THE NEW IMPROVED WHITE SEWING MACHINE

With that push and energy which has so distinguished the operations of  The White Sewing Machine Company ever since the introduction of the machine to the European market, a new and improved machine has just been brought out, the mechanical appliances of which most clearly exemplify the inventive genius of the experts of the company. Examining the new machine very thoroughly, we are not disposed to question the pretensions of the company that something akin to perfection has been realized, for the improvements are so palpably self-evident that the most unskilled could not fail to be struck with them when comparing with the recent model. When the White Company first introduced their machine in Europe (and, by-the-way, this company was the first to bring into prominence on this side of the water the so-called high arm machine), the older and long established companies were strongly sceptical of its success, and many of the largest dealers entertained some fears of a lasting success of the novelty as it was then styled. But there was one attribute not then taken into account, in addition to the general excellence of the machine, which the company principally relied upon for a permanent market, that was, the extraordinary lightness, easy in running and noiselessness. This confidence has been fully justified. The machine was quickly placed with the best dealers in England, and in every principal city of the entire continent, and to-day, after but little more than three years'  business, is commanding a foremost position in all the markets of the world. In noting the improvements we cannot begin better than by stating that not one jot or particle of the peculiarity of its merit as a noiseless and light running  machine has been sacrificed—in one respect rather improved upon—for some ingenious alterations in the screwing up of the stand parts have increased the running power without the slightest extra exertion, and the vibration has been materially lessened. In the appearance of the machine head, a vast improvement is at once observable. Without diminishing the abundance of room under the arm (a salient point not to be overlooked) the arm itself has a more shapely look, while the decoration cannot be excelled. Removing the face-plate the innovations in the working parts are clearly apparent. We shall not, however, dispose ourselves to give a lesson for the benefit of imitators in these alterations, but simply describe the results. The old style take-up is abolished and replaced by one of an entirely new principle, whereby the operator has no threading whatever to do. The upper tension is removed from the arm entirely, simplified more in threading, placed on the face plate, and thus brought nearer to the needle. An improvement has been effected in the shuttle carrier with advantage ; the shuttle itself, with its self-threading merit, was so perfect that no alteration has been found to be necessary. A separate spindle is now used for the cotton for bobbin winding, thus obviating the necessity of removing the spool of cotton used in sewing. The automatic bobbin winder has been subjected to some changes for the better, while the loose wheel connection for disconnecting the working parts, while bobbin winding has been materially improved. That the new machine has been appreciated is amply attested by the increased business of the company. We hear of large orders from all parts of Great Britain, while our foreign correspondence denotes that the "White" is swiftly becoming a power in the laud, much to the discomfiture of its competitors. This change of front has been, so to speak, a back-hander to some of our German friends. No less than three manufacturies were busily employed in making and placing on the market a close imitation of the " White," but of the old model. This fact alone is very complimentary to the success of the original machine, and as it is a well known fact in the sewing machine trade that the original will always be preferred to any imitation, however excellent, it remains now to be seen whether these pushing competitors, who are not above desirous of thriving upon the brain-work of others, will go to the expense of abandoning the old model to manufacture the new, the more especially as we understand that the most valuable of the alterations have been patented in Great Britain and abroad. The White Machine was justly awarded the gold medal at the International Exhibition, at Amsterdam, and we naturally expect in the forthcoming exhibitions at Antwerp, Turin, Nice, and Sydenham, that history will repeat itself. The announcement of the Company that the White was the only machine of American or English manufacture that obtained this distinguished award has, however, given great umbrage in some quarters, and fierce has been the warfare, particularly abroad, between the energetic agents of the White Company and the representatives of a company who obtained one of the several diplomas of honor granted. Acrimonious advertisements have been printed, and even law suits have been threatened ; but even competition of this kind only serves to stimulate business, and so long as no actual misrepresentation is made no harm is done. For the benefit of our subscribers in the trade, however, we publish the following from page 15, No. 8, of The Sewing Machine, a trade journal published in Holland, in three languages :

Mr. Clemens Müller, member of class 42 of the International Jury of the Amsterdam Exhibition, publishes what follows:

—  As I had the honor to be appointed by the Chancellor of the German Empire as Juror for the Colonial Exhibition of Amsterdam, I was in this quality, and as the only expert and man of the trade for sewing machines in class 42, appointed to examine, not only the German sewing machines, but also all those of foreign manufacture, and to claim for them eventual awards. The Singer Manufacturing Company had exhibited a very large number of machines, until now offered in Germany under the name of " Original Singer Sewing Machines," moreover, however, a great many machines of more recent construction, of which, as far as I know, only a few samples have found their way into Germany. After a scrupulous and essential examination, I could not claim any award for the former, viz., for the machines which at that time were sold in Germany, as they were by no means equal with the others, and principally with the products of most of the German manufactures, compared to which they were of inferior quality. For the machines of more recent construction, however, I could claim a diploma of honor, which, in consequence, was awarded to them by class 42 of the "International Jury". Visitors to the Amsterdam Exhibition will have no difficulty in recollecting that the machines alluded to "as of more recent construction" were essentially machines for special purposes of manufacture; therefore, the award of the gold medal to the White Sewing Machine Company for the excellence of their purely family sewing machine was the more gratifying.

March 1, 1884 - THE SEWING MACHINE GAZETTE