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

can be accounted for hon the greater cheap
ncss 0f ldhcr aud machinery in Great Britain.
TIE cost OF water wheels' aid rrcring, aud
also OF a steam eDginPy-;s figen in ihe c,Iinal Z
above quoted, bbIs-o estimate is made Of The
cost of wasgpewer. or of Goals for producing
sieam. 't'nese are important i,ems aud the
question Of their comparative cOst is one Of
considerable interest. We FegreI lhal II IS
overlooked in This work.
Among The miscellaneous articles AZ the close
Of the hook, are calculations Of the cost Of Wa
ter power as IL is sold by The proprieiors Of he
locks and canals 1t lowell, Massachnseiis, and
also at Mansyunk, Philadelphia. Al Lowell
4 mil over sufficient 10 carry 1854 ihro,lle
spindIes, wiih the accompanying machinery,
computed 10 be equal 10 Sd ] 2 horse powers.
together with four arres OF land. is sold at The
: rate Of 81 = spindle, amounting 10 Sl4,336.-
2 Dedurtng 81, ,436 for The value Of the land, II
leaves $40, 900 Tor the cos, Of ihe water power
or 5000 per horse power, fEe interest % when
At per cent. is Sl2 per amman. A. N4nny-
unk, water power has been sold Il much higher
nate, viz. at a rate computed % be equal 10 So
0l6 per horse power, or rent oi SEQ 80 per
auHum. The first OF these statements may he
considered rs sGordlng Just cntcrian Of the
cost Of water power 10 this country, 10 an eill-
gible position for extensive manufacturing OPP
eTaiiODs.
Among the same n1iscsllanics VIZ fnd an cs
timare of The cost Of steam poaer in mill IN
| Massachusetts, where an engine Of 40 horse
power carries 3,700 mule and throstle splndies
with 7he accompanying machinery. This estl-
matters for cost for coal and 9reDlance. SIP 20
a day; which is equal TO S37s2 per annum.
and 10 S94 55 per horse power THIS is excu-
siye OF oil, packing DC, which would swell the
estimate 10 500 per annum for each horse
pu~er. The only Information given IN tie book
relative to the cost Of steam pOwer IN Great
Britain. is the remark appended 10 ihe above
statement. that the estimate iheie given il about
double the cost of the same power IN Glasgow.
Al this rate the cost Of steam in Glasgow is e.
qnal to four times the cost Of thai ia Lowell.
Ia the testimony OF Mr.. KempOn, gwen on
an examination by comrnIitce oi The House
Of Commons, as quoted in a pamphlet on tho
factory question, by Rev. K. h. Gregg, pub.
lishrd in London. in 1897, the cost of steam
power in England is stated To be tl2 los, Tor
500 per horse power. II this be correct
statement. aud II we Offset The cost aud repairs
of the engine against the cost and maintenance
OF the water wheel, we have the cost of steam
power IN England. equal To five times that Of
water power, At one Of the principal manufdc
turing towns IN this couniIy, This difference
howeyer1n the COST Of powerl ls reIuced % ths
proporiionof about Two to one, ifthe authors
estimate be correct. of the greater anount of
power required in tho American mills, IN con
saqn"nce of the exclusive use cf The throstlc
spindle. The cost 81 power thus estimated
which should be added 10 the authors Cumpu
tot on OF tie cost Cf mar uiactuIc Of a yard Of
cloth, Is equal 10 | /! of Il cent in the Amcri-
can NIL aud l { IN the British -iIl the differ
ence, al housh II seems Insignificant in the cost
] 4 l.. , ia, 4
porranCe in the expenses of = wear. and amounts
to about per cent. on the hole cost Of man
uGcIure, including that Of the raw material
/ II the authors estimate Of the difference IN the
, cost of manuf ,ctuIo be correct, the addition of
this advantage swclls that diiierenee TO 4 per
cent.
IL will be observed Ibnt these comnutaion.
apply only 10 those branches of the cotton man
uiaCiur TO which the advantages of mechan-
cal power can be applied nth ,hc greatest ef
feet and which the expeIeuce Of our country.
men has enabled them TO prosecute most sue
cessluly, and not at all to he finer and more
manufactures, which require the
application of greater amount of manual la6or,
and Of skill which is the result Of continued cx-
pcricDce Yet this result presents a most en-
coutaging view of the prospects of this impor.
taut manufacture ~ ID 5 country. IL shows
cloth loi which there is much The creates, de
mand, thc mills oi this country arc 1t this mo.
iuent able To sustain 4 competition with the
most favoraby situated establishments of Grea
Britain, aud to supply ,hc a!iI, les prod 1ccd at
equal prices ln uidthtis foreign to bolh coun-
tries. But this IS not all. The Whole COM
parison shows that those items in the cCmputa-E
tion which produce ,esnt in our favor, are of
a permanent character. secured to US byronr
national position, aud ol which We capuo, he
deprived; while d portion oi those, IN which
we labor under disadvantage, will chang. IN
process Of time. and reuder the general resuli
OF the comparison still more favorable to usI
This remark will apply particularly to deGcien.
cIes IN economical management, deficiencies ~
certain portions of the machinery, aud ihr
want OF equal experience and skill il potion
of the hands employed.
These considerations must relieve those
are interested in the American cotton mann,
idcture, from any serious appgehensio!s of psr-
manent decline Of this branch Of industry in
this country. hu ample pledge for the con.
iiDAance oi demand iur the products Of tins
manullGture, is TO be found in the universal,
want oi the civilized world, ui a material Nhi.,h
can be IN no other way so Chcaply suppli.d-
| II thstEiaienal could he furnished by fureirn
aborers SD better terms than BY our own, lie
American manufacturer might well feel that
he held his command over the market, even of
his own country, BY sn.uuccriaiutenure. But
II 1t bo proved that the advantages of his posit-
ion are such, that notwithstanding the material
! " higher cost Of labor in this country than in
Europe. he eau still furnish his products a, a
piice al which he cannot be undrrbid. even in a
foreign market, by the manufacturers cf auy
other country, his pos,Iion is as sal. and iude-
pendent. rs IN the nature Of things the enoIu
mis- OF any occupation cau be-
Steam on Common Roads They have brone IN,
tue machinery Of locomotive for ordinary
roads in Eneland TO such perfection that on a
recent experimental trip. it repeatedly turned
corners at speed OF twelve mules an hour