Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-06-01

laundries are fairly well-equipped with
modern machinery, the family washing
is still done with the dolly tub, just
as it was done two hundred years ago.
An American lady in this city was
threatened with a strike because she
imported an American washing mach
inc. By great diplomacy and patience
she induced her servants to use 1t. They
tried it to please her, not because they
thought washing could be properly done
any other way than their mothers and
grandmothers' way. The result, and
its ease of accomplishment, fairly stu
pefied them. They finally capitulated,
and, prejudice once conquered, the
wonders of that one common washing
machine spread in the most mysterious
fashion from servants quarters to
drawing rooms over large neighbor-
ing area There is a market in that
area for common washing machines
and the incident is valuable as an illus
tration which can be indefinitely ap-
piled.
American manufacturers should not
overlook the fact that for some years
now the most progressive of the Eng
lish factories have been equipped with
the latest American improvements, not
withstanding the opposition of trade
unionism. which is a topic by itself
The success of American shoes, now
universally sold on their merits, has
been unduly emphasized by that con-
siderable proportion of English peSSim-
lists who have thrown up both hands
and see only future of industrial dis
aster. While they may be excellent
prophets in a general way, they have
magnified this particular phase of COM
petition. If the annual consumption
of boots and shoes in the United King
dom be placed at the moderate figure of
$3.50 per head of population, the total
reaches the nice aggregate of 100000
000 The English exports for the same
period would aggregate over $5,O0O,00O
The total of American imports only
slightly exceeds $2,000,000. 1t must be
that the bright, up-to- date stores of the
American invaders, with their modish
goods, fair prices and prompt service
have dazed the Britishers. or they
would not scare at the appearance
of mere skirmish line. Yet some
thing is the mater with the British in
|
reach a crisis at both Northampton and
Leicester, the centers of manufacture.
Some of the operatives at the for
mer place bitterly resented the intro
duction of new American machinery.
The news of the Importation of three
machinists to work new machines Gre
ated riot and the mayor was rough
ly handled. Exciting times followed
with depression and curtailment of
work still existing. At Leicester mat
tiers have been in a similar state. Fail
ures at both places have been common,
the last month witnessing nine at Lei
cester and six at Northampton. Only
thi,; week, at Hucknall Torkard, one
factory employing 20 hands posts
weeks notice of permanent closing and
offers its machinery for sale The al
legged cause is friction over trades union
demands. A trade paper comments:
The responsible men in the British
shoe manufacturing trade are still
clinging to the policy of the ostrich
about the present distress in their in
dustry They apparently think that by
minimizing reports of trouble they can
bring better times. But week by week
longer. In view of this, the response
bic men in the trade, masters and oper-
atives alike, would surely DO we'll to set
themselves to find out why once pros
porous trade has lost its place. and how
1t can regain it. How far American
competition is responsible for this each
must judge for himself. These facts
are undisputed. Our exports of shoes
are smaller now than during the cor
responding time last year. American
exports to colonit; which were once
supplied by England have greatly in
creased. Our home demand for British
made shoes has declined. The sale of
American shoes in this country is
steadily and largely increasing. The
official figures leave no room for dis
pute on these points. Is it not time,
then, for British shoe manufacturers
to abandon the ostrich like policy
which they have up to now favored and
face the facts