Omaha daily bee., 1900-12-16

hHu tnelr animal lrlendS are all Wnlttled
by hand by German peasants and the dwell
ers In such towns as Nuremburg. They
come here be the hundreds OF thousands
each year. SO far no machine has been
invented that can compete with the hand
work on a satisfactory basis. The more
substantial articles however. such as toy
wash sets, furniture, hobby horses, etc. are
now made exclusively in America. The
pieces are cut out by machines and put
together by deft hand workers.
UtiIity of Pewter.
Probably the most wonderful results are
| achieved in the creation of pewter toys
There are pewter parlor suits. wonderful
| creations upholstered in plush and sold at
| prices so low that 1t seems incredible that
any profit can be made either by the manu-
| facturer the jobber or the retailer. The
pewter toy Industry was introduced in this
| country fifty years ago by an Italian named
| Pia, who learned his trade in Switzerland.
| He started out In a small way and for a
| long time was unable to make any progress
against the foreign production, owing to the
| difference In the price of labor. Gradually,
| however, he managed to find machinery TO
help him out. with the result that this
branch today is one of the most important
Of the American toy trade. The metal
pieces are still all cast by hand In brass
and steel molds. The pieces come out Of
the molds in the fiat and are then passed
| into stamping machines that produce at
one stroke a perfectly shaped rocking chair
or sofa, upholstered in the most gorgeous
fashion. The foreigners still stuff their
upholstered toys with sawdust. The Ameri-
can has invented a machine that shapes
piece OF strawboard into a swelling cushion.
| The same action of the machine that shapes
| the hoard also covers 1t with plush. The
| inventor Of this machine received $1,000
| for his patent The chief pewter toy es-
| tablishment in America and the world Is
| conducted today by the descendants OF the
Italians who brought the art over here.
Their factory IL located in one of the most
congested districts OF the lower east side
In New York II employs over sixty-Hve
people and during the rush period this
force Is often at work from o'clock In the
morning until midnight. Almost everything
under the sun is produced. There are
pewter baby carriages, doll swings. go
carts. ice water sets and host OF others
Casters form one Of the staple articles
| Thousands upon thousands OF these are
turned out every year for the holiday trade.
They are perfect In every respect. The
glass bottles are accurately stoppered;
the stands are carefully polished. Yet
some OF these casters retail for as little as
10 cents which means that the manu-
facturer gets about cents. A set of dishes
comprising a half dozen small pieces Is re-
tailed at cents and brings the manu-
facturer 2ih cents. In spite of this there
must be a fairly good profit in the trade, as
all the hands seem to enjoy reasonable
amount of prosperity. 1t is estimated that
the total production Of pewter toys amounts
to about $150,O00 a year. This represents
an output in round numbers OF 5000, 900 or
5000 900 pieces.
, value of the Trade.
The total value OF trade in toys has
grown to tremendous proportions. Ac-
curate figures are not atttainable, but ex-
perts estimate that the American people
buy annually between sl5, 100000 and $40,
600, 900 worth OF this sum about one-thrd
, goes to foreign markets. To Offset this
importation the domestic manufac turers
have begun to invade the European mar
, kets. Iron toys, which we make better than
any nation in the world are sent in large
quantities, especially to England. Our tin
toys. too are beginning to make their way
abroad, thanks to their general superiority
, In games the American controls almost
, absolutely for the reason probably that
we are the greatest game flends" on earth
y Between 100000 and 100000 games are
turned out every year, and most of then
remain In the United States Many Of these
. games are variations on checkers. Scores
OF people are busily at work day in ant
n day out devising new games. Few thing.
are more profitable than successful in
= vention in this line. DIR. George II
Monks OF Boston, who invented the gam,
OF "Halma," has received over $25, 900 IL
royalties during the last twelve years.
\ The center of the toy trade is in New
s York City. The factories representing al
: investment Of perhaps $3.000000, ar
9 scattered throughout Connecticut, Rbod
, Island, Pennsylvania and a few other states
r But the selling Is done almost exclusivel.
from the metropolis. Formerly there wa
o not much activity in the trade except II
q the months of September, October, Novem
4 ber and December Now the activity I
I continuous. The manufacturers get thei
= designs ready so that they can begin worl
q Immediately after the Christmas rush |
q over. In February the buyers start for tn
v European markets to lay In their stock o
q imports. On April l the drummers TAX
v the road here with trunks packed wit
, | samples They sell for July and Angus
r delivery. In September the great rush set
8 In, and by the end of October the factorie
are running night and day to fill lat
/ orders.
@ There is no record Of any millionaire l
r the toy trade. but there are any numbe
OF men who have made snug fortunes. On
: family Of famous retailers have built up bi
establishments in New York. Brooklyn
Philadelphia. Baltimore and Boston Th
head of the house is reputed to be wort
over 5000, 900. But the bulk of the reta
trade is now handled by the departmer
stores, and outside of the cities name
there are no important retail establish
ments that handle toys exclusively. severi
efforts have been made to establish sue
a concern on large scale in Chicago, bu
they have all failed.
No menu is complete without Cooks I'm
| perial Extra Dry Champagne on Il. II nc