Literary cadet and Rhode-Island statesman. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1827-1829, 1828-03-01

Of medium size and capital, gene ally, do tho
best.
Question. Do tho Massa chusetts manufac-
turers of coarse cloths and cassImeres feel tho
effect Of mutual competition!
Answer. | should think not, 10 any great
extent In the article Of satinets, domestic
competition has been felt, and the reason l
would assign is, that the square yard duty npon
cottons has excluded the foreign article, and
hence the domestic costs but about one-third
Of the former price.
Question. Has any part Of The machinery.
added to your factory since you commenced
operations, been paid for out of the business of
the factory? and, if so, to what extent!
Answer. None off has been paid for out Of
the business Of manufacturing, to any consid-
erable extent.
Question. Can you form any opinion what
quantity Of woollens arc consumed in the Unit
ed States9 or have you any opinion Of their es-
timated value, compared with what is import
ed'
Answer. think that four-ffihs, at least, OF
all the wooIlcn goods consumed in the country,
are Of domestic manufacture. l should think
the value Of consumption IN the United States,
would be equal to s 1000, 900.
Question. Can you form any opinion as 10
the relative value between the amount manu-
factured and that imported?
Answer. think that the relative values and
quantities Of domestic woollen goods, and thos
imported, will not materially vary from each
other.
MONDAY, JANUARY FL, 1928.
Colonel James Shepard, admitted and ss-
amined.
Question. Where do you reside.
Answer. In the town of Northampton,
Hampshire county, Massachusetts,.
Question. Are Won nov. and ha vOu lntA!v
been concerned in the manufacture Of wool?
Answer. l am now concerned in that manu-
facture, and have been so concerned since the
year 1909: in the first place as principal owner,
afterwards as a member Of company; then for
time again as the sole owner; and, in 1926,
as member Of a company; but, during tho
whole period, as the active Superintendent Of
the mau!actory.
Question. What 10 the name Of the establish
ment in which you are, or have been, coRcsrn-
ed? where is it situated? and is it an incorpo-
rated company, or an individual interest?
Answer. The company was incorporated 10
1909 or 1910, by the name Of the 4" North
ampton Cotton and Wo0llen Manufa cturinS
Company" but the business was not carried on
under that charter at all, either as an individual
or copar,nership interest, until 1926, when the
charter was renewed, the capital increased, and
the name changed to " The Shepherd w oollen
Manufacturing. Company" since which time
the business has been done under the ch arer.
Question. What is the amount Of capital in
vested in the manufac'o orv Of .hich yoa speak?
Answer. The c.rii Il noN ac,uai'; en,!o, cd
is 81 ,OO00, {. "hich IS ,00h j.. ,t:.ei T. zeal
estate and ,nnchinery, aud $4,000 - active
capital.
Question. When was the maDufactory first
put into operation! or, if an Incorporated COM
apny, under its present charter?
Answer. We acted under the present char
ter first oil the lsi January, 1926 but the same
esta ablishment, without u charter, has been in
operation since 1909.
Question. Has it continued in operation,
from the time il was first started, to the present
time! limo, at what times, and foi what causes,
has it ceased its operat aims?
Answer. 1t has, until Let January, 1927 but
for l5 or Is months, Immediately after the
close OF the late war. the factory ceased to
manufacture cloths from its own stock, and
manufactured the wool Of others upon contract,
On the lst January, 1927, on bringing up our
account, we found we had susta aimed great losses,
but we concluded 10 60 on for six months longer,
TO see If there would not be a change. We,
therefore, continued TO the lst July, 1927, and
found there was a continued loss and we then
determined to suspend operations. and did so,
except 10 close the then existing business and
contracts
Question. What is the average expesne,
per To- of cleaning, asserting, picking, cardng.
and converting the wool from the state in which
it is purchased, into rolls or batts9
Answer. We make no such division Of labor,
and, therefore, have no account for these sepa-
rate charges. Our process is first, asserting.
for which we pay the man who assorts it Ia
cents per ID. but, as there is a superintendent
OF this branch, who is paid, we estimate the
whole cost of asserting at cents per lb. The
expense of rowing, which comprises oiling, card
ing, roping, &c. comprises all the expense, from
sorting to its delivery to the spinner, for which
we pay six cents per 10. for fine work, and
for midding, five cents. We do no coarse work.
Spinning is the next process, and for this we
pay for the finest Of warp Ia cents per ID. and
for filling of the same quality, cents per lb. For
the second quality of wool, IL cents per ID.
and for The filling Of the same quality, 6 cents
per ID. For the third quality of warp, 10 cents
per Id. and for the filling Of the same quality, s
cents per Id. For the fourth quality, which
is the lowest we spin, cents for warp, and 4
cents for the filling. Some machinery has, Of
late, been brought into operation, which dmin-
ishes the expense of spinning the third and
fourth qualities, as here classed, fifty per cent.
or more. We have, for some five or six years
past, used these machines to spin these quail
ties. Others have used them for the finer quail
ties Of spinning, and think well Of them. Our
machines are five or six years old, and great
improvements have since been made. The ma
chinery in use al our establishment, altho ugh
good, 10 more expensive than that which s us cd
by many others, because the one requires tho
labor Of man, whose wages arc higher than
the wages OF girls, who attend the Others Ma
hinery for the lower sorts are called the
Brewster" We use the jennies for the finer