New Britain herald., 1922-08-10
NEW BRITAIN FEELS COMPETITION EFFECT
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tContinuei from First Page). American manufacturers cannot compete with German goods of the cheaper variety and there Is grave danger that the corbin Cabinet Lock company will have to close out the cheaper grade of lock business
 Very little foreign business Is being done by some local factories in any foreign competing line. and unless something is done to equalize the tariff and put business on a different basis Mir Kimbal says 1t is self evident that business will be dimin- ished. -
 Cost of Labor
 Another thing which enters into the subject to a most important extent is the cost of labor. German labor can be of labor. German labor can be obtained at one-tenth the cost of American labor, local manufacturers say. Since labor is 65 per cent of the cost of an article. this gives the German chance to sell his article at one-third the cost of the American article and still make a larger profit.
 What Great Britain Does.
 In Great Britain the problem is being met at least partially by duty which is levied on German importa- tions based on fixed value of the mark rather than upon its huctuating market value. American manufac- turers would welcome a chance to compete with the Germans on an equal basis" said Mir. kimball, and added, in response to a question. that levying a duty in America on German made goods based on the par value Of the mark would put the German manufacturers out of business.
 American Valuation.
 The American valuation plan whereby the ad valorem duties would be levied according to American value, would help also. An interest ing report on conditions in Germany is given in extracts from a report by an American Hardware investigator:
 Report by Investigators.
 The following are extracts from letter from the foreign agent Of The American Hardware Corporation, Whc spent some time in investigating the conditions in Germany There are today in Germany about 70 concerns, large and small, mak- ing locks. some exclusively padlocks and others having it as side-line, and confining production to two or three series. I have gone through a smaller plant in Nelbert without learning anything new. This plant has not the wrinkles we have in New Britain. but with skilled labor at 100 marks tat that day 4oc) per day and girls at helf that they do not have to worry much about automatic ma chinery This concern has capacity of about 750 dozen per day
 T have been able to learn that D. & l.. (Damm X Ladwig) has a total capacity of about 2,000 dozen and has been working steadily for the past six months without accumulating any appreciable stuff. Today small or der can be shipped within from three to four weeks, but a large one ,Vill take from three to four months.
 The domestic (German) demand for padlocks is very small, so that 90 per cent of the business is export. At the annual sample fair. as they call it, there were exhibits from 49 makers of padlocks, Figured on a gold basis padlocks are offered at pre-war prices. The government controls the steel output and makes the price of coal to manufacturers
 The largest surprise to me-in fact quite a shock-was to learn that the krupp concern, the former can non makers, has gone in for making padoclks and drawer locks. These are made at the large works in Essen. and the name "Krupp' on locks and keys makes a great talking point in selling the locks When you get the locks you will see that they use 8 paracentric key, but there is not a complete cylinder in the works. Whether these locks will be a suc- cess remains to be seen. but that the firm has gone in for the line Is one of the seven wonders"
 Gilbert Clock Company.
 Charles E. Williams, general man. ager of the Gilbert Clock company at Winsted. has stated that there is no trace in this country of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Ger man clocks shipped to American ports. Tn fact, according to Mir Will Hams. there have been upwards of sS2,ooo shipped here which have not found their way to markets.
 Safety Razors Affected.
 local hardware dealer who was interviewed stated that it Is true Ger man goods are forcing prices down in many commodities and cited as an illustration the Gillette razors. This razor formerly sold for s5. A Ger man product copied after 1t was placed on the market so cheaply that Gillette razors were forced down to s1 and less.
 Specialized Products Safe.
 Several manufacturers who de- clned to speak for publication, have expressed the opinion that local fac tories which speoiaize in articles. re- quiring highly specialized machinery. have little or nothing to fear from the Germans One man cited an ar ticle which his factory turns out for about s25, which if made in an ordi- nary machine shop, without his. spe-