Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-12-17
By Frederic j. HaSkin


VIZ ASHINGTON, D. c., Dec. $40 be, or
Wv not to be, is the question that is ag-
itating several of our new American
industries now that the war is over. Will
they be able to hold the trade-especially
the foreign trade-that was so easy to OBJ
tain while the European factories were busy
turning out war material? Or will the old,
effective competition of European manu-
facturers, made possible by lower standard
or wages, rise to snuff out the lives of these
hopeful but handicapped American infants?
Since the war, many things have been
made in America that were never made here
before. Moreover, American goods are be-
ing used in foreign markets formerly sup
piled entirely by German factories. For the
period of the war, at least, the world has
looked to us for manufactured necessities as
well as raw materials. But now the Euro
pean factories are rapidly recognizing on o
commercial basis. Foreign agents are al
ready soliciting their old trade. This means
that within the next year there must either
be great retrenchment in number of
American industries, or fight to hold the
markets won during the war
American manufactures are watching
with interest the growing production of the
emergency fleet corporation which is doing
everything in its power to provide a large
American merchant marine for the expedi-
ton of our foreign trade. Also the renew
Ell activity of the bureau of foreign and do
nestle commerce, which is asking congress
for the money to employ twenty new COM
merclal attaches to promote American trade
opportunities in foreign countries The fact
that number of new cOnsulates are to be
opened in various parts of the world in an
ticipation of the future great expansion of
American commerce is also heard with in
terest. But perhaps the most interesting
tnlng TO American manufacturers is their
own view of the question. This was freely
expressed in answer to QUESTIONABLE re-
Gently sent out by the United States tariff
commission to the owners of American glass
ware factories.
The glassware industry was selected by the
tariff commission because it is representa-
tive of several industries that have shown a
phenomenal growth since the war. The
manufacture of bottles, window glass, bowls
and goblets in this country dates from the
colonial period; that of pressed tableware,
such as tumblers, began in 1927; plate glass
in 1852, and lamp chimneys in 1855. While
these forms of American glassware have al
ways enjoyed a large demand from the
American public, it was not until the war
that they became popular abroad. Since the
outbreak OF the war, moreover, twelve new
kinds of glassware are being manufactured
in this country-namely optical glass, lab
oratory or chemical ware, glass gauge tub
ing, watch crystals, glazing glass, oven glass,
glass brick, siphon bottles, Photographic
glass, and high-grade picture glass and glass
for spectacles
Prior to the war; all optical glass used in
this country was imported-most of it from
Germany. Only a relatively small quantity
of this glass is bought, of course (about
hundred thousand dollars worth year,, but
when the United States entered the war the
need for field glasses, range-fnders, peri
scopes and searchlights, created a tremen-
dous demand for optical glass in the army
and navy. Optical glass had to be made in this
country-and made quickly. The geophysi-
cal laboratory of the Carnegie institution at
Washington was called upon for aid in the
production of this glass; scientists from the
laboratory were stationed at the plant of a
well-known American optical company, and
after several months of experiment the glass
was successfully produced.
After much experimentation, other forms
of glass that had always been imported from