The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-07-22
DECLINE TO TAKE WAR ORDERS
Local Manufacturers See Greater
Chance for Development of Home
Trade by Catering to Domestic Con-
sumers-C Can Select Orders Now.

Domestic Business First is the
new slogan of greatly improved trade
conditions in Kenosha and the wheels
of Kenosha factories which are turn
ing overtime these days are being
pushed to their capacity not to supply
munitions of war but to take care Of
great lusiness in the home country
which is now developing. The revival
promises to bring a lot of new perma-
nent business to Kenosha plants. TIE
big manufacturers here were among the
first to grasp the idea that this was
good time to build up domestic trade
and agents of the Kenosha companies
have been advised that domestic trade
is to be given the preference at all times
over export business. The Kenosha plants
are not being sighted on offers of bust
ness for the war zones. In fact nearly
all of them could have their entire plants
engaged in making products for compa-
MES supplying the war trade. A do
nestle order to my belief, - said one of
the leading manufacturers today, "is
worth two war orders just now. There
is being lot of readjustment of big
business in the United States just at
present A lot of companies have ia
ken lot of business for export under
penalties and they are forced to deny
regular customers in order to take care
of this business. Kenosha manufacture
ers are fortunate in having plants big
enough to permit them to go through
with the war business in time to accept
the big domestic business. The plants
here now have scores of offers Of war
business and the proposition is pretty
nearly take it at your own price -
Permanent customers are not coming
through the war business and we APP
preciate that the big feature of bust
ness right now is to take care of the
home trade. Kenosha is not doing
nearly as much war business now as it
was month ago and in another month
it will be doing little or no war bust
ness. ~
Just how it has all happened, " said
another manufacturer, IT don It know
but do know that the domestic trade
is greatly improved. We are now get
ting orders at regular prices for manu-
featured products that we could not
sell at greatly reduced price some
time ago. This news of the awakening
of business in America comes from all
over the country In part it is natural
development of the slack business of the
former twelve months but there is lot
of new business that has been developed
just on account of the fact that bust
ness is better and jobbers and retailers
are taking a roster view Of the future
trade' 1t is admitted that some of the
Kenosha men have turned down decid-
eddy flattering offers to sell products for
export in order to be able to supply the
domestic trade.
You know these fellows right here
at home are going to keep on buying
war or no war and we regard it as adj
vantageous to take on their business
even if we do seem to lose little
money right now. We believe that it
will be paid back to US hundred fold
in developed business. /"
Manufacturers seem to be convinced
that the last six months Of this year
are going to set great high water rec
ord for manufacturing in Kenosha and
they are of the opinion that the output
of Kenosha plants during the six
months period will be far in excess of
the output in any other period in the
industrial history of Kenosha. There
is scarcely a plant in Kenosha today
that does not have orders and to spare.
1t is proving decidedly unique to the
managers of these great plants to have
the privilege of selecting just the class
of business they desire to handle. The
boom in domestic business and not the
war is going to bring prosperity back
to Kenosha. It has already brought
a lot of it and more is on the way. 1t
is pretty certain that there will be no
place for the idle man in Kenosha dur
ing the remainder of the year.