Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-03-09

$4,000 to $4,000 designs. In order to
| maintain the position which they
have reached, toy-makers are COM
pelled constantly to bring forth new
models and to adapt their products
TO the tastes and peculiarities OF
foreign purchasers. Years ago, the
chairman of the Sonneh@g chamuer
Of commerce and industry proposed
the collection OF toys made by foreign
manufacturers, In order that Sonne-
berg toy-makers might thus be able
to acQuaint themselves with the
wants and peculiarities of foreign
markets. Such a collection OF models
has now been made and does good
service for the manufacturers. rs we'll
as for the students ut the various In
dustrial schools OF Thuringia.
The toys at present made may be
divided into the following groups: l..
Wares made entirely OF wood, such as
cross bows, guns, victims, flutes, chess
and draught board rattles, jumping
manikins, nut-crackers soldiers, nine
pins, rocking horses. y Articles made
mostly OF wood such as don-uouses,
kitchens, shops, furniture, Punch and
Judy shows. 5 Mechanical toys. 4,
rapiM- mache articles, such IA harle-
Quins, riders, cartcatures OF national
types, animals covered with felt or
leather, shepherds houses mcnageries,
figures OF Santa Claus, s. Animals
covered with fur. &. Metal toys,
such as tin figures, toy trumpets,
weapons and theaters. :; Figures and
toys made of china, burnt clay, stone
and glass. Among these toys may be
mentioned toy dishes, marbles. and
articles of various kinds made OF
blown glass. \. Christmas tree deco
rations of glass, metal, and wax. In
lauscha wax is the material most
used =, Dolls with appurtenant wa
CONS, chairs, and swings.
Besides Sonneberg, the tow ls and
villages OF Watterhauseu, Friedrich
sroda, Ohrdrup, llmcnau, llildburg-
hansen, Schleusingen and Coburg
arc engaged in the industry, roy
factories are now scattered more or
less over half OF Germany; they are
distributed from the Black forest and
the Palatnate to tho Sudetic noun
tains and the province OF Rranden-
burg, or particular Importance aro
the Erzgebirg of Saxony, which, on
account OF their forests and abundant
water power. have enabled the manu-
facturors of SaXony to produce many
of the more common toys formerly
made In Sonneberg.
The most recent statistics show that
Germany has exported 40,500. COO
marks (Sl0,125,000l worth OF toys
while in 1895 but 30.000,000 marks
(T,500.000) worth were sent abroad
Including the toys sold In Germany
the product OF the entire German in
dustry Is probably worth 10000 900
marks $50 ,50O00O), from which $780,
GOO marks tS1S7, b00), representing the
value OF toys imported from foreign
countries, must be deducted, Son
nebers undenlably produces half the
toys made In Germany Tho two
largest buyers Of German toys are
the United States and England Last
year the United States imported Ger
nan toys to the value OF II ,000, 600
marks $2.750.000). England to the
value OF 100000 marks ($3, 1850, 000l
OF the products exported to the United
States G.500.000 marks ts1,625, 000)
worth were supplied by Sonnoberg
\ similar proportion holds good for
England. To the development OF toy
manufacture and to the rise Of doll
making is due the Increase In the
number Of export houses in Some,
borg. In the COS there were about
30 export firms. BY 1880 the mum
Der had increased to as, and by 1896
to 70. According to the latest statls-
tics, there are i0,S29 persons engaged
In German toy manufactures, OF
which number a. per cent are EN-.
ployed In Sachsen- Meinigcn. In the
region about Sonneberg about "a per
cent. of the population are engaged In
toy making. not including those who
In addition, are otherwise employed
Scientific American.