The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-11-05

The makers of pottery in the United
| States reported another record breaking
year in 1917 in value of output, which
was $50 ,l62,522, an increase of $685.
$50, or more than l6 per cent over the
value in 1916, according to figures com
| piled under the direction of Jefferson
Middleton, of the United States geologi
cal survey, department of the interior.
Small Imports and Large Demands.
The imports OF pottery during the
year were necessarily small, and the de-
mand was fully equal to the largest do
nestle supply that would have been pro-
duced under normal conditions, but the
American potters found ii impossible to
supply the demand. Though the value Of
the output was the largest yet received,
the volume OF the product was probably
not so large as ii had been in some other
years. Few plants, if any, ran to ca
paeity, and many of them did not mar
ket more than three -fourths of their nor
NAL output. The increased cost of labor
and raw material made il necessary to
fix higher prices for the wares than those
that have prevailed in the last few years
The imports showed an increase over
those of 1915 but were much below nor
NAL imports before the war. This in
crease was due chiefly to greater imports
from Japan, whose wares are now find
ing larger market in the United States.
Improvement in Methods of Manufac-
ture.
Notwithstanding the handieaps which
md IN
greater efforts were made to place the
industry on a firmer foundation than
ever. Realizing that after the war he
will have the kennest competition, and
knowing that in order to hold his pres
ent trade he must not only make ware
Of superior quality, but must be able to
undersell all foreign competitors. the
American potter has begun TO study not
only how to improve the quality Of his
ware but to find or devise labor-saying
machines and improved kilns. The re-
port Of the United States Potters' asso-
citation shows that number of such de-
vices that give promise OF lowering the
cost OF labor and fuel were introduced in
1917 or were being successfully devel-
oped. Among these devices are sagger-
making machines, a eonveyor type of
stove, a casting process that makes
large production possible by unskilled
labor, and down-draft and tunnel kiIns
that insure a large saving of fuel.
High-Grade Pottery Now Made in the
South.
The effort to establish in the southern
states pottery for the manufacture of
high grade ware has, after many years,
at last been successful. In 1917, for the
first time, white ware was manufactured
in the south. The southern potteries
tlnc.), began to operate at Erwin, Tenn,
a l0kiln plant for the manufacture Of
sem-vitreous porcelain table ware, using
domestic cays exclusively
A Factory for Making Dolls Heads
Another milestone in the pottery in
dustry in this country was the estab-
lishment in 1917 at East Liverpool O.,
by Ernest Reinhardt, of the Bisc Novel
ty Co.'s pottery for making bisque doll
heads. Since the imports of toys from
Germany have been cut off efforts have
been made, with more or less ssucess, to
produce dolls and doll heads of various
materials, but it remained for Mr.. Rein
hardt, formerly connected with the doll
head making industry in Germany, to
produce bisque doh heads on CONNER
cial scale in the United States. Mr.
Reinhardt started his work in small
way in Philadelphia soon after the war
began, and in 1917 he removed to East
Liverpool, o., where, if his plans are
carried out, bisque doll heads will be
made in large quantity.