The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1914-05-12
SPOKANE BOOSTERS
SET NEW RECORD
IN WORK

The United states exports over
100000 fountain pens per anrum, OF
approximately M fountain pen Tor
eaCh gross of ordinary pens exported
Last fiscal year we exported soy. 2Og
fountain pens and 4e,500, 600 ordinary
pens, sales IN ench ease having been
made la about fifty countries. In
the twenty months since the record
OF fountain pen exports began the
sales abroad have amounted To "a half
million pens. with an average whole
sale value Of t1.O5 each.
More than one-half Of the fountain
pens. according to the Official stat
istics of the bureau OF foreign ald
domestic commerce. department VI
commerce. were sent to England. out
OF sos. zoe exported In the last fiscal
year. 10000 were consigned To Ems
land. SO. 700 to Canada, and 10000 10
France. Next in importance as mar
kets for this class OF American maa-
ufactures re: Germany, the Neither
lands. and Austria-Hungary IN
Europe cuba, the British West In
dies, and Panama. In North America,
Brazil. Argentina, ana Chile, in South
America. India and japan. in Asia.
and Australia and the Philippine Is
lands. Singularly, the same
tries are. in most cases. the largest
purchasers OF our metallic pens.
The fountain pen industry. while
relatively small. is rapidly Increasing
In importance. and IL may therefore
be expected that the exports will
greatly expand In the near future. In
the ten years from 1899 To 1903, ac-
cording To the official figures OF the
eeusus bueau, the value of products
turned out by the fountain. stylo-
graphic, and gold pen Industry almost
trebled, while the output of steel peas
doubled. Nearly all the domestic
product Is consumed in the Ccitcd
states. the figures of production hav-
ing been, Ia 1903, 81. 500. 0O0. and the
recorder exports OF that year. only
tl62. 900, In comparison with 5000, goo
last year. English and swedish steel
a-c largely used by our manufactur-
ers in the production Of pens. by rea-
son II the special adaptability Of that
steel 20 this peculiar use.
Imported fountain pens are making
but little Roadway in our domestic
markets. but other classes OF pens,
except those Of gold, are bought IN
considerable quantities from toreign
countries. Last year, for example,
the value OF fountain and photographic
pens entered FOR consumption M DO
nestle ports was only $500, or
about one-sixth the value OF those
which we sold abroad. In the same
year. however, we bought over 625,-
! 600 gross OF other metallic pens from
foreign countries. with a total value
OF nearly $4,000.
The proportion OF our steel pens
supplied By foreign countries is mucn
smaller than IN earlier years. In 1850
nearly all OF those consumed We're
made abroad; now three out OF every
four. il Ia stated, are Of domestic pro-
duotl0n and the facilities for manu-
fncture have so improved that their
cost Las fallen from 81 each In 1905,
when steel pens began To supplaat
quilts TO less thar IS cents per gross
In 1918. Practically all the imported
steel pens are from birmingham,
England, whore articles OF this class
were nrst made. That city sends 10
our ports a steadily increasing mum
Der OF steel pens, despite the rapidly
growing domestic product and the
wider use OF fountain pens. OF the
Sl5s.st7 worth OF metallic pens Inn
ported for consumption In the fiscal
year 1919, sl3s.773 worth. according
To the annual report Of Consul Albert
Halstrtd, were from birmingham.
Cold pens are a negligible factor In
our import trade. In 1903 the imports
thereof entered for consumption were
valued al si2,55s; by 1911 they had
decreased To So, ana in i9is had
practically ceased, that e showing
a total Of only 81. In fact. the gold
pen is A distinctly American product.
and a large proportion Of the worlds.
supply is made In New YORK.