Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1897-12-31
LEAD <,OLD"AS GOLD.
ARGUMENTS ON GOTH SIDES OF A
PRACTICE OF WATCH CASE MAKERS.

Receiving $3.50 u Pound For an Article
That Cost, 8 Cents The System Of Sell
Ing by Gross Weight 1:cspol,sible--SOme
Good Poiats Claimed.
"rhe pructicc of selling watch cases by
gross weight puts premium on dishon-
esty and ultimately 1crc's even the most
scrupulous manufacturers to adopt meth
cds that they would reputliatc under any
other circumstances, Il dealer said, de.
scriEing some of the reculiarities of tho
trade. "If competitors offer II carat gold
cases, starpcd IA L., or warranted IA X.
u. $. Assay weighing so pcnnyweight,
for $25 or less, others must either meet
these prices or lose trade. TO avoid this
alternative an effort is made to hold the
market by meeting the INSCRIPTIONS deal
ur on his own ground. Thus prices and
standards of workmanship are lowered,
confidence is ,!cst rGyt Il and he trade brings
upon itself certain amount Of discrcdt
that eventually rebounds to the injury of
all concerned.
"To clri;: " rrGcrstund this examine
tho WORKINGS. ui ~ gross weight sale. TO
ascertain tlr value Of Il case weighing IS
rennywC;' his Mo gross weight Is il. ulti-
ilie,l by Il" rice CT the gold it contains,
which, for tie sake 81 i!iust ration. say, l.;
for / c:l Clients u tnHywnigEt. his;
Gives TN i.C.uul cost ul SO. u. Add t.
this in:Cr 4 and c:~<t of laliOr. aud tho
total is t!.r +: icr OF tlIc case. AS the chic!
factor IL determining I. IS is the gold used
it is necessary to find out how much this
case contains.
1.-THE Gown weighs 81 rcnnywcights
and is ElItlc / a.r metal Plated, with a
socket Of lC;''i inr the winding stem, ard
Is probably worth 25 cents. 10 the back
of the Fl rings arc attached solid pieces Of
lead, iron or COZ Fer C IMPOSITION, which
IRE concealed III the center, when tie
springs are in POSITION and weighing 49,.
pcnnywcipLts the value of which is prob
ably about tho same Is The crown. The
tLrco mako IL total of rs pennyweights,
worth about bGtcnts, but which is charged
As geld ut the ratio of &c.
'lt will Ee 81 en- by his that the dealer
gays for El6 worth of gold that he does
not receive. Dad the cs-c been sold by
net weight there would have been no in
centivo CT induccmcnt for tho SO called
gold case manufacturer to use plated
crown ind lead or base filling. Consc-
4ucntly the crown and OF parts Of the
Case would DO solid gold, whereas now
they only look like gold. Assuming that
tho dealer knows Of this deception and re-
fuses to Except tho case markings and
weight, as indicated on tho manufacturers
invoice aid tug-thc basis Oh which to
estimate vAlilc-hOw is be to ascertain the
real worth of tho cases he may purchase?
He cannot Co it. If lie discarls tho usage
of tho trade, there is 40 legal standard by
which 10 could determine it, and consc
Hucntly this practice is carrAu on with
out Violating cny law except u general
ono, undcr W hich it would be very hard to
secure q conviction.
"That these practices have attained their
present magnitude by enc bound is NOT to
he supposed Tie present system has been
evolved from small beginnings. Tho evo-
buttons cun be observed by examining
three crow u.s. One is II gold crown, weigh
ing 2 pcnnywoights. In it IL no pillar for
the winding stem, and tho shell is hollow.
Another is q plated crown. filled with
brass or some wcighty composition, and it
has q largo pillar, in which the winding
stem is get. 1t weighs NJ pennyweights.
Tho third has plated crown, flied with
lead, and tho winding stem is screwed into
a lcad collar. 1t weighs SH pcnnyweights
and Is In general use.
"Tho same increase in weight is notice.
also the weight Of material used has been
Increased. Tho first filling and backing
was of comparatively light metal. 1t was
then found that copper was heavier, and !
now lead is tho popular metal.
'Tho purpose Of this is too evident not |
to be understood, and us long Us tho gross
weight system prevails this kind of thing
will DO continued The temptation Is too
great to resist. Tho system that enables
to secure $3.50 to $500 a
pound for all article that costs him from s
to 20 cents is too valuable to be discarded
lightly. 10 believe that tho benefciaries
Of tho system will voluntarily abandon it
would be expecting too much from human
nature. Tho system will be continued un
til it is not profitable or until some one
steps in and wipes it out by the introduce
tion of the net weight system of selling
watch cases. Then tho public can hope
to obtain what they pay for, but not till
them"
While acknowledging that the system of
selling watch cases by gross weight has it's
evils, another dealer in Maiden laEe said
that it has its good points also.
"For example" he added, "watch cases
are cheaper today than ever they were,
solely on account of tho practice in the
'radc of selling thcm by gross weight in
stead of by net weight. Under the latter
syst.m you had to pay for labor, which
to anywhere from IS to $40 per
casa. Under the system in vogue at pres
cnt you get case which contains just us
much ,yold but you do not have to pay
for tho labor Of making it. Tho
springs. etc, are, of course, sold as gold,
and it is from the profit derived in this
way that the manufacturer reimburscs
himself for the cost of labor. Any one,
however, who desires to purchase watch
case under the net weight system can do
20, but tho case has to be torn to pieces be-
lore it can be weighed, and the cost of
making it is added to the cost of the gold.
In the long run it is better to purchase
lead, steel and gold together, as gold, and
get the labor thrown in than to have your
gold weighed by itself and the cost Of
it added to the cost Of the
gold. New York Commercial.
Sleep ~ an Aid to Digestion.