The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-07-27

In 1910 labor was from IS to &c week; now il
commands from 10 TO $40. yg.. ..r .. ..
Here is a regular decrease for five years, In the
present year there is slight rise, occasioned by the
destruction Of the Schuylkill canal, and the conse-
quent inability of the miners to send sufficient
quantity TO market. r. .-i-... . ...,.... t I
Twenty years ago good wood commanded near
ly every winter, in the Philadelphia and New York
markets, as much as So and sl0,a cord, and FREE
quently, in extremely cold winters, il rose much
higher. So much distress there often in large
cities from the want Of fuel, that it led, mat
ter of necessity, 10 the establishment of fuel
saving societies, by which the poor man
could protect himself against the high prices
in the winter season. Now, ton of coal,
which is equal to a cord and half of hickory wood
can be purchased in either of these cities for what
was, twenty years ago, the lowest price of cord Of
wood. The introduction of this new article Of fuel,
which has been foseted and encouraged into use
by revenue laws, has brought down the price of
this necessary of life, and has been the cause OF
more comfort to the poor mans home than any in
vention of the age. Thirty years ago this article q
mean the anthracite coal of Pennsylvania was en-
tirely unknown; now it gives employment to labor,
annually, equal to FIVE millions of days. work. Il
gives employment to about 700 ships Of l6O tons
each, and 1t afordsa nursury for the education Of
about 5000 seamen, the importance of which can
only be felt in case Of war with maritime power
Destroy this business, and You transfer this nursery
to the coal mines Of Great Britain. 1t has Invested
my ulo, nv i.'''ons 9i uothrs, alp u sus
,,s sb do AZ N non ,s heisuoorhooa OF
au, 49, ~ =, 'v,UoV p1Tp. ANU
a a-sy,,,,,,'s.I ,rnd, "a n, ~ uois ~1'u y,
su"ns ne damoun, tu ~ h uiee una nay
~" Ill o,naa nons Il He'1 ,I as,h o
= IN ' L'''sun' III tPo ahtnia.ite eotu
three hundred thousand dollars. ...
The rent paid bv the miners To the owners of
land amounts TO nm annual sum of S6OO 400 and
this sum ia produced by yerv small charge ON
each ton mined-not more than 30 or 40 cents-aIl
the remainder being expended for labor in one form
or another and the land for which this rent is Maid
was. until recently. barren waste. 7.7r
The effect of The tariff tpon this branch of our
industry Is illustrated by the following fact;
| In 1897 the amount of coal sent to
market was - SSI. 600 tons
In lS42, with low duties, it had in
creased to only ~ |. IOS 600
Showing an increase Of 227, 900 tons in Eve wears.
1886 it will be over $500 900 tons, showing an in
crease, under the effects Of the tariff OF ISa2 in n
| period of only four wears. of 1.3g2 600 tons.
Among the striking effects of Inc introdpction M
this article fostered as it has been by our tariff laws
is one for the correctness of which appeal to the
senators of Massachusetts the completion of tbc
Reading railroad, one of the avenues by which The
| coal reaches market, has made such reduction In
the price of fuel in that State that the amount saved
annually TO its citizens equals the interest on her
whole State debit thus virtually abolishng the debt