The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-17

a ~. -f 1 C. Hobbs. an American of remarkable delicate touch, accepted the challenge
 He succeeded in picking the lock, and then offered the public lock of his own which he declared was unpicka- ble. But vale. in turn. demonstrated that even this lock could be picked, and he invented micrometer which enabled him. to pick any key lock in existence, evenssthose of such remark able intricacY as to cost Ss50 each. This led to the invention of the conn bination and dial locks, whtsh are now used on banksNand safes. All commer- Scial locks operated by keys are dup t.ltcated, Some Of dhes cheaper locks 1apes duplicated with ayery EouTth lock, ssl9 tbe averagesjs hsrbsBp Duplicated Y - every tpEtSsxth lock ..tns Tns sw&t SsS& $aHF locks made
 E. &amF& hd tFsss are pfafe by naehip- enf. xt5& NNed to be made by hand, and k5p a N'6E time the hapdroade hle was prexeeneA to the one made by ma icfane. BI2 1e was found that. the teeth were Tagy much more regular and gzve better satisfaction. when made by machinery. than when made by hand, Hence the handmade file has largely disappeared from the American hard ware store. File makers became very expert in their part. A layrnan can not help but marvel at the uniform spacing and depth of teeth In hand made files of the last generation. It came more as a result of touch than of sight, long continued praetice nlak- ing t possible.
 American hardware is finding ready market abroad. It is estimated that over seventy five per cent. of the barb wire used in Africa, and they use lots of it there, is made in the United States. Italy has displayed prefer ence for American hardware, and South America prefers It to that of Europe. There is no line of goods manufac- tured in the United States which meets with readier sale abroad than hard ware Many leading hardware manu- lecturers are pressing the sale of their goods in foreign lands and are meeting with universal success. But as yet the filed Is little more than touched, and 1t Is the confident pre- diction that hardware exports will in crease threefo1d in the next twenty years. E .'t saes51' The day was when hardware jobbers and hardware. manufacturers did not agree. The 1obber had a knife in hls boot for the manufacturer and the manufacturer had a brick in his coat tails for the jobber. It all came from the fact that the manufacturer thought
  between him and the retailer. But that has all changed. The manufac- tureri now recognizes the 5obber as an essential part of the selling system, and the two work in harmony such as is indicated by the joint annual convention at Memphis.
 One thing that Hes close to, the heart of the retail hardware merchant is his opposition to the establishment of the parcels post. He sees in 1t the very embodiment of evil to his business, and thinks the man behind the movement Is the big mail order house, which would swallow him at a single gulp if chance offered, No other organiza- ton in the country is as bitterly op- posed to parcels post legislation as the hardware men. With all the influence at their command thsy are appealing to theiY Individual congressnlen to turn down any such Legislation.
 (Cdpyright, 1908, by Frederic J. Has, kin.1 v ToniOrroVv--The Prestdent's Cabinet.