The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1900-04-25
YANKEE ENTERPRISE
HOW 1T HAS IMPROVED OUR DO
MESTlC KNIT GOODS.

A Thousand American Factories Now
supply Americans with n Class of
Under,veur That We Formerly
Bought Abroad.
In few II any other articles of manu-
facturc has the influence OF the en-
| lightened policy of ample protection
from foreign competition been more
| powerfully proved than In knit under
wear. In order to form an intelligent
opinion on this subject some retrospect
Is necessary and also little informa-
| tlon about the progress of the art of
| knitting by machinery. To be of value
the retrospect must antedate the point
Of time when the present policy, the
policy of the fathers OF the republic,
revived and applied by the Republic
nm party during the civil war. began
TO produce its logical and permanent
results. We shall see that invention
and discovery may be of little value
to the country unless encouraged by
friendly legislation IN lieu of favora-
BILE economic conditions.
The art OF knitting by row of nee
dies In machine was invented in
England In 1889, and little later the
author of that invention discovered a
way TO Fashion" his otherwise
straight web by adding to or removing
by hand needles at the ends of the row,
thus shaping his cloth so that when
the selvages were Joined the garment
would conform TO the arm or leg. Rib
knitting, also an English invention, be-
gan In 1853, since which time the chief
| discoveries In connection with knitting
have been made In this country. The
| fiat web with shaped selyage edges
commonly called regular made"-eon-
| tlnued to be knit on n frame run by
hand until the Kilbourn machine, In
1853 accomplished the work automat-
ieally under steam power
The circular knitting machine was
probably the greatest advance IN the
art since 1881 Like the sewing ma
chine, II had English and French pred
| ecessors which persisted undeveloped,
| but II was put into successful operation
IN Cohoes, N. Y, In 1892, the power Of
steam being then first applied to knit
ting. The sewing machine has been re-
garded as the copartner Of the circular
knItter In the modern development of
knit goods, and elias Howe completed
his first sewing machine as far back as
1874 Here were the three factors me-
chanlcally speaking, of what Is now a
great Industry In this country, the Cir
cular knitter, steam and the sewing
machine, but It was not until their OPP
Grafton was protected from foreign
competition many years later that the
business entered upon Its grand career
of development.
Previous to that change there were
very few American makes of any repu-
tation. Indeed the writer, though In
touch with the trade then and ever
since. can call to mind but two or three
One of these produced fine regular
made" goods, both all wool and meri-
no, which In winter weights retailed Mt
from $3.50 to So or more per garment.
The best Of them were considered to DO
about as good as crack English makes,
which In similar weights retailed ut
from s. to 81 per garment, according to
size. but later had established reputa-
lions which gave them the preference
for many years aud enabled retailers to
make better profits on them than on
the American make alluded to, be-
tween the wholesale prices of which
and those of English goods there was
less difference than at retail.
In the medium class of underwear
one make was prominent because of It's
well sustained quality. 1t was of me
rlno, perhaps half wool, and for several
years Its wholesale price was $3.50
per dozen, and It retailed at So per
garment The same factory Is still In
operation, and, as nearly as the writer
can Judge, the line referred to now
WHOLESALERS at so dozen and retails at
81 per garment. 1t is probable that
the quality IL better now than In the
past. AS to the finer make above men
toned, the lowering Of price has been
far more radical, excellent all wool and
merino shirts and drawers, regular
made, retailing at So apiece aud up
ward
More noticeable still are the changes
wrought In the more popular" classes
of underwear. A knit wooden under
shirt costing so dozen at wholesale
and retailing for 81 SO lately as 30
years ago was something frlghtful. 1t
appeared to have been made of carpet
wool and burdock burs, and the seams
were great, bulky ridges. The cotton
underwear retalled at 80 cents was an
oily, soggy gray article which would
now be considered hardly good enough
to use for wiplng machinery. Indeed
II is to be doubted II such crude specl-
mems could be found anywhere In the