American Manufactures

[Dr. Leonarcl Bacon, in Harper's Magazine.] It was a matter to stir one's patriotio pride, but not less to move one's pity, to observe the commotion in business eircles in Switzerland, as the reporte of the Swiss Commissioners to the Philadelphia Exhibition were made public. Ali'airs were not in a cheerful stato at that time. The "hard times" that had begun in America were already sore'.y feit in the center of Europe. Production was slaokened in all the factories, and the values of many favorite investments had shrunk to one-half. When the report of M. Favre-Perret on American watchmaking was read to crowded meetings of watchmakers at Neuchatel and Gene va, the general imprtssion was that of abject despair. Work was suspended for nionths on the costly buildiug of the School of Watchmaking founded by the Germán Govei-nment. A commission was appointed by the Cantonal Legislature to inquire what indnstry could be introducod in place of that which must lienceforth be abandoned to American competitors. Among those interested in the other leading manufacture of Switzerland - the silk factories of Basle and Zuíich - there were like searchings of heart. This samo report of M. Favre-Perret warned Ws fellow-citizens that the silk busire.-;8 was as sure to be run away with by the Yankees as the watch business. The wonder in both cases is that facts which lad long been accnmulating, and which had never been hid in a corner, should have taken anybody by surprise. The exportation of ribbons from Basle to the United States has been dwindlüig regularly, and is now reduced to one-sixth of what it was only four years ago. It is obvious that the next step for the Americans, after supplying their own market, is to compete in other markets. The production of the Swiss dairies is prized in all the markets of Europe. Last January M. Grenier, at a meeting of the Agricultural Society of the Cantón de Vaud, informed his associates to what extent the dairy productions of the great establishments of the Northern States and Canada were overflowing the home market. " There are thousands of these establishments," he said, "with capital amounting to $25,000,000, already producing to the amount of $31,000,000 annually. The export of cheese was 38,000,000 pounds in 1863, and 96,000,000 pounds in 1874. The export of butter has grown to 52,000,000 pounds a year. The competition is getting formidable, for the manufacture of cheese has been so perfected in America that, unless we look out, it will be utterly impossible f or us to compete with it. " A very large dealer in leather, M. Bally, declares that the same is true of this article. "Europeans no longer control the leather market. Prices are now set by America. Every little tánnery feels the influence of the importations from America; our own exportation to tile iiew v uiiuiiEtB uwiüuacu Kumwu u nothing. " At first thought it was supposed that the superior advantages of the American manufacturer aróse from his use of machinery for operations that continue in the Old World to be wrought out by hand work. If this were all, or nearly all, it would be an easy matter to import or to imítate the machiuery - there are no patent laws in Switzerland - and, by combining capital in great establishments, to go on with their business with ;he doublé advantage of the low wages nnd abundant sküled labor of the Old World and the organization and appliances of the new. One eminent American honse, however, with ampie capital, had made this ïopeful but expensive experiment. The tnest business edifice in Geneva was milt, three or four years ago, by Amercans, and stocked with the best Amerian watch-making machinery. The most killful Geneva watchmakers were sought 'or at high wages - high, that is, for Switzerland, but low for America - and ;he world looked for a splendid success. 3ut the beautiful building is now let out n lodgings, and the machines are advertised for sale. Evidently the secret of American success lay in sotnething else. I have followed the conjectures and roposals of the Swiss newspapers on his point with great interest. Tliey demand patent laws for the encouragement of invention, schools of technical instrucion for artisans, relief from the interruption of work by militia service, and other Governmentalpalliativesjbut they do not touch the main point of the sueriority of the American manuïaotories, tnd that is the personal superiority of ,he American workman. The secret is revealed in an extraordinary pamphlet by M. Bally, whom we ïave already quoted, and who is the Droprietor of the great boot and shoe 'actory at Shoenenwerth, in Germán Switzerland. The pamphlet is printed both b Germán and French, and has made a orofound impression abroad. It gives, t will not say the impressions, but the shrewd and careful observations, of a practical man on his visit to the United Stat.s during the Centennial year. The title is sensational - "Garde a Vous .'" ("Look Out for Yourselves") - but the matter of it is solid. Our traveler's first wonder in America is to see how much is made of a man, in a business point of view. He goes into a stage on Broadway, " the most crowded thoroughfare in theworld," and is struck by the contrivanoe of fare-box and doorstrap, whioh enables one. man to do the business of three on a Paris line. In a horse-oar he admires the bell-punch, which saves the company the salary of a controleur, and does nis work more effectually. On a railroad .train he is amazed to find only one conductor, and nothing of the army of watchmen who on European roads stand guard at every curve and crossing. He recalls the starting of a Swiss train ; each one of a series of conductors cries successively, "Fertig!" then the chef de train calis, " Fort ?" then he whistles; then the bell rings; then the locomotive whistles ; finally the train starts. In America, the conductor surveys the whole train. Wheu all is ready he makes a sign to the engineer, and off she goes. It is the traveler's business to know the time of starting, and if he gets left once he is likely to take better care another time. All this by way of showing how, every where in America, each man 's labor is made go as far as possible. You fine the same distinction between the manu factories of the Old World and those of the New. " In Europe, as business in creases, the proprietor enlarges his es tablishment; in dull times he contraets it. When competition compels, he im proves his machinery, so far as he is driven to. If wages are too high he moves his concern into the country, or to some región where manufactures do not abound. The American pursues an othercourse. He oontrives töincrease the amount of production. His question is how to get the utmost out of his hands and his machinery. He does not delay improving liis tools until he is driven to it, if the improvement is going to save time and money. If wages are high he compénsate himself by means of improved arrangements. It is not the mere machine that gives the American his advantage both in quantity and quality, it is the way heuses it."