The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1840-12-16

35 900 wards, gyesh hcos' o' . -" tehN NPe' y"'o
The d;1ertrce Of cost 3 s Of ceDi, Is eqnaltO
=, -, ;, ,ccs, Of gper crot in the rost Of The A
n,e,;can ManuEciu3e oyer The Brush, the
6rmrr, though narrower, beng the heaviest
cloth. and containing The most threads.
! tn this is added an estimate OF the compara-
live co,i of the raw material TO tie British and
American Manufacturer The charges 10 The
British Manufacture, on the import Of cotton
/ from an American Southern port. for shipment.
/ freight insurance, importers profit. duty and
inland carriage, are estimated al 81 l-2 per
cent, which supposIng the cost OF the cotton
at The place Of shipment TO be I'd. or ii cents,
and snpposlng Q Of pound Of cotton 10 be
r. qulred for yard Of CLOTH makes the original
cost Of cotton > l-2 cents. and the cost IN Eng
land cents for each yard Of cloth. The char
ges to The American Manufacturer, are esiina-
ted al ] | per cent on the cost Of cotton al the
exporting, or 6 10 cts. at the Mil for fhc
quantity required for a yard Of cloth The
American Manufacturer, therefore. hse the
advantage oi d-5 OF a cent per yard in The cost
Of the raw material, while the English Manu-
facturer has the advantage Of 3-5 Of cent IN
the cost OF manufacture; making the advantag c
10 the aggregate IN favor Of the American Man
Liaciure Is Of a cent, per yard, or l,35 or 3
per cent. nearly in The whole cost
| from other modes Of talculari0n il will be
apparent that IN the cost OF cotton. Tho Amcri-
can Manufacturer has The advantage Of about
half cent pound IN the Geig ht from the place
OF production, as much more in being free
from import duty. and probably another half
cent in the difference Of other charges. This
nlahcs n great difference IN his favor.
10 reference to the comparative expense Of
the cotton manufacturers, IN Great Britain and
this country, the auiho, remarks as follows:
THAT the general rate Of wages is higher in
the United States than in Britain is admitted
the wages Of females employed 10
The factories. The greater pau of these are
farmers daughters, who 60 into The factories
only for q short lme nnil they make a little
money, aud then clear OUT as II is called /:
so that there is a continued changing amongst
them, aud in all the places have visited. they
are generally scarce; on that account he man
ufaciurers arc under the necessity of paying
high wages. as an iDduceDent Tor girls to pre-
fer working in The factories to house work !:
and while this state Of things G. .tinues, il is
not To be expected that wages ia this country
will be so lew rs III Great Britain and although h
they have undergone q considerable reduction
during the late depression, still they are higher
lhaa in any part OF Britain"
"Throsile spinning is nearly rs cheap in this
country as in Britain. IN consequence Of the
higher speed st which the spinning frames are
dfiycn'ots the greater quaniiy Of work pro-
dnced in given time. But the price OF card %
ing is fuly double that paid in Britain, because
here, men are generally employed 10 attend the
! cards, spreading, scutchiOg machines. &c.
willie the same work is done by boys and girls
in Britain. The lowest wages pad to any girl
IN the card room, that ] am aware Of is one
dollar per week and her board; and taking her
hoard at the lowest rate. viz one dollar and
]
mount to two collars aud twenty cents, equal
to los sterling rer week. The average rate Of
wages for girls in the card room. may vary from
Is. 10 l2s. cd per week. Mems wages may
vary from l3s to IS. per week. Thus in
every department, the rate of wages is general
| ly higher in the United States than in Britain !;
nor DO think that they will. at least, for many
wears, be. low IN Ihs country rs in Great
Britain.
The price Of living here is higher, and The
hours of LABOR longer besides the greater part
of the factory workers being connected with
farming, whenever wages become reduced SO
low, as TO cease TO operate rs an indurementIn
prefer factory labor above any other TO which
they can turn their attention, then a great ma
ny factories will have TO shut up. During a ,
stagnatioD Of trade II IS common for the manu- (
lacluters here 10 stop part, Or the whole OF
their factories, and Then the workers retire 10
their farms such WAS the case IN ] S37, when a
vast number oi factories were entirely shut up /
Yet il seemed not 10 affect the workers verv
indeed, many of the girls who had .
been sorIe time in n factory, seemed to reioire .
and gard II as time OF recreation SO tina, /
the manufacturing population of America are :. n
entirety different class. and placed in very diff .
ieieut circumstances from those of Great Brit /,
ain, aud very great changes must take place be /
a. al.
in the latter country; and, indeed, the manu-.
Iaciurers here eau afford 10 pay higher wages
than the Brush, because they run their fac,o-
res longer hours, and drive their machinery M
higher speed, from which they produce
much greater quantity Of work at the same
time they can purchase their cotton a, least one
penny ponad cheapcr,' aud their water powrr
does not cost above one fourtL of the sap,o
IN Great Britain. But though wages cannot Il,
reduced much lower than they are AZ present,
there are other means by which manufacturers
might abridge their expenditure. Their cstah.
lIshmcnIs might be erected al much less ex.
penSc-a more improved arrangement might he
adopted- the work conducted with much
more economy. All these. however. are mat.
tiers which the Americans will very speediIy
learn: every successive de epression OF trade will
lead them more and more to see the necessity
oG managing every department of tho business
win the least possible expense: aud as soon as
they can equal the British in this. they will be
able TO compete with them, and successfully to :;
in any market Whatever.
-" The British have no doubt. attained TO
great perfection in The art OF manufacturing
cotton goods but whether they will be able to
maintain iha, high precmincu.e to which ihcy
have arrived, OF havv to yield Ia the increasing
Improvements of foreign nations. are questions
difficult OF solution. Their most powerful ri.
walls are, doubtless. the Amerit ans. The man.
niae'urers OF 10 other country can purchase
their cotton 80 cheap, and il IS presumed no
country possesses SO extensive water privileges;
only small portion Of which,h@ as yet been
occupied. IL We add 10 these, the Intelligent.