Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-05-16

NV attention has been called 10 an article in
your paper OF Saturday last, signed christopher
Quandary, Jr," touching the affairs of The Man
chester Cotton Factory. Connected as am, and
from its establishment have been, with that facto-
ry il is thought that the article deserves some
lice al my hands-and though feel repugnance,
which the writer of il will hardly comprehend, 10
bringing before the public The private affairs Of
myself and nv associates in that company-a re-
pusnance only less than that should ieol TO fol
low his example, in prying into and making pub
lie the private affairs OF olhers,-yet, with your
leave, will beSlow few remarks upon IT,
His facts, wheresoever procured, are, 10 all in
tents, false in some important particulars and,
even where they seem 10 be true, are false IN The
effect 10 which no would apply them. In saying
this, do mol mean 10 impue 10 him Intentional
falsehood. His ignorance is no doubt OF piece
with his impertinence; and, as The one has betTay.
ed him into breach Of good manners, The other
has misled him into many errors OF fact.
Without entering into details, uninielligible 10
those who do moi understand the subject, and IN
necessary 10 those who do, beg leave 10 say, that
the wages of white labor al the Manchester Fac
tory have been, from The beginning Of its opera
lions 10 this day, more uniform Than in any other
employment with which am acquainted. The
rates have varied as in other kinds OF business,
bu The variation has been less real than appa-
rent. For example, in The beginning, in 1889 and
1910, and until May, 1871 weavers were paid for
fine cuts not only - cents, but 81 cents The cu!;
they are now paid mol lG cents, but lGi cents
| Meanwhile, however, The cus have generally
been reduced one-founh in width, and about one
sixth in fneness, making corresponding reduc-
lion in the process Of weaving-and leaving the
wages of the weaver nearly the same. Al the
lime of The strike, We had two weavers who had
worked regularly from lS39;-their wages in
lS39-40 averaged Sl5 q a month, for each, al
81 cents the cut, and, in l8ii-45, they averaged
Sl5 - a month, for each, al lGi cents The cut
In the beginning reeers were paid 2. cents The
reel; they are now paid ] ! cenlS-but, meanwhile
The reels have come 10 be worked by The power o
the mill, instead OF BY hand, and The coarse yarns
The least profitable 10 The reeler, have been g liver
10 The black hands A good reeer can easily
make Sl2 a month"; and more has been mad,
al present rates.
The business Of dress-tending is light work
usually performed, elsewhere, by females. w,
employ men, at $40 a month.
As for The spinners they are boys and girl
from II to IA years old, whose labour would else
where be Of lille value. They have never beel
paid SIC a month, nor are they now paid So
They are now, shey have always been, paid ac
cordng 10 their ability find that, in April, 1916
the dVeidSc "ds u I'D d WIEN, III April lo4l
81 20 a week, and in 1912, 81 81 week.
need not remind you, that, in regard 10 ever
kind OF properly and 10 The wages OF every de
scriplion OF labor prices have greatly decline
since l840-that the expenses of living hav
equally decined-and that wages now eqniva
lent 10 those of lS40, or nearly so, are high wage
in comparison with ordinary rates Indeed, III
truth is, that while the wages OF white labor in tn
factory are nearly the same, the cost Of black J:
! Dor is reduced about SO per cent.