This has been explained by the untiring efforts constantly made by American manufacturers and their employés to make all tools more and more adapted for the purpose in view, lighter and more facile to the hand, without the slightest regard to former use, old ideas or customs.
Axes.
13.—It is frequently alleged that Sheffield lost the Canadian axe trade by adherence to the opinion that it was a better judge of the shape of the handle or the chopper than the backwoodsmen whose livelihood depended upon the skilful use of the axe.
This must, however, be legendary, for I am told we never had the Dominion axe trade.
In any case, at the present time nearly all the axes used in the vast lumber industry are of Canadian make, and out of a total import of 6751 dollars worth last year, the whole came from the United States, with the exception of a single axe contributed by France.
Spades and Shovels.
14.—Of spades and shovels 4000 dollars worth were imported from Great Britain against 6259 dollars worth from the United States.
Scythes.
In scythes the two countries each supplied one half of a total import of 6731 dollars worth.