The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-17
From the Boston Globe.

From the Boston Globe
 @ NYONE looking at the store win p d0ws would know that Christmas
 and the holiday season were ap- preaching. That which attracts the most attention probably in all the displays is the wonderful assortment of gifts in the shape of toys.
 A retired dealer observes that America is getting to be more and more toy market each year, and that the industry is gaining very rapidly. This is un- doubtedly true. Indeed, public approval of the manufacture of toys was foreseen over 200 years ago when the first pat ented toy was invented abroad.
 It Is known that in New England, and especially in Massachusetts the manu- faeture of educational and mechanical toys has increased considerably of late years. but the bulk of the toys that emuse the children so much come from Germany and Switzerland.
 Germany still counts the manufacture of toys as one of her greatest industries.
 
 toys she manufactures to other lands, the United States purchasing the most and Great Britain ranking second. Out of toy product valued at over, $22, 2,000, 900 the United States purchases nearly $6000,000 worth.
 In the Saxon Ore mountains wooden, in the Thuringian mountains leather and in Nuremberg metal toys are produced, while from several other sections there is contribution of other types.
 Germany has forged to the front as producer of toys because thousands of families are engaged in the making of them at home. The little town of Sonne- berg produces 45 per cent of all the toys that come toNAmerica. A population of 15000 in this town and nearby hamlots de- votes most of the year to the making of toys, principally by hand labor, although there are some factories which have achieved high reputation for their pro- ducts.
 The wages paid all workers in Germany are extremely low. A whole family con- structing toy dolls may not receive over B a week for their labor. In fact. the percentage of women workers in all call ings there has rapidly increased of late years. owing to the enormous number of men required in the army. It Is estimated there are more than 100000 German wom- en who earn their own living, and this IS an increase of more than 100000 in the last dozen years, The toymakers get mere pittance for their work, and all the working women in the empire labor for very small pay. Wages in the factories are slightly higher than in the home in- dustries.
 This great foreign manufacture of toys leads to the suggestion of why should not the United States manufacture more goods of this kind for the holidays?
 This industry has not, however. been en- tiroly neglected in the United States, and may yet reach goodly proportions. During the first half of the last century | Young Americas toy supply came from across the water. Germany even then supplied the larger part and Japan also a share. About 1850. however several toy shops started in small way in the United States. and Yankee ingenuity has since added this country to the toymakers of the world. Amayica then being a for est country began the production of wood en toys of grades which could be turned l out by machinery. In the manufacture l of these wooden toys the. United States l had an advantage, as Europe had but lit | tie wood and worked mostly by hand | while America had an abundance of wood I and her inventors were always perfect l ing machines to do the work. The principal advantage of the Amer | ican woonen toy manufacturers was in the wonderful wood working machinery. cer- l tain patented forms of which even the | Germans have found necessary to buy in order to keep abreast of American rivals l Mechanical toys have also nourished in