The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1918-12-12
GERMAN VIEW OF
THEIR TOY INDUSTRY
The War Has Materially Changed a
Big Industry

L0ySy kAe lCliUWIllS 1IOit oOiCA LIS
tone, American consul at Rotterdam,
is of unusual interest:
One of the leading German papers
recently published review of the
toy industry of that country which
showed very plainly the difference
between the former and the present
status of the industry. The compli-
Gated toys, SO the newspaper stated,
have made way everywhere for the
simplest kind-of wooden toys, whereas
before the war wood was used only
for the cheapest articles.
Dolls cannot be made any more
owing to the lack of the meal and
cement used for making the bodies.
Also the material for heads for the
better kinds of dolls can no longer be
obtained, and the same is true of the
goods from which the shoes, bonnets,
clothes etc, are made. All of the
former materials that can still be OBJ
tanned cost at least four times as
much as before.
Even the little paper monkeys on
sticks, and the cheap illustrated pic
ture books are no longer obtainaDie,
except in the case of a few dealers
who have an old supply from before
the war. Metal toys are also scarce.
The little trains, magic lanterns, etc,
which once were to be obtained eV-
erywhere, are rarely seen now. They
are made only in small quantities by
few manufacturers who at the same
time make munitions and SO have at
their disposal small supply of the
necessary raw materials.
Before the war there were large
supplies of all kinds of toys on hand
in Germany destined for expectation
but naturally they could not be de-
livercd, which caused the supply fol
the home market. to last longer, es-
pecially in the case of toys of the
better quality. At present great
difficulty is encountered in sending
the toys from the factories to the big
cities, so that the goods which have
been ordered do not come into the
possession of the customer until q
very long time has passed.
These reports, taken from Ger
man paper, are in all probability not
too dark, for bad times have begun
for the German toy industry. Also
after the war it is not expected that
better times will start in quickly fol
the toy industry, and foreign toys
besides being regarded with a hostile
feeling, will surely be, subjected to 9
duty, as articles of luxury. There
ffore,1 the German export --of toys
which III pre-ware days was. very inn
portant, has apparently received q
hard blow.
In making tin toys, where formerly
the normal tin was used, substi-
tute called by the trade name OF
black lin (Schwarzblech) has beer
employed lately. This material is
much cheaper and is of no practical
value for the war industries, so it has
been given to the toy manufacturers
All manufacturers making lead anc
metal toys have suffered great deal
The price of metal toys has in
creased $50 to 200 per cent since
1914-15. Nc metal toys are ex-
ported to Holland.
Very few German toys that have
been recently made in Germany are
for sale in Holland. The best toys
on the market here are those manu-
factured in Germany in 1915 anc
1916, and intended for America
These toys, bought by American
importers and stored in transit here
awaiting shipment to the United
States, are now being sold here by
the American firms owing to the i'm
possibility of shipment, and these
toys are competing most success
fully with the German toys manu-
| faetured at present. One hundred
and twenty cases of harmonicas from
these stocks will be put on the mar
ket for the ST. Nicholas festival thi
year.
/ 1t has also been learned, on goot
authority, that Swiss toys are com
I peting most successfully with Ger
man toys, and that a German agen
of big German toy manufacture
recently was trying to make a dea
with Swiss firm to sell Swiss toy
here in Holland; this would neve
have happened if his own firm il
Germany could do any business here
1t was impossible to verify tn
! statement that the Bing factory is il
a highly prosperous condition, fnan
cially, on account of the war work
has been doing, but this is probabl'
true. The biggest German toy fac
tories have secured large govern
ment contracts to do war work, an,
their prosperity is due to the profit
coming from this war work and no
from the making of toys. When tn
war is over. and there are no NOR
contracts of this kind, it is a ques
ton whether these large factorie
| will be able to run with profit th
first years, owing to the lack of IA,
materials and to the severer compe
tition they will have to face.
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