manufacturers hau '
20 contract for and bring over the sh'eu ''oo'e''
needed for II. , .,...,o,, Cieva,and az Gin
.,nnati and Nessrs THO. Rubsanei; C0cniane a. au.
BALDWIN Of NewYork. represented me % Coy 81 .d 'e nv
i .re case and the defence was cohuncreu ,t py
Wessrs Jones and James. o. N'"O'''"'' ~
Jawton O.. New-York