Middletown transcript., 1898-02-05
AMERICAN wORKMEN'S SKILL
BEATS EUROPEAN.

the truth that in several important
lines of manufacture-notably that OF
iron and steel-the sceptre of economi-
cal production, combined with payment
of the highest wages to labor, has
passed from the Old World to the New.
"It has been demonstrated that, under
intelligent, progressive management,
highly paid labor, especially when en-
ployed to use complicated machinery.
is, after all, the cheapest, AID that in
the race for supremacy the inert, cou-
gested populations of the Old World
have been in many cases left behind by
the people who, more than any other
have reduced economy of labor TO an
exact science"
1t is not,many years ago that there
was not a successful Bessemer steel
plant in the United States. Now the
steel manufacturers of Pennsylvania.
have been able to underbid those Of
England for the rails and other sup
plies of the London underground rail-
way, and have received an order for
5000 tons of steel rails from the Gov
ernment of India.
Firms in Philadelphia, Pittsburg and
Chicago have sold locomotives, mining
and electrical machinery, street rail-
way outfits, bridges and architectural
iron, under the noses Of British, Bel
gian and German agents in South
America, Australia and the Cape Of
Good Hope.
DEMAND FOR OUR MACHINERY.
Mr.. Mason says: "Three years ago,
German manufactures N honestly believed
that, but for the import duty, they and
their English rivals could monopolize
the American market for bicycles and
sewing machines. Since then, the
American made bicycle has invaded
successfully every important European
market, and not only in quality but in
price, has made the competition in Ger
many so keen that the local makers
now demand the imposition Of special
high duty on American wheels as es-
sential totheir future existence.
"Tbe steel bridge builders of Bel
guim and Great Britain have been sur
prised to find themselves underbid for
the construction of an important bridge
in Holland by a company in Philadel-
phia, and the leading makers of cleo
trical machinery in the United States
have set a standard of cheapness,
prompt delivery, efficiency and econ
omy of service, especially in electrical
railway plants, wi b which their Eu-
ropean rivals find it difficult to COM
pete.
There is rapidly increasing demand
in Germany for American machinery
and tools and American machine
tools'' are now the fashion with all the
more progressive machinists and manu-
facturers. American shoemaking and
tanning machinery, automatic lathes,
planeIs and milling machines, and the
machinery used in the manufacturing
of the bicycle are:rapidly increasing in
popularity and use in Germany and to
less but appreciative degree in En-
gland.
A shoe machinery firm of Boston had
an effective exhibition at the Berlin
Exposition of 1896, with the result that
it now has an extensive agency at
Frankfort, managed by its own men,
and with large aid constantly increas-
ing trade. A hrm manufacturing tan
ming machinery at Peabody, Mass, es-
tablished an agency in Germany
eighteen months ago, with the result
that the works at home have been
pushed to their extreme capacity to
keep up with this new demand. Amer
ican typewriters, dental instruments,
cash registers and roll-top desks have
invaded Germany and Great Britain in
conquering cohorts.
WHAT AN AUTHORITY SAYS.
There is, according to Mr.. Mason's
valuable report, a definite demand in
Germany for American pig iron, and
some which has been imported from
the Southern States has been found
satisfactory by the foundry men OF
Silesia.
| These facts have stirred up the man
ufacturers of England and Germany,
and they have been investigating the
matter, as the following extract from
the report will show:
"Mr. Jeans, secretary of the British
| Iron Trade Association, an expert OF
the highest authority in his profession
recently said:
4 know of cases where the labor
on ton of billets and rails is % to 80
per cent. less in America than the low
est cost have ever heard Of in this
country, although the rate of wages
find in America is materially higher. !"
"Another expert, who has travelled
through the Atlantic States to find the
secret of the superior quality and
cheapness of American factory made
shoes, brings back the surprising state
men. that, in a certain Massachusetts
shoe factory which he visited. the aver
age wage earned by all classes OF opera
tives was s15 per week, and the net
labor cost per pair Of shoes produced 40
cents, whereas in German shoe factor
les, where the average earnings Of
operatives are only 16 marks $3.50
ger week the labor. cost of shoes Of
similar grads is So cents per pair,
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