The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-06-23

gade on the other side OF the
Chamber, observing thar the pro-
posed duty was not contained in
the House bill had been inserted
| by the Senate Committee, wanted
to know why. Senator Dillingham;
proceeded at once to tell him.
"The value of the spring cloth
I spin" said he, ais in the wood at
the present time rather that in the
steel which constitutes the spring
( used in the manufacture of the ar
| ticle as coming under this para
/ graph. 1t was the view of the com
mittee that a % per cent ad valor-
EN- rate would not properly no
| tect the industry in this country.
| will say to the Senator from
Notrh Carolina that these cloths
pins are an American invention
and until recently have been an
American production. They were
patented in the beginning, but the
patents expired, and now they are
manufactured in various states of
the Union and in many places are
a sort OF by product of manufac-
turers of larger types of wooden
ware, beause the pieces of wood
required in the clothespins are so
small that they can be taken from
what would otherwise be waste
But it appears that in 1912 and
1914 the American manufacturers
began to have very sharp COM
petition from Norway and Sweden.
"Ihe cost in this country of pro-
| ducing these spring clothespins is,
upon an average, about 40 cents
per gross. They nave been sold in
| this market from about AZ cents
I to % cents a gross, according to
the size of the order; those in
carloads being sold for AZ cents,
and those in smaller quantities for
% cents per gross. In 1912 the in
dustry in this country had to meet
foreign competition for the first
time, the imported pins coming
from the scandinavian countries,
Norway and Sweden. They were
/ placed upon the market here at
from Is to % cents per gross, Just
about one-half of the present cost
of manufacturing them in this
country. The war coming on, of
course, created an embargo
At this point Senator Simmons
propounded a series of inquiries in
answering which Senator Dilling-
ham had to give these figures all
over again. Then the North Caro-
INA member offered the observa-
ton that he had been under the
general impression that labor COM
manded pretty good price over
in Norway and Sweden. Replying
to this Senator Dillingham; pro-
ceeded to cite the situation as it
obtained in his own state.
81 will say in reply to the Sena-
tor that my attention was called to
the matter at that time by the
Vernon manufacturers, there be-
ing three extensive establishments
manufacturing these pins in the
county in which live. They wrote
to me, and | took the matter up
with the Department of State
The American consuls in those
countries were requested TO make
an examination, which they did
and they reported have not the
figures before me-in substance
that the production was increasing.
there and that the cost of labor
and material was such that the
manufacturers were able TO sell
the goods in this country at the
prices quoted"
Parenthetically it may be noted
that three of the principal manu-
'facturers of this product in the
Green Mountain State are The
Demeritt Company, Waterbury;
the United States Clothespin Com
pany, Montpelier; and the Nation
al Spring Clip Company Montpe-
her.
Touching upon the cost of man
ufacture, in response to further
queries by the Democratic mem
Der, Senator Dillingham; said
There is a very marked differ
ence in the labor cost. In my sec
ton we pay about SO a day for
mill labor, which is not a hiUh |
price as prices go in the United |
States, and yet to produce that ar
tlcle by the gross costs accord |
ing to the best computation which |
an be made, 40 cents. The spring is |
made by machinery; the wood is
cut and polished b machinery. The !
pins then have to be assembled !
which cannot be done by machin- !
cry. Assembling them is handwork.
The manufacturers have a small |
hand machine IN which they put !
the wood and the steel, and the
combination is made in that way, |
which materially increases the |
cost"
Then the Senator proceeded to
tell his colleagues about another |
element of competition which had |
entered into the manufacture of
these clothespins since the war.
namely, that from Germany. He |
said: Germany has come in and |
claims this market and is adver-
Using some of these goods in the |
United States for 80 cents a gross,
free on board the cars in New |
Y DIRK. The German producers, af- |
ter manufacturing the ciotheSpin. |
paying the cost of transportation,
of insurance, the landing charges,
and the duty which is now impos-
ed by law, and also after the pay
ing the commission of their apents |
in New York, and, adding their /
profit, are selling these clothes |
pins at 30 cents a gross in this |
country"