IOC

ON' THE INFLUENCE OF

extract from the evidence before a committee of theHouse of Commons will prove :—

“ Question. How long have you been in the trade?

“Answer. Nearly thirty years.

“ Quest. The trade is at present much depressed ?

“ Ans. Yes, sadly.

“ Quest. What is your opinion of the cause of tfiat“ distress?

“ Ans. I think it is owing to a number of watches that“ have been made so exceedingly bad that they will hardly“ look at them in the foreign markets; all with a handsome“ outside show, and the works hardly fit for any thing.

“ Quest. Do you mean to say, that all the watches made“ in this country, are of that description ?

“ Ans. No; only a number which are made up by some“ of the Jews , and other low manufacturers. I recollect“ something of the sort years ago, of a fall-off of the East“ India work, owing to there being a number of handsome“ looking watches sent out, for instance, with hands on and“ figures, as if they shewed seconds, and had not any work“ regular to shew the seconds: the hand went round, hut it“ was not regular.

“ Quest. They had no perfect movements ?

“Ans. No, they had not; that was a long time since,“ and we had not any East India work for a long time“ afterwards.”

In the home market, inferior hut showy watches aremade at a cheap rate, which are not warranted bythe maker to go above half an hour; about the timeoccupied by the Jew pedlar in deluding his countrycustomer.

(141.) The practice, in retail linen-drapers’ shops,of calling certain articles yard-wide when the realwidth is, perhaps, only seven-eighths or three-quarters,