The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-21
AMERICAN PRODUCTS THE BEST.
Significant Article From an English En-
cheering Publication.


From the New York Sun
Foreign engineering publications are
deNoting a great deal of space to de-
scflptlons of American works and pro-
ducts. 1t is seldom, however, that one
flnds so outspOken a tribute to our in
dustrial supremacy as that recently
printed in Engineering as part of an
article describing the Victoria works at
Sheffield. The article says:
Before dismssing this subject we
will venture to add a few words, even
at the risk of becoming tedious and
certainly OF saying something which
must prove unpleasant We must
preface what we are about to say by
stating that Mr.. Laycock is an English
man; in fact. he is a Yorkshireman,
which a good many people think is the
most English sort of Englishman. AL
though his inclination and sympathes
are entirely toward the country in
which he was born and brought up, he
has been obliged to go across the At
lantic not only for nearly all the spe
cial tools needed in his works, but also
for great deal of the material which
he uses. This is not from inclination
and, indeed, Mr. Laycock constantly
laments the necessity of spending
money out of his own country. In re-
gard to machine tools of the class used
in these works, there is no need to say
much to engineers: the lesson has been
too well rubbed in of late by practical
experience. The case of the cOckmak-
ing machinery here described is a typi-
cal case in point. Al first, as stated.
ordinary engineers lathes were used :
then the representative of a we'll
known German firm came along and Of
fered to design and supply special ma
chinery, guaranteeing substantial
saving on the old method of manufac-
nd ,n,,t Inra RI
ing on the promise made being carried
out. This machinery was made and de-
llvered and proved a substantial ad-
vance on the old methods. Then "a rep
resentative of Messrs. Pratt and Whit
ney offered to go one better. guarantee
ing a further considerable saving, again
making the fulfilment of the guarantee
| condition of the contract, and the re-
suit has been so eminently satisfac Glory
that it has paid to discard the German
machines: and, indeed, the American
tools paid for themselves in a very
| short space of time.
1T was not that the British toolmak-
ers did not have chance. They were
| not only encouraged, but invited to
compete; but the most that could be
obtained from them was a small modi-
fcation of existing designs which have
| been standard for very many years
| past. That, however. refers to ma
| chinery: in material Mr.. IaycOck has
had the same experience The brass
rod he uses comes from America. be-
cause it is cheaper and, not only of
equal quality, but decidedly better than
that which can be bought at home
American iron castings, especially
maleable castings, are better and
cheaper than those which can be got
| here; the deliveries are more regular
! and when a new part is needed it can
| be obtained from across the Atlantic
| more eXpeditiOuSly and with greater
certainty that it will be what is re-
quired than is the case if it is ordered
in England.
There is one thing to be said in eX-
cuse for British machine toolmakers ir
| this connection, and perhaps this vii
be best explained by a simple statement
of fact. Not very many months bach
! the representative of an American firm
celebrated as designers of automatic
labor-saving machine tools, put certain
| suggestions before the principal of {
/ country AS a consequence the firm de
termined to remodel a part of their sys
tenn of production, substituting auto
matte machines for the old primitiv.
methods of hand labor. The arrange
ments were all settled and, we believe
orders actually given. when the matte
came to the knowledge of the worl<men
who intimated that if these machine
We're introduced they would go out in
body. The firm did not care to enter OF
contest with its men and the order
were Cancelled"