Putnam patriot., 1915-05-14
TRADE CONDITION
MUCH IMPROVED
Bridgeport Reports Great Pros.
perity for Workers
PLANTS RUNNING FULL TIME
War Orders Bring Unprecedented
Amount of Work to This State
Many Firms Double Forces
and Increase Plants.

ana increase ftaNNSs
Bridgeport Perhaps no city in the
country, certainly no city in the state.
has been so doomed in its Industrial
product by the European war as has
Bridgeport. The Eurspean situation
has completely revolutionized the in.
dustrial outlook, from sewing ma
chimes, valves, graphophones, eorsets
electrical appliances, to munitions Of
war. OF course, the product of the
Union Metallic Company was known
all over the world, but up till the open
ing of the European conflict it was not
considered the greatest manufacture
ing plant in the city, but will Hndoubt-
eddy be the biggest manufacturing
plant in the state of Connecticut be-
fore the summer is over. The war
has brought it about. and it has had a
corresponding effect on the aspect of
all manufacturing industries.
The month before the war was de-
clared in Europe the employees were
working on short time, and Il was
known as dull times. Most of the en-
good time to take their vacations. The
labor condition at that plant was no
different than in most of the manu-
featuring shops in the city. The times
were dull throughout the country.
When war broke out the men were
started in to work full time. Much OF
the help at the sea shores on vacations
Ia, ,,,I l.
of cartridges was put to the maximum
limit. At that time the stimulation
of work was not through fereign or
ders.
Before the city was aware of 1t most
of the machine shops in the city were
running at full time and many plants
were hiring help as fast as it applied,
providing, of course, the applicants
qualified. From several sources the
news leaked out that the cartridge
company was working overtime on
foreign orders. The answer to the
sudden stimulation in local business
was that the machine shops were
building new machinery for manufac-
turers. While trade conditions about
was better than normal in this city.
two months after war was raging in
Belgium.
Building Operations Booming.
At the present time there are 1000
men engaged in building operations in
the city. In ordinary good times 1 900
men is considered a good record in the
hifii fro oh hf,
sidered that all the 1000 are at work
ON factories as the building business
is considered good anyway But of
course, the great bulk of the build
ing operations is due directly to the
European conflict.
The Remington Arms-U NJ. G. Com
pany has received an order for 1907
100000 cartridges for the Lebel 5000
! rifles. and have placed the contracts
for the bullets to be used in these with
other Bridgeport concerns. The last
previous order received by the cart
ridge company for this kind of cart
ridges was for 150,000.000.
Both the American Tube and Stamp
Ing and the Bridgeport White Metal
companies have each large orders
from Canadian concern to furnish
shrapnel and howitzer shells. and
those two concerns are working ten
hours a day on the orders. The Red-E
Tool company has orders for tools for
shrapnel work.
Submarines for Abroad.
So much for munitions of war. The
Lake Torpedo Boat company is build
ing large submarines for some foreign
country. besides the contracts that
It has from the United States gov
eminent The work on the latter
contracts has nothing to do with the
war in Europe, but the foreign con-
tracts have.
An automobile company Is work
ing night and day on foreign orders.
This concern got a $4,000000 con-
tract from England for trucks and a
81 900, 900 order from Russia for
trucks. The machinsts in the en-
ploy of this concern can work as long
as they desire, and some of the men
earn as high as $50 week. That is
not the rule, however.
There are rumors that other manu-
facturers of war materials are to To-
cate here. For instance the Granville
Chemical Company, which makes dye
stuffs in California, is looking about
for site in this vicinity to manufac-
ture smokeless powder. 1t is keeping
quiet about It. There was rumor
that some foreign concern is endeay-
oring to take over the big Crane Com
pany plant, but so far it is only ru-
NOR.