Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-08-06

| this grade of blanks that is made into
snnglasses and the cheaper grades Of
| eyeglasses.
Optical Goods Affected.
There Is no immediate danger of
the prices soaring in this city. All
| the local opticians have taken pre-
cautionary measures and gave UNI
usually large orders of the blanks of
the more popular variety.
There Is no high duty on the
blanks. and the optical houses in tho
country which import the blanks are
we'll supplied for the present II the
European war Is continued, however,
the situation will become more seri-
Gus.
Charles Himmelberger, optician for
]. Wiss & Sons, declared today that
the cost of eyeglasses would remain
normal for at least two months. II
conditions do not change in that time,
he said. the retail prices might be
advanced a bit He explained that
advancement of prices rested with
the wholesalers and blank grinders.
II they did not put up the prices, Mr..
Himmelberger declared, he would not
do so.
The blanks are imported to this
country in rough. unpublished state.
The large optical houses grind and
polish the blanks and focus them.
After they have become focused they
are ready for the retailers, who grind
them to the size desired.
The lenses used in cameras are
made from the same kind of glass
Domestic lenses have proved to be
little better than useless when used
in a camera AS the lens is the life
of the camera, local dealers say that
if the supply of lens blanks is cut off
the cost of cameras is bound to go up
There is considerable speculation as
to how the European strife will af-
feet the big industries here which
have factories in the war zone. The
Singer Manufacturing Company,
which employees 5000 men in its plant
at 1lizabethport, has factories in
three of the countries which are now
at war. One plant is located in Po-
DISK, Russia. another in Floridsdorm,
Austria. and a third plant in Witten
berg. Germany. The company has
factories also in Clydbank. Scotland,
and st. Johns, Quebec, Canada.
Hits Sewing Machine Company.
At the New York offices of the COM
pany it was said today that there was
no way of telling just how the sew
ing machine industry would be af-
fected by the strife. 1t was stated
that the big plant in Elizabeth is still
running at full force and no change
was looked for in the immediate flu
ture.
It was pointed out, however, that
the export trade of the company is
bound to be affected by the tying up
of transatlantic steamer traffic. The
Elizabeth factory alone ships thou
sands of sewing machines weekly to
New York for expectation and the
company faces a serious problem in
transferring these shipments to Eu-
ropean countries at present. 1t was
said that advices from the factories
abroad were so indefinite to date
that it is impossible to learn just
how the industry will fare as q re-
suit of the crisis.
The Otis Elevator Company, of
Harrison, has also experienced the
same difficulty with its foreign ship
ments. At the Harrison plant it was
said today that the London factory
of the company would be able to
continue manufacturing, although
from the present outlook the plants
at Paris and Berlin may have to be
shut down on account of the strug
gle between France and Germany.
Many of the factory employees in the
Paris and Berlin plants are reported
to be enlisting in the warning armies.
The Marin Linoleum Company, of
Kearny, will not be effected by the
foreign situation. It was stated that
this company does not carry on any
export trade, and all of the business
is done in this country. This plant is
also running at full force, and no ces-
sation OF business is expected.
Cork Dealers Involved.
The European war conditions have
caused big stir among the local
cork manufacturers. With the sus-
pension of the German. French and
English export trade. the South Amer
lean market formerly monopolized by
the foreign cork makers, has been
opened to the American cork makers.
The Americans, however, are not In
a position to take advantage of the
opportunity offered. however, because
their supply of raw material, from
which cork Is made, is also cut off
with the suspension of transatlantic
commerce.
The manufacturers of cork in and
about New York city held a confer
ence yesterday afternoon to take pre-
eautionary steps towards conserving
the supply of raw material now on
hand and to devise ways and means
OF increasing the supply.
The cork is manufactured from the
gark of a tree known as the cork
oak. The trees grow abundantly in
France, Spain and Portugal. There
are a few in Italy and Africa also.
The bark has to be imported to
America from these countries, as all
attempts to grow cork oak in this
country have proved futile.
The cork manufacturers yesterday
decided to send Juan Torreas, a New
York cork maker. to Spain, in an at
tempt to increase the supply of cork
bark now on hand. Mr. Torreas
will leave New York on the first
Spanish steamer that sails,
Board of Works Commissioner AL
bert II. Biertuempfel attended the
New York conference yesterday and
subscribed to the fund to send Tor
reas to Spain. Mr.. Biertuempfel is
president of the Newark Cork Works.
He declares he has a supply of 5000
bales of corkWood on hand in the
Bush terminal in New York City.
About seventy-five per cent. of the
cork bark is waste. Mr.. Bierteumpful
has devised a means of baking COM
position composed mostly of waste
cork under compression, which makes
a satisfactory substitute for pure cork.
He submitted samples of the compo-
stion to several chemical houses in
New York yesterday for analysis.
The composition, he said, was very
suitable substitute for real cork and
ma ycome into general use, even in
times of general peace, for filters of
metal tops, cork binding. etc.
paterson Man. Seized nv