Cane's Pencils
The William Cane & Sons Company Limited made "Cane's" pencils in Canada from about 1916 until 1931. Howard Cane sold the factory, located in Newmarket, Ontario, to Dixon in 1931 and the factory continued making pencils until about 1990 when the factory was demolished.
Cane's Tara HB
Cane's pencils are extremely rare. They were made in numerous styles and colors. Thus far, the Tara HB is the only Cane's pencil I have in my collection. They are approximately 100 years old.
The image below is from the 1918 Bookseller & Stationer and Office Equipment Journal (page 28). You can see the Tara, without a ferule or eraser in the add as the fourth pencil from the top.
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News Articles
From The Newmarket Era, 28 Sep 1917
Canadian Made Pencils May Oust Enemy Trade - Newmarket Manufacturer Takes Steps to Capture Canadian Custom Held by Foreigners
Since graphite and wood were first combined as an aid to communication by correspondence, Germany, or more particularly Bavaria and Austria, have been the headquarters of the pencil industry. It was not exactly the environment, nor the suitability of natural products that caused these industries to spring up in these countries, but labor conditions chiefly. The conditions under which the people lived, who made the wonderful pencils which have earned a world-wide demand, because of their perfection, and suitability for all kinds of work, are said to be revolting in the extreme. It is claimed that some of the best pencils in the world, when made in Europe, are made under all kinds of sweatshop conditions. The people work all day for what Canadian workmen would spend on one meal for his family, yet through years and years of concentration these workmen have become so expert that their work is the finest quality procurable, and cannot be copied yet awhile.
Enemies Control Pencil Industry
So completely had Bavaria and Austria dominated the pencil trade that other foreign firms, including a sprinkling of British concerns, saw the apparent necessity of locating there, especially in Austria. It is claimed that these helped to improve the general conditions. But even at this, no Canadian firm could manufacture pencils at the prices the foreign makes could be laid down in Canada. The different conditions under which Canadian workmen live, the higher standard of living, a greater variety of needs, all demanded the payment of higher wages than was and is paid to the Austrian and Bavarian workmen. In this country, child labor, whenever it is discovered, is eliminated.
Under these many circumstances, Canada has therefore had to depend upon foreign makers for pencils. The Canadian buyers always demanded the lowest-priced article, no matter what nationality the maker, and when the supplies began to fall short after war had been waging upwards of a year, prices took an upward trend. To-day, Canadian users of foreign-made pencils are paying upwards of 15 cents for what they want, but these supplies are dwindling fast, and very probably will soon be off the market. Austrian and German manufacturers, apparently expecting the war to break out, long before hostilities occurred, had huge supplies of pencils stacked away in warehouses on this side of the Atlantic, and the fact that they have been able to supply the market from stocks on this side of the Atlantic during more than three years of war, is an earnest of what individual German manufacturers were expecting sometime during 1914 or 1915.
Canadians Show Unusual Enterprise
This is where Canadian ingenuity and enterprise have helped to ward off a growing want. It might have been suicidal for a Canadian firm to attempt to compete with these European interests, under pre-war conditions. Competition was absolutely out of the question; in fact competition was never considered for a moment. The gradual extinction of the stocks of the 'cheaper grades' of pencils was the incentive that led a Canadian firm, The Wm. Cane Sons Co., Limited, at Newmarket, Ontario, to embark upon the manufacture of "Made-in-Canada Pencils." True, these pencils are not the acme of perfection yet, nor are they packed to the nicety foreign-made pencils are, and the manufacturer admits all this, but there is a demand for his product, and perfection will be reached.
Tremendous difficulties have had to be surmounted before pencils could be made in Canada. Special workmen had to be obtained, then the different types of machinery, and latterly the proper quantities of wood and graphite. But after twelve months of operation this manufacturer claims that he is "seeing daylight," and will soon be able to demonstrate that the industry can be firmly established in Canada.
Many Improvements Made
Unusual advancements have been made during this year of operation, although Mr. Cane had to experiment for two years before he could place a pencil on the market. It is the boast of people who prefer the Austrian and Bavarian pencils, that the degree of perfection and price offered for the foreign make will soon exclude the Canadian make from the market, when peace is declared. But the state of perfection arrived at by the Canadian maker should minimize such boastfulness. It is claimed that the Canadian-made pencils sharpen too rough, that the wood splinters, that the enamel is not any too good, that the lead needs improvement, and that the printing in cloudy and blotched. This was the case once, but the specimens that are being turned out compare very favorably with the foreign makes. All varieties of colors are being used now, even to white enamel. The cedars from Tennessee and California for high grade, medium and cheaper pencils are as good as those coming from Asia, and used in the foreign-made pencils. The graphite, which is to some extent obtainable from Canadian mines, when mixed with other supplies, can be made into the same varieties of hardness, etc., as that coming from Britain and Ceylon. All the enamels and glues used on the pencils are made in Canada.
Such satisfactory results have been accomplished so far that the Governments, School Board authorities and many big firms, are using them, and the industry will probably become firmly established before the war ends, and the people will be so educated to encourage home industries, that pencil-making will be permanently established in Canada.
Soon Mr. Cane expects to be making pencils of all degrees of hardness, also indelible pencils, crayons and slate pencils."
Canadian Made Pencils May Oust Enemy Trade - Newmarket Manufacturer Takes Steps to Capture Canadian Custom Held by Foreigners
Since graphite and wood were first combined as an aid to communication by correspondence, Germany, or more particularly Bavaria and Austria, have been the headquarters of the pencil industry. It was not exactly the environment, nor the suitability of natural products that caused these industries to spring up in these countries, but labor conditions chiefly. The conditions under which the people lived, who made the wonderful pencils which have earned a world-wide demand, because of their perfection, and suitability for all kinds of work, are said to be revolting in the extreme. It is claimed that some of the best pencils in the world, when made in Europe, are made under all kinds of sweatshop conditions. The people work all day for what Canadian workmen would spend on one meal for his family, yet through years and years of concentration these workmen have become so expert that their work is the finest quality procurable, and cannot be copied yet awhile.
Enemies Control Pencil Industry
So completely had Bavaria and Austria dominated the pencil trade that other foreign firms, including a sprinkling of British concerns, saw the apparent necessity of locating there, especially in Austria. It is claimed that these helped to improve the general conditions. But even at this, no Canadian firm could manufacture pencils at the prices the foreign makes could be laid down in Canada. The different conditions under which Canadian workmen live, the higher standard of living, a greater variety of needs, all demanded the payment of higher wages than was and is paid to the Austrian and Bavarian workmen. In this country, child labor, whenever it is discovered, is eliminated.
Under these many circumstances, Canada has therefore had to depend upon foreign makers for pencils. The Canadian buyers always demanded the lowest-priced article, no matter what nationality the maker, and when the supplies began to fall short after war had been waging upwards of a year, prices took an upward trend. To-day, Canadian users of foreign-made pencils are paying upwards of 15 cents for what they want, but these supplies are dwindling fast, and very probably will soon be off the market. Austrian and German manufacturers, apparently expecting the war to break out, long before hostilities occurred, had huge supplies of pencils stacked away in warehouses on this side of the Atlantic, and the fact that they have been able to supply the market from stocks on this side of the Atlantic during more than three years of war, is an earnest of what individual German manufacturers were expecting sometime during 1914 or 1915.
Canadians Show Unusual Enterprise
This is where Canadian ingenuity and enterprise have helped to ward off a growing want. It might have been suicidal for a Canadian firm to attempt to compete with these European interests, under pre-war conditions. Competition was absolutely out of the question; in fact competition was never considered for a moment. The gradual extinction of the stocks of the 'cheaper grades' of pencils was the incentive that led a Canadian firm, The Wm. Cane Sons Co., Limited, at Newmarket, Ontario, to embark upon the manufacture of "Made-in-Canada Pencils." True, these pencils are not the acme of perfection yet, nor are they packed to the nicety foreign-made pencils are, and the manufacturer admits all this, but there is a demand for his product, and perfection will be reached.
Tremendous difficulties have had to be surmounted before pencils could be made in Canada. Special workmen had to be obtained, then the different types of machinery, and latterly the proper quantities of wood and graphite. But after twelve months of operation this manufacturer claims that he is "seeing daylight," and will soon be able to demonstrate that the industry can be firmly established in Canada.
Many Improvements Made
Unusual advancements have been made during this year of operation, although Mr. Cane had to experiment for two years before he could place a pencil on the market. It is the boast of people who prefer the Austrian and Bavarian pencils, that the degree of perfection and price offered for the foreign make will soon exclude the Canadian make from the market, when peace is declared. But the state of perfection arrived at by the Canadian maker should minimize such boastfulness. It is claimed that the Canadian-made pencils sharpen too rough, that the wood splinters, that the enamel is not any too good, that the lead needs improvement, and that the printing in cloudy and blotched. This was the case once, but the specimens that are being turned out compare very favorably with the foreign makes. All varieties of colors are being used now, even to white enamel. The cedars from Tennessee and California for high grade, medium and cheaper pencils are as good as those coming from Asia, and used in the foreign-made pencils. The graphite, which is to some extent obtainable from Canadian mines, when mixed with other supplies, can be made into the same varieties of hardness, etc., as that coming from Britain and Ceylon. All the enamels and glues used on the pencils are made in Canada.
Such satisfactory results have been accomplished so far that the Governments, School Board authorities and many big firms, are using them, and the industry will probably become firmly established before the war ends, and the people will be so educated to encourage home industries, that pencil-making will be permanently established in Canada.
Soon Mr. Cane expects to be making pencils of all degrees of hardness, also indelible pencils, crayons and slate pencils."
