The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1828-04-02
From the National IntsLIigeneer.
MANUFACTURES.

Machinery for spinning cotton was put into
operation at Pawtucket, in Rhode Island, in
1870, by Mr. Samuel Slater. This was but
twenty years after its invention by Sir Richard
Arkwright. For seventeen years the progress
of the business was extremely slow, for, up to
January, 1907, there were but 1000 spindles in
operation.
Amy, Brown & Slater's Mill, at
Pawtucket, 1000 spindes
Wilkinson, Greene g. Co. at do. 1000
Pawtucket Man'g CO. do. 400
Coventry do do. at Coventry, 500
Union Mill, Cranston, 700
Smithfield Man'r Co at Smithfield. 4OO-4OOO
In October, 1915, with view to the Tariff of
1916, an accurate statement of the number of
Cotton Spindles in operation within thirty miles
of Providence, was made, and they were found to
amount to 10000, and the quantity of Cotton
consumed, to 10000 bales. In 1920, the num-
Der of spindles in the whole country was est-
mated at 265,643 This appears by the returns
made to the Secretary of State. In 1890 there
were in Rhode Island 63,472. In January,
1896, an accurate account from the books of the
different mills, makes the number in operation
l63, SAG The number in operation within thir
ty miles of Providence, is 81 ,542. The guam
tlty OF cotton consumed in one year by the same
number of spindes, is 1871 800 pounds or
56,778 bales, 800 pounds to the bale. Thirty
seven thousand bales were imported into Prov
idence, and the residue into Norwich, Bristol,
Warren, Troy, and Taunton. The whole num-
Der of spindles in the country, have no certain
means of ascertaining. From my own knowl-
edge of the number and extent of the establish
ments in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and
Connecticut, and from information derived from
various sources, in relation to other States it is
my opinion that the district within thity miles
of Providence contains one quarter Of the spin
dies i'll the country. This would make the
whole number ,270, 16S, and the quantity of
cotton consumed 72,696,000 pounds, equal to
227, l12 bules There are various opinions,
however, ON this subject Some think that the
district referred to, does not contain more than
one fifth, and others that it contains one third
of the machinery of the country. The latter is
the safest, and would make the consumption of
1927, 170,334 bales, or 54,5l4,5 500 pounds, and
the number of spindles 952, 626. Should the in
crease of machinery for the ensuing twelve
years, correspond with the increase from 1920
to 1928, it would be sufficient to consume all
the cotton noao grown in the country.
A thousand spindles, require on an average,
Al persons aoithin the factory All the ma
chinery in the country requires but 39,03l per-
sons, principally women and children. Two
hundred and twenty thousand within the mills,
are sufficient to spin and weave 100000 bales
OF cotton annually-more than is at present
grown.
The average wages for 1000 spindles, is $4,000,
equal to S57l2,0 900 for the 1900 spindles now
in operation.
The number of persons indirectly employed
cannot be accurately ascertained 1t much
exceeds, however, those employed within the
mills.
The imports into the town of Providence,
during 1897, may give you some light on that
point. 36404 bales of cotton; 80 1863 bbls of
flour ; 475,7O4 bushels of corn, from the South
ern and Middle States; and 1926 vessels of lum-
Der, from Muine, are among the larger articles.
1t will require 1900 IONS of coal to warm
the mills and shops now employed in the manu-
facturc of cotton. The increased safety of that
kind of fuel recommends it so strongly that it is
rapidly taking the place of wood.
1t is not generally known that the materials
composing the dies for printing, consist of more
than twenty different kinds. The principal are
indigo, madden, sumac, sugar lead ashes vtriols,
&c. 1t is confidently stated, by very intelli-
gent Manufacturer, that the freight upon mad
der alone much exceeds the freight upon Eng
fish calcoes 1t is undeniable that the freight
paid on all the materials for bleaching and dy-
ing, is more than double the freight upon Eng
fish calcoes
Many of the materials are grown or manufac-
I tured in this country, by the aid of protecting
duty and the prices have become much more
reduced than on articles for which we depend
on foreign nations. Oil vtrol, four years since
was seven cents. 1t is now four. similar
reduction has taken place upon blue vitriol,
alum, and most chemicals.
Perhaps it may be useful to state, that, by the
present law, square yard of calico, worth per-
haps 5Ope cent. more than before it was bleach
ed and printed, pays less duty than in the
brown state.
Every square yard is estimated at 80 cents,
and duty of 25 per cent. imposed upon that,
making y cents in the brown state. Let the
same piece of cloth be bleached and printed, and
it will shrink about three inches in width, and
pay duty of Sc 80 cts. only.
On piece of calico cloth, in the brown, %
inches wide, the duty will be s. ca cts. The
same piece when bleached, will be 252 inches
wide, and the duty 1922 making difference
of nearly half cent yard less on the finished
than the unfinished article. The American
printer has, on the other hand pretty heavy
duty to pay on most of the articles for dying
and bleaching.
Very respectfully, &c.
JOHN WHIPPLE.
Washington, March 13, 1928.