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Show I Inside a Modern Knitting Factory I H When, eleven years ago, two young men of Logan, Melvin J. Bal- H lard and Joseph E. Cardon, started a small knitting works, they could H not, under any circumstances, have foreseen the future to the extent of H the secured promises they have obtained. They were modest in their H aims, hopeful in their ambitions. No winds of good luck or ill luck H impeded or urged them on their path. Content in the hope inspired by H their ability and faith in themselves they went on and on, ever heedful H of the requirements of advancing progress ; ever careful of the interests H of other people, whether vouchsafed in stock, or the tiniest morsel of H materials or goods they turned out. H Chance had no place in their calculations ; luck played no part one H way or the other. Jt was simply a question of the best results for the H hard work they invested in addition to their money and experience. H But they did not have a great deal of money. It was more a question H of utilizing what nature gave, than it was of what man had created. H But they went onward and upward, every day marking a step H higher toward a greater goal. The consequence is that to-day they H view their erstwhile modest factory, now grown into a huge business, H with pride and satisfaction, for they proudly say : "It is ours, we did it, H we have made it." There is an incorporated company now that carries H on the business under the style of the Logan Knitting Factory, the H officers of which arc Melvin J. Ballard, president and manager; Wil- H liam R. Morrell, vice president; Joseph E. Cardon, secretary and trcas- H urcr ; W. W. Maughan and Louis S. Cardon, directors. The salesroom H and factory of the plant are located at 145 and 147 North Main street, Logan. Employing from sixty to seventy-five people in various capacities this concern now does an annual business of seventy-five thousand dol-lars dol-lars with such flattering prospects that there is little doubt but this will be doubled within the next three years. As it is now, this company docs business in the states of Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, besides its great trade in Utah. They have thirty-five thirty-five agents on the road besides a number of district agencies. Being essentially an 'home concern, its interests and investments are regarded as sacred trusts for the good of the home community. Every dollar made in the business is kept at home ; in every improvc-merit improvc-merit made, preference, where possible, is given home manufacturers or dealers. But there is one handicap in this respect the firm has met fl with and has never been able to overcome, and that is in the question of not being able to buy yarns and the other commodities it uses, at home. "There is a splendid field in Utah for a yarn factory," said Manager Ballard. "I made a trip East for the purpose of looking into the matter of machinery for the purpose, and I am satisfied that one could easily be started here. We have the wool here, and as it is now, we ship the wool East, where it is made into yarn, then it is shipped back here, thus we arc paying freight both ways, paying the manufac-turcr manufac-turcr and the jobber there and compelled to split our profits or else charge our consumers such high prices that we cannot compete. By the establishment of a local yarn factory we would be able to buy more and better material, at cheaper prices, and in addition, by placing fl advance orders, we would have the double advantage of better prices and more efficient delivery." But even with this handicap, this firm docs a great business. It fl uses twenty thousand pounds of cotton yarn a year, the same amount in wool and between three and four hundred pounds of silk yarn. An evidence of the progrcssiveness of this firm is indicated in H' the fact that it is about to install sonic new patent machinery, the first knitting works in the world to do it. These patents, the invention fl of J. F. Cahill of Chicago, are intended to offset considerable slow and laborious work. In all custom work, as factories now arc, the work is done by hand, on knitting machines. By the installation of Mr. Cahill's invention, the work will all be done by machinery. In other words, custom-made garments will be made by purely mechanical means. This will result not only in quicker, but more perfect work, i) for it is a l undisputed fact that machinery is more reliable in. every way for workmanship. Mechanical devices insure correct mcasurc-ments, mcasurc-ments, lining and all the requirements of perfect fit and best wear. Over two thousand dollars have been spent in experiments alone bc-fore bc-fore installing this machinery. The factory is equipped with two web machines. These machines arc used for making the web from which garments sold in wholesale lots are made. After the web is made, it is folded in layers and car-ried car-ried to another table where a sharp knife, working in a vertical movc-mcnt, movc-mcnt, cuts the web as a knife cuts butter. The patterned web, now in the shape required for wear, is carried to the different sewing machines where it is sewed and bound and turned out a finished product. These sewing machines, of which there is a large variety, have various functions. Though looking like ordinary ordi-nary sewing machines, they cost two hundred and eight dollars each. With a speed of 3,000 revolutions a minute, they hum and roar, and where the ordinary hand sewer would take minutes, even hours, the piece of goods run through this machine is sewed in seconds. It is simply a question of a whizz and a whirr and the work is done. One machine sews the edges together; then the garment goes to another girl operator where the edges arc bound and felled down. Then to another an-other machine where the facing for the buttons and binding is done. Then to other machines in one of which the buttonholes are made. In this machine a little knife descends, cuts a hole; there is a rumble and whirr, the garment is turned this way and that, and it comes out with the buttonhole all made and bound, all by machinery. Then it goes to another machine where the buttons are sewed on. The machine ma-chine does it all. It throws the button as the needle fits the bole. In four movements the button has been placed, the needle goes in -and comes out, and in an incredibly short space of time the button is sewed on. After the buttons are placed, the garment goes to another machine where the "French neck" is placed. This part of the garment is one of the best. It gives a finished windup to the article that makes it soft, smooth, not ravelled and free from irritation and ragged ends. All materials are first class, no "seconds" or poor goods being used. In this reference is made to the fact that only the best of pure yarns made from native products are used, and not those made of rags, scraps and the like. The "Beehive" brand used by this firm as a trade mark is becoming becom-ing known all over America. It stands for excellence, fit, workmanship, workman-ship, style and wear. The factory makes a seamless underwear and it is the best that can be made. Everything turned out by this industry, no matter what it is, bears the trade mark, and it was the first firm to put its name on the product of. the factory as a guarantee. As an illustration of the materials used in this factory, and as a sample of its desire to give best goods, it should be mentioped that this company com-pany pays $1.50 a pound for its Australian yarn. It pays much more, of course, for its silk yarns. The company turns out much better goods with a much better finish than any eastern article. In fact a circular letter was sent out some time ago to its three thousand customers cus-tomers asking for complaints. One came in, and that from a woman. She objected to the fact that some stockings she had bought began to wear out after three months wear. This is indicative of the great wear in the goods. Stockings that can last three months arc supposed to be more than good, according to Manager Ballard. The firm also carries a large surplus stock of goods on hand, for although doing custom work, occasions arise when a hurry up order must be filled. It is with a desire to be in a position to fill any order that comes in that the big surplus stock is carried. The firm through its employes is maintaining over thirty families, and is in every sense a valuable addition to the industrial and commercial end of this great little city. Among the articles made by the Logan Knitting Factory arc underwear, L. D. S. garments, union suits for men, women and children, sweaters, skirts, shawls, hosiery, cardigan and shooting jackets and others. In all it makes eighty-five varieties of knitted goods. That the good workmanship and all around excellence of these " goods is- appreciated, is demonstrated by the large number of voluntary volun-tary testimonials that are sent in. Among them are the following: President F. M. Lyman wrote : Salt Lake City, Utah, Feb. 17, 1908. Logan Knitting Factory, Logan, Utah. Gentlemen : Will you kindly make and send to me two union suits of your knit goods as you have done before? The last two were made in December 1906, and your goods have given me every satisfaction. satis-faction. Non-shrinking is the great feature that commends them. 1 hey last well also. Yours truly, FRANCIS M. LYMAN. Here is how another feels about it : Sand Coulee, Mont., Oct. 30, 1907. Logan Knitting Factory, Logan, Utah. Gentlemen : I received the goods I ordered from you some time ago, and they were entirely satisfactory. Yours truly, D. C. JOHNSON, |